Eyes bright, Caitlyn laughed and nodded. “We did the same! Those tourist boats were always so expensive, and with six kids, you can imagine that Mom and Dad wanted to cut corners where possible. So, we’d come to the harbor, walk around, and then use the water taxis to get from one side to the other.” Still smiling, she added, “I think it makes you a Hope City original to have spent part of your childhood riding the water taxis!”
Their dinner came and both made big eyes at the huge platters filled with food after the servers had walked away. Caitlyn lifted her brows then picked up her silverware and pronounced, “Okay, thank God I’m in a stretchy dress!”
They continued to talk over dinner, both making a decent dent in their meal but neither able to finish. Skipping dessert, they wandered out of the restaurant, their pace leisurely. His hand had rested lightly on her back but now he linked fingers with her as they watched the street lamps illuminate and the shadows lengthen over the water.
They were quiet, but it was a comfortable silence as they walked. They stopped at one point to watch one of the water taxis as it approached. Looking at each other, they grinned at the same time. Her eyes lit, and she nodded just before he led her over to the pay booth. Soon, they were ensconced at the front of the boat, laughing as the breeze blew as they moved across the water.
Sitting side-by-side, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. Arriving at the other side near where he’d parked, he held her close as they left the boat, making sure she didn’t stumble in her heels. As soon as they were back on the brick walk, she whirled around and plastered herself to his front, her arms tight about his waist and her face turned up toward him.
“Oh, Griffin, first date, third date… it doesn’t matter. This has been the best date ever!”
Throwing finesse to the wind, he bent and took her lips in a searing kiss, his tongue plunging, immediately tangling with hers, both pushing for dominance. Their noses bumped as they twisted back and forth. He’d love to be able to say that he gave as much as he took, but all he could think about was the soft feel of her lips, her breasts crushed against his chest, and her curves fitting neatly in his arms. That, and the fact that his cock was now painfully pressed against his zipper.
She broke the kiss first, her fingers still clutching his shoulders and her eyes staring up into his. Licking her swollen lips, she said, “When we get home, Griffin, I don’t want to kiss you good night.”
He blinked, jolting slightly as he wondered how bad his kissing had been. Heat filled his face and his arms loosened. “You… you don’t want to…”
Shaking her head, she whispered, “No. I don’t want to kiss you good night because I’d rather kiss you good morning tomorrow when you wake up in my bed.”
It took his brain a second to catch up with her meaning, then his arms jerked her tightly against him again. “Fuck, babe, you just gave me everything I wanted, making this absolutely the best date ever!” Fighting the urge to throw her over his shoulder, he slid his hand down to link fingers with hers, and they hustled away from the harbor and across the street to his car. Throwing open the door, he scooped her up and set her gently inside. “Buckle up.”
They barely spoke as he drove back to their house, but they stayed connected through their linked fingers between their seats. He tried to drive responsibly but could barely keep his foot off the accelerator, feeling the need to race. Praying they wouldn’t see any of their neighbors when he parked, he jogged around the front of the truck and helped her down. He locked his car, eschewing the key fob, not wanting to make any extra noise. Linking fingers again, they walk-trotted up to the porch and through the front door. He scooped her into his arms again and took the stairs two at a time, not stopping until they stood outside her door.
Setting her feet gently onto the floor, he cupped her cheeks and stared into her eyes. “Are you sure, Caitlyn? I want you to be sure. I need you to be sure.”
She lifted on her toes and placed a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. “I’ve never been more sure about anything.”
With that, he slid her purse from her shoulder, snagged her keys from inside, and unlocked the door. Scooping her up into his arms again, he was determined to not act like a caveman, but once inside her apartment and the door kicked shut, it was all he could do to not press her against the wall. He had no doubt they’d try wall sex at some time, that wasn’t how he wanted their first time to go. Tremors ran through his body, every cell vibrating.
As though she knew the battle going on inside him, she kissed him lightly again and said, “Take me to bed.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
With her still in his arms, he stalked past the kitchen counter and down the hall. Her apartment wasn’t a mirror image of his, but he had no doubt he was heading toward her bedroom. Turning to the right, he guessed correctly and entered a large room, the wooden floors and tall windows like his, but that was where the similarity ended. Whereas his was furnished minimally, hers was decorated in a style that matched her personality.
Colors melded and meshed throughout the room without overpowering the space. Pastels in blue, green, and yellow covered her queen-sized bed, both in the spread and the pillows scattered on top. Her curtains were white, perfect against the pale blue walls. A large blue and green rug was centered in the room, and in the corner was a reading nook, complete with a window seat covered in a deep green cushion and blue and yellow pillows.
He took all this in almost instantly, needing something to focus on to slow down his ardor, not wanting to overpower her with his need to strip her naked and plunge into her body.
Walking to the bed, he set her down gently, then bent to slide her shoes off. He knew some men talked about sex with a woman wearing sky-high heels, but his fantasy was just her. Pure, unadorned Caitlyn.
She wiggled her toes, moaning slightly, giving evidence that he was making the right decision to rid her of her shoes. Squatting in front of her, his hands glided up her calves, slipping underneath the hem of her dress. Her gaze was pinned on him, and another little moan left her lips as her head fell back, this time in response to his ministrations.
The material of her skirt shifted upward as his hands continued to skim over her thighs, her soft skin making it almost impossible to go slowly, but the desire to commit each sensation to memory kept his movements deliberate. Her pale blue, silky panties came into view as her skirt was now pushed up to her hips. The scent of her arousal wafted past, and he breathed deeply as his fingers gripped her thighs before he smoothed them over her flesh.
She dropped her chin, her gaze holding his, and while her chest heaved, her smile widened. Swallowing deeply, she nodded, answering his unasked question. She lay back on the bed and unfastened her side tie, loosening her dress. The material fell open, and he marveled at the simplicity, wondering if he could request that all her dresses be made in the same fashion. Her blue panties were now in full view as was her matching bra, the silky material barely covering her breasts.
Nuzzling her panties, he hooked his fingers into the elastic, dragging them down her legs and tossing them to the side. She lifted her legs to rest over his shoulders, and he dove in as a man starved, and in truth, for her, he was.
He licked, nipped, sucked, and plunged, drunk on her essence, determined to make her feel everything he was feeling. She gasped, chest heaving as her fingers gripped the bedspread.