What does he want? “Okay, thanks, Hill. I’m going to hang up on you in about three seconds. But I’ll talk to you when I get home,” I inform her jokingly.
“Wait! Before you do that, you have to tell me if you’re going to sleep with him,” she says giddily.
I roll my eyes and remain silent.
“Come on, Lauren! I’m bored as hell! Please, give me some kind of amusement. Give me something. I’m going to be here all alone tonight.”
I’m thankful to hear that. Now I know I can get a good night’s sleep.
“Hillary, I haven’t even kissed him yet,” I say, almost disappointed.
“Well, the night—or morning—is still young,” she sings.
“We’ll see. I’ve got to go. Talk to you later, Hill.”
“Yes, because you will tell me everything, or I’m jumping on your bed with you in it,” she jokes. At least, I think she’s joking.
“Okay, Hillary,” I say before I hang up. I walk back to the table.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. Hillary was checking up on me.” I laugh.
He looks at his watch and frowns. “Yeah, we better get out of here.” He stands, puts on his jacket, and pulls out his wallet.
“You know, I can pay for this. You’ve already paid for everything else,” I say, getting my purse.
“I asked you on the date. That’s the point.” He laughs.
“But—” I protest.
“When you ask me out on a date, you can pay.” He winks at me as he puts a fifty on the table. I know our food didn’t cost that much. He looks up and sees my surprise. “Don’t worry. I have a pretty decent job.” He throws me a smile before he leads the way to the front door.
I quickly pull on my jacket and follow him. “I never asked—what do you do?”
I head through the open door he’s holding for me. He ignores my question, distracting me with the thrill of the bike ride.
I open my eyes, feeling the bike’s engine turn off. The lull of the engine and smooth ride almost put me to sleep. I look over to see that we’re in front of my apartment building. I let go of him and get off the bike. I have an urge to stretch. We’ve been on this bike for over an hour.
“I have to tell you I’ve fallen in love with this machine,” I say, only half-joking.
He looks at it and grins. “She has that way about her,” he jokes as he dismounts and gives the gas tank an affectionate pat. He walks me to the door.
“This is one of the most interesting days I’ve had in a while. I really had fun,” I tell him.
“You’re not as boring as you’ve made yourself out to be,” he kids.
“This is just me on a good day,” I say, giving a mock warning.
As much as I’ve enjoyed myself, this moment has been drifting through my thoughts all day. There have been a few moments throughout our date when I thought he was going to—then nothing. I know for a fact he’s not afraid or nervous about doing it. After all, he lifted me off the floor into a passionate hug when he greeted me. But he’s done nothing but surprise me the entire night. Maybe he won’t kiss me at all. I’m being ridiculous. I usually don’t want to be kissed on dates, and now that I do, it’s not going to happen.
“Well, thank you for everything,” I say as I make my way toward the entrance to my building. I want to get inside before he sees how disappointed I am.
“I’ve been wanting—” he starts, but my phone rings, cutting him off. “May I?” he asks, gesturing toward the phone.
I look at it uncertainly. Before I can answer, he takes the phone from my hand and answers it. I’m a little perturbed that he’s answered my phone without waiting for my response—until I realize it’s Michael calling.
Cal interrupts the confused voice on the other end. “No. This is Cal. Lauren’s going to have to call you back at a decent hour. Don’t you think it’s a little late at night to be calling a respectable woman?” he scolds playfully before hanging up the phone and flashing me an innocent smile.
I can’t help but laugh. I then wonder why Michael would be calling at two in the morning. He’s probably drunk and trying to apologize again, hoping I’ll cave in and ask him over. Not going to happen.
Cal shrugs innocently. He hands me my phone back. and I remember how he did that without my permission. I frown at him.
“You’re not mad, are you?” he asks, seemingly surprised.
I did think it was funny, but he shouldn’t have just assumed it was okay. What if I did want Michael to come over? Not that I ever would, but still.
“No. But it could have been important. And you asked but didn’t wait for my answer,” I say, my voice strong. For the first time all night, I’m not nervous. He laughs as if he’s shocked, and I’m a little insulted. “Good night, Cal.”
I turn to open the door, and he grabs my hand. “It’s just that—I don’t usually have to ask for things. So I’m not used to waiting for the answer,” he says in a joking tone, but his expression is serious.
“That’s probably something you should work on then,” I say sarcastically, glad to have my nerve make an appearance for the first time since I met him.
“Well, can I kiss you?” he says, stepping closer to me, his eyes flirting with me.
He makes me swallow my breath. He smells so good, but no—I’m going to ignore how good he looks and smells. Cal needs a lesson that he can’t get everything he wants or do everything he feels like. Now I’m going to explain the boundaries of Lauren Brooks.
“Cal, I like you, but you should th—”
Before I can finish, he pulls me toward him as he did earlier, but this time, he presses his lips against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck to keep my balance. I don’t know how to react, but my body responds as he sucks on my bottom lip. Before long, my mouth opens, allowing his tongue into play, and he begins coaxing out my own. I feel lightheaded, tingles running up my spine, as his fingers trace circles on my lower back.
I can feel him smiling as one of his hands runs through my hair and cups the back of my head, while his other hand makes its way underneath the back of my sweater. His skin on mine sends sensations through my body that I’m not ready to experience. His fingers linger, tracing the same spots as he was earlier, but now there’s no material as a barrier to the warmth of his skin, countering the cool wind. Heat flushes through my body. I feel anxious and… unsatisfied. If our kiss gets any deeper, I’m going to drift away. But I want more.
I wrap my arms tighter around his neck, my body demanding to be closer to him, almost acting on its own. In response, his hands move to both sides of my waist, gripping me tighter as he backs me into the door—or maybe the wall. I can’t say for sure. But now I’m pressed between him and something. I feel his heart beating faster, or maybe it’s my own. We’re so close, I can’t tell the difference. I run my hands up his chest, the cool leather of his jacket smooth against my hands. I’ve never wanted to feel bare skin so badly in my life, and I realize I’m thinking crazy things—like, if only I had a dress on, this would be a lot easier, and if only he drove his car, how fast we could have been in there. I wonder how hard Hillary is sleeping and if she’d hear us if I brought him up. I realize I’m close to doing something extremely stupid, and with every ounce of will power in my body, I prepare to break our kiss. But before I do, he pulls away. I immediately miss the warmth of his lips.