AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not calling about the lights, but I’ll wait while you turn them on.”
“You do know this is a cell phone? I can turn the Christmas lights on while I’m on the phone with you.”
“Why don’t you just have the timer thing set so they come on by themselves?”
“Screw Mick, trying to charge extra for the timer thing. I’m insulted. Like he thinks I’m going to forget to turn them on. I mean, Iam, but he needs to mind his own business. I guess I should say his daddy's business.” She lets out a laugh at her own joke. “So what’s up if you’re not calling about the lights? This have something to do with you and the new guy having dinner at the diner tonight? Your fingers all touching while you made goo-goo eyes at each other.”
I blow out a breath. “Really?” Word travels even faster than I thought.
“Yep. Carlton texted me with play by playanda photo.”
“Oh my God. He really needs to get a boyfriend.”
“I bet he’s lonely. I’ve never even seen poor Carlton with a date.” She munches something, crunching sounds rustling through the phone. “Okay, moving on, tell me more about–”
“He didn’t kiss me,” I blurt out. “But he did call me babe and a good girl when I locked the door when I got in the house.”
“Doesn’t sound to me like you want to be a good girl, Liza,” Eve teases me.
“But why didn’t he kiss me?”
“Cause men are stupid?” Krampus meows in agreement with Eve for once before he prances his booty out of the kitchen.
“This is the worst,” I huff.
“Liza, you want to kiss him?”
“Well, yeah. Why else would I be acting like this?”
“Then go kiss him. The Liza I know goes for what she wants.”
“I do.” I stand up a bit straighter. I don’t want to play games. I can kiss him. Why the heck not? Then he’ll know where I stand on the matter. Even if I’m terrible at it. Which I most likely will be since I don’t have an ounce of experience.
“Go get that kiss, tiger,” Eve says before I hang up the call. I head back out my front door and across the yard over to his place. Before I can try to knock on the door, it swings open, my hand still in the air.
“Something wrong?” He steps out and assesses the street.
“Yes, something is wrong. You didn’t kiss me.” I grab the front of his shirt and yank him down to me. He comes willingly as I lift up on my tiptoes to meet him halfway. His mouth connects with mine. His lips are softer than I thought they would be. Everything else about him is so damn hard.
He licks the seam of my lips, and I part them for him. His tongue slips right in. I moan into his mouth. His fingers dig into my hair, pulling my head back to deepen the kiss even more. I press myself against him. This feels so natural, his mouth on mine as he takes control of the kiss. I start to rub myself against him. Both my hands are now clinging to him.
“Fuck.” He grunts, lifting his head. I gasp for breath, my lips tingling. I realize we’re going at it on the porch. It might be dark out, but anyone could pass by and likely see. Crane slowly releases his hold from my hair. “Liza.” My name comes out gruff. Damn, that’s sexy.
“Tomorrow,” I say, dropping my hands from his chest before stepping back.
“Tomorrow,” he agrees before I turn and head back to my house. I can feel his gaze on me the whole way. I pause at my door to peek back at him.
“I’ll lock it,” I tell him before I slip inside.
“Good girl,” I hear him say as my door falls closed and I flip the lock. I lick my lips that are still tingling.
Tomorrow now sounds like forever away.
9
CRANE
After a sleepless night of me going over our kiss again and again, interspersed with my ‘easy moneymantra, I’m up early to drive Liza to her car.
