My phone vibrated, and for a split second I thought it was the sound of my heart shooting out of my chest.
I looked down at it.
Shala: Are you okay?
Shit.
How long had I been out here with him? I had no damn concept of time.
Feeling like I was about to overheat, I made a rash decision. “My friend is worried. I need to go back to my table. You should do the same. Goodnight.”
With lightning speed, I ran off, nearly crashing into a wall as I turned the corner in a haze.
Back at the table, a look of concern crossed Shala’s face. “Everything okay? I thought maybe you passed out or something.”
“Yup.” I grabbed a water and downed the entire thing in one long gulp. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Everything is fine.”
She sighed, looking down at her phone. “I actually have to get going. It’s later than I told Felix I’d be home.”
Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, I nodded. “Okay, yeah. Thank you for coming out tonight. This was so much fun.” Until I turned into a hot mess.
She stood up from her chair. “I’ll see you Monday. Be careful getting home, okay?”
“I will.” I nodded. “You be careful, too.”
When Shala left, I noticed Troy return to his table. Soon after, he and Casey both got up. With his hand at the small of her back, they walked toward the exit together before eventually disappearing out the door.
I felt nauseous. Well, ain’t that a bitch. I guess he was serious when he threatened to go home with her.
Asshole. I didn’t know if I was swearing at him or myself.
Damn it, this stung. He’d riled me up, and now he was going back to her place to take my rejection out on her. Would he fuck that woman just to spite me after the best kiss of my life? If that’s the case, it’s just more proof that he’s nothing but bad news.
I grabbed my phone and scrolled to the app for a ride home.
After I took a few minutes to cool down with another glass of water, I got up and walked outside to wait for my ride.
As soon as the cool night air hit my face, a voice startled me.
“Boo.”
I looked to my left to find Troy leaning against the building.
He was alone.
I clutched my chest. “You scared me.”
“You didn’t think I was really gonna go home with her, did you?” He took a few steps toward me. “I know you like to call me Whoreannosaurus, but even I don’t go home with women I’ve only known for a matter of minutes.” He was inches away now. “Besides, how could I even think of anyone else after the kiss we had?”
My heart fluttered.
“Cancel the car, if you called one,” he said. “I’m taking you home. And no, you don’t have to let me into your house—unless you want to. It’s just a ride home, Aspyn. No expectations, despite what I said when I was all worked up in there.”
“Can you even drive?” I asked. “I saw you drinking.”
“When I met Eric earlier, I wasn’t expecting to stay as long as I did. I stopped at two beers because I brought my car. I nursed the last one. I promise I’m sober. I wouldn’t put you in danger.” He paused. “That goes for more than just driving.”
“Well, you’ve already been in one car accident since I’ve known you.”
“Yeah. But that was your fault.”
“My fault?”
“I saw you with that guy and got distracted.”
“That was why you crashed your car? Because you spotted me? I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. See? That wasn’t easy to admit. But I’ve already thrown balls to the wall tonight with you, so what’s one more thing?”
Taking out my phone, I scrolled down to cancel my ride as my body buzzed.
Troy and I walked together in silence to the area where he’d parked his car. He opened the passenger door for me, and I got into his Range Rover, which was, per usual, the epicenter of his intoxicating scent.
The tension was thick during the ride home. I didn’t know if it was the pheromones in the air, the alcohol in me, or what, but I wanted nothing more than for Troy to kiss me again. My panties were still wet from our first one. My body had come alive in a way that felt like a faucet of arousal that couldn’t be shut off.
As we drove over the small bridge leading to my neighborhood, my gut told me something was going to happen between us tonight. And I wasn’t going to fight it, because I wanted it just as much as he did. Maybe more. I needed this. I needed him. I was going to let myself have it.
Troy turned on the radio, and “The Best is Yet to Come” by Frank Sinatra started playing. I wondered if he was trying to send me a subliminal message.
When we pulled up in front of my house, he shut the ignition off before turning to me. But he didn’t say anything.
My palms were sweaty. “Are you…coming inside?” I finally asked, immediately realizing how suggestive my choice of words was.
Coming inside my house? Coming inside of me? Tomato-tomahto.
“Only if you ask me to,” he said. “Just to be clear, I’m not making any assumptions. I won’t do anything unless you ask me to do it, despite all that talk back at the bar.” He wrapped his arm around the back of my seat, causing the hairs on my neck to stiffen. “Look, I feel like I can read people pretty well. If I didn’t think you wanted me to come back here with you, I wouldn’t have pulled what I did tonight. I know your head is telling you I’m a bad idea. But what you actually want is a different story. Am I right?”
I swallowed hard. “You’re right.”
He nodded as his eyes fell to my lips.
What my body wanted was never up for debate. The main thing stopping me was fear of where my head would take things after. I didn’t want to get attached to a man I’d deemed dangerous for me. And I also didn’t want to deal with everything else that came along with it, like having to admit what I’d done to Jasmine—even if she’d already encouraged me to go for him. Aside from all that, I couldn’t deny that I wanted him more than I’d wanted anything in a very long time.
“If you decide you want me to come inside,” he said. “We’ll let things happen naturally—only what you’re comfortable with and only what you ask me for. And I won’t stay the night. There doesn’t have to be any mention of it tomorrow, either, or the next day. It can be noncommittal. It doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to, Aspyn. No pressure…just pleasure.”
“That sounds like an advertising slogan.” I laughed nervously. “Anyway, you make it sound so simple.”
“I can also go home. And we can pretend this conversation never happened. But that would be painful.” He shook his head and groaned, “Because I want to fuck you so badly. I’m sorry for being blunt. But I’ve dreamed of fucking you almost every day since the night I crashed my car.”
His words sent chills through my body. “I don’t want you to go home tonight,” I whispered.
“Good. Because I really don’t want to.”
A rush of adrenaline hit as I forced out an awkward but important question. “Do you…have any diseases or anything? Are you clean?”