I would’ve immediately taken the dog back, but the truth was I was exhausted and hurting from stealing him. It would have to wait until I had at least cared for my slimy knees. I sat in my bathroom, wincing as I ran a rag over my bloody knees when I heard a knock on the door as Trip barked, alerting me. I was suddenly fearful it was Jayden. Shoes still on and one still broken, I limped my way to the door and looked through the peephole to see that, in fact, it was...and he was angry.
I opened the door as Trip stood next to me, happy to see his master.
“What the hell, Hilary!”
“Sorry, it was a bad move,” I said, opening the door.
“You don’t just take a man’s dog,” he scorned, snatching Trip’s leash from my hand.
“Yeah, spoken like a true hypocrite.” Jayden’s eyes covered me as he noticed my broken shoe and torn up knees.
“What happened?”
“Don’t ask. There you go. You have your dog.” My voice was trembling and I couldn’t for the life of me make it stop. Emotion filled my chest as he scrutinized me. I let him take me in, my arms crossed over my chest, before limping to my couch and relieving my feet of my heels. He walked over to the table where I had thrown my wet washcloth and sat on the couch next to me, lifting my legs so my feet were in his lap. He resumed cleaning my knees without a word. I watched him as he gently dabbed up the dirt and then leaned in and blew on them.
“I’m not good at the boy/girl stuff,” he offered after a few minutes.
“You ever thought about trying the man/woman thing?” He refused to look at me, keeping his eyes trained on my knees.
“Clearly, you don’t like to share. I get it. I don’t, either,” I remarked about my comment earlier. “I don’t think it’s worth throwing away a handful of good dates, but you obviously feel differently.”
“I think about you day and night,” he said as his eyes finally drifted to mine with a look so intense if I hadn’t already been sitting, I’d have to. The flutter in my stomach warmed me and spread quickly throughout my limbs.
“I’m trying here, but I’m not an easy guy to get along with.”
“You’ve done a great job of being an asshole today,” I agreed.
“I’m not sure what I want from you, Hilary.” He leaned in and blew on my knees before he placed a soft sweet kiss below both of them. I closed my eyes against the growing fear of what he was about to say.
“If this is going to be some speech about hooking up just for fun, I should warn you now, I’m not the type of girl for that.”
He pulled me into his lap gently to avoid bumping my torn skin.
“I overreacted,” he said in apology and then followed it with actual words. “I’m sorry.”
“I stole your dog,” I said with a smile.
“I have to admit, it was pretty slick,” he said, his hands massaging up and down my legs.
“Don’t shut me out like that. You ruin a perfectly good argument that way,” I said, leaning into him.
“Should we be arguing this early?” he asked with a smile.
“Why not? Emotion shows you care. We’d make a great Fred and Ethel,” I said hoping, he’d catch on to my I Love Lucy comparison. It was my absolute favorite show.
“Let’s shoot for Lucy and Ricky,” he said as his fingers threaded through my moisture-induced afro. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks,” I said quickly as I pumped my hand behind my head twice with ‘hot stuff’ emphasis.
“Clean up and come over, okay? Randy is going out with the screamer and staying with her tonight.”
“When are you going to let me cook for you?”
“When your knees don’t look like mini ET’s.” I chuckled as he leaned in to sip my lips and whispered a low, “I’m sorry. I would have come around.”
“I would have forgiven you, too, but I missed you and I kinda didn’t want to wait any longer.”
He looked at me as if what I said shocked him and I felt my cheeks heat. It had only been a little over two weeks and I was already missing him. He leaned in so sweetly and took my lips again. This time I felt the difference in his kiss. It was filled with emotion and I sighed as I opened for him, his tongue stroking mine so gently I felt my eyes water. He lifted me slightly to get more comfortable and I melted smoothly into him. When he had tasted my mouth in its entirety, he pulled away.
“Bring a bag,” he ordered with hooded eyes.
“A...oh,” I said, my sex yawning and stretching after a long nap. I ran my hands through his silky thick hair and smiled. “What a tantrum.”
“That’s nothing,” he warned.
“I’ll take my chances,” I said, looking into the deep blue eyes outlined in violet.
“I hope you really mean that,” he said, lifting me off his lap. “See you in a bit?”
“Yeah,” I said as he called to Trip, who had taken up residence on my recliner.
When he closed the door, I clutched my hands to my chest.
Too fast, Hilary. This is too fast.
But there was no use in reasoning with my carefree will now. My heart was already slightly attached to the man who had just walked out my door.
Sitting at Jayden’s table a few hours later, I felt the undeniable sexual tension climbing between us as I continued to rattle on nervously. “And then there is Sabrina. She’s the third. I love her, but it seems her sole purpose in life is to resemble a walking identity crisis.” Jayden listened as I rambled on through a delicious dinner of fresh caught rainbow trout with almond butter and sautéed Brussels sprouts—which I’d hated until I’d tasted his.
“Molly is the youngest. She’s by far the most normal of us all, until you piss her off. Then she’s a downright outlaw. I think you would like her,” I muttered on nervously, sipping my amber beer and picking at the label. “And my mother...Lord, you two have so much in common in the kitchen. I should take you to brunch...you know...sometime down the road, or whatever. Anyway, that’s basically it.” I looked up to see a small smile on Jayden’s lips. He had his elbows on the table, his hands folded under his chin, and was leaning toward me. I hadn’t shut up since we sat down and Jayden, besides a question here and there, had only got a word or two in edgewise as he sipped his coffee, which was odd for him. Normally, he spoke a mile a minute.
“What?” I asked as he kept staring, his smile broadening with kept silence. I stood up with Jell-O knees and grabbed his plate. “I’m doing the dishes, and I don’t want any lip. Seriously, I want to pull my weight around here. Even if you have to go behind me because I didn’t use the correct brush or whatever, let me, okay?” I had learned in our short time together that Jayden’s ‘particulars’ were a must for him. But, it also meant he wasn’t letting me share in the weight of the workload.
He gripped my wrist and brought the plate back to the table in front of him then stood next to me. Pulse kicking into overdrive, I stood waiting as he brushed my hair back off my shoulder and he leaned over, gripping the back of my head gently as he whispered, “Are you nervous?”
“Yes,” I answered before he got the words out.
“I want to be inside you, Hilary. I want to see you come again by my fingers, my mouth, my cock.”
I moaned as his teeth gently gripped my lobe. “But I can wait as long as you need me to.”
“Please don’t,” I said, turning my head to look at him. He grabbed my hand, lacing my fingers with his, and walked us to his room. “I’m going to do the dishes and walk Trip. I want you in my bed naked when I get back.”
Oh, Jesus.
He turned me so my back was against the wall as he braced one hand next to my head while the other slowly started lifting my dress until it was over my panties and bunched in his fist. He stood there as his deep blue eyes washed my face in their color. I got lost in them. He leaned in, swiping his tongue over my bottom lip. “I lied when I told you I wasn’t sure what I wanted from you. I want you and tonight I’m asking you to give me what I want and tomorrow, too. And the day after. And the day after that. And the one after that. If that’s too heavy—”