Yeah, it’s not a hard fucking choice.
I scan the empty streets in suspicion before climbing out of the car and locking the doors. There's a good chance a car like mine could disappear in this part of town, but I have more important things to worry about than an insurance claim. After hashing in the code I’d watched her put in after the drunken night at the bar, I walk through the doors of Autumn's building, pausing outside her door.
Leaning against the door frame, I try to convince myself that this is a bad idea. What woman would want to waste her time with a guy who leaves her alone at a restaurant? In my experience, that’s when the woman decides it’s too hard. They want me to put them first and don’t understand that no matter what, my job will always take that place. It’s just the way it has to be, but I feel like Autumn could be the one to actually understand that.
Before I convince myself to walk away and leave her alone, my knuckles rap against the wooden door.
My head hangs as I lean against the doorframe and I find myself listening carefully to every little sound coming from within the apartment. It’s dead silent and for a brief moment, I wonder if she’s already gone to bed. Though, why wouldn’t she? It’s well after midnight now.
I’m just about to walk away when I hear the familiar sound of a metal lock sliding out of place before watching as the door handle twists.
I suck in a breath and pull myself back so that I’m not overtaking her doorway, and not a second later, my girl appears before me in nothing but a ‘Hello Kitty’ tank and a pair of cotton shorts that have me desperate to get her inside.
Autumn stands in her doorway, watching me with a curious stare on her face. She nibbles her bottom lip and I quickly realize that this is a nervous habit of hers. “‘Hello Kitty?’” I ask, dropping my gaze over her body.
Her eyes drop and a small cringe stretches over her face as though she’d completely forgotten what she was wearing. “I, umm … it’s laundry day,” she lies. “If I knew royalty was coming, I would have had my silk, lace, and diamonds prepared.”
I can’t help but smirk down at her, knowing damn well that this is what she wears every night. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had the same pair of shorts in seven different colors—one for every night of the week. “I’m sorry,” I murmur, trying to keep things serious. “I know it’s late but I had to check that you got home alright.”
She fights a smile. “You could have called,” she suggests as though it’s the most obvious solution in the world.
“I would have if I had your number,” I tell her.
“Oh,” she says, her cheeks flushing that beautiful shade of pink that I adore. She leans against the open door and looks up at me through her long lashes. “But if you need to know, yes, I got home just fine. I even helped myself to dessert which was already paid for.”
I look down at her, capturing her stare. “You don’t hate me?”
Her brows furrow as she pushes off the door and takes a small step toward me. “How could I hate you for that? You’re a doctor. It comes with the territory. What you do is important.”
“Are you sure you’re not bothered by it?”
She shrugs her shoulders and her ‘Hello Kitty’ tank rides up above her shorts, revealing the most delicious sliver of skin at her waist. I can’t resist but to reach out and take her waist, feeling her warm skin beneath my fingers as I pull her in close. “Don’t get me wrong,” she whispers. “Being left at a restaurant is no girl’s fantasy, but I understand it, and if I was in your position, I would have done the same thing.”
Her eyes sparkle and I narrow my own, feeling as though she has more to say. “But?” I question, prompting her to continue.
“But next time you up and leave in the middle of a date to rescue some damsel in distress, do me a favor and take me with you.”
A smile pulls at my lips as I work my fingers under the hem of her tank to claim as much of her skin as possible. “There’s a next time?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “After dropping the ‘we’re in a relationship’ bomb, I’d kinda be pissed if you didn’t take me out again.”
My hand on her waist curls further around until I’ve claimed her lower back. I pull her in close to my body and crush my lips against hers, kissing her the way she deserves to be kissed.
Her body squirms against mine as though she’s desperate to get closer and I give her exactly what she wants, holding her tighter and kissing her deeper. A needy groan pulls from her chest as her hands travel up my body and hook around the back of my neck.
My hand drops to her ass and I give it a firm squeeze before I lift her and press her back against the cool wall of the hallway. Her legs instantly wrap around my waist and I can’t help but feel as though that’s exactly where they belong.
I press into her and a moan instantly slips from between her lips.
God, I’ve been fucking dying to get her like this. To feel her in my arms, to taste her skin on my tongue, to make her scream my name, but while having all of those things would be the fucking world, she deserves more.
I pull back while keeping her pinned to the wall. We both pant, catching our breath as I meet her eyes. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, spying that perfect, sensitive skin beneath her ear and wishing that I could roam my lips over them, making her need me just as I’m needing her. “This isn’t why I came here. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. You mean so much more than just some random booty call.”
She nods, completely agreeing with me. “Let me make it up to you. What do you say we try this again tomorrow night? You can come by my place and I’ll cook for you.”
“You cook?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not some fancy chef with recipes coming out of my ass, but I do alright for myself.”
“Alright then,” she says, dropping her legs from around my waist and smiling up at me with her big, beautiful eyes. “It’s a date.”
“It’s a date,” I confirm, stepping into her and curling my hand around the back of her neck. I dip my face to hers and watch as she sucks in a deep breath before biting down on her lip. I press my lips to her cheek, right beside her lips. “Go to bed. We have three deliveries tomorrow.”
Her eyes light up like Christmas morning and I physically have to pull myself away from her to avoid crushing my lips back to hers. “Good night, Autumn,” I say, stepping away.
She watches me, her eyes sparkling with excitement, joy, and desire. “Night, Dr. Mayson,” she says, somehow making my name sound like a siren’s call.
I start walking back toward the elevator at the end of the hallway when her voice is whispered through the darkened hallway. “Thorne,” she says, her voice so soft that I can hardly hear it. I turn around, watching her from the opposite end of the hallway as she hovers in her doorway, the flimsy material of her tank falling off her petite shoulder. “Would you like to come in?” she murmurs, her tone shy and filled with nerves. “It’d be a shame not to end our date properly.”