I could see Emery coming up with all the reasons why it shouldn’t have happened and why it couldn’t happen again.
Leaving was my response. Half of it was because I felt it was the best way to lessen her freak out. Leave her a bit curious, a bit stunned, and wanting more. The other half was protecting myself because I didn’t want to hear her excuses. Nothing about what we did seemed wrong. And that was exactly her problem. She needed it to be wrong, to put the barrier between us, to be the one to end it. Walk away as if she had taken the high road.
So, I walked away first. And I planned to give her space. Let her come to me.
It was the smart move, but my dick was telling me different. It wasn’t something I totally was proud of, but I had been with plenty of girls. Girls had come easy to me since fifteen, which was exactly what Emery proved to me—they were girls. Young, insecure, and so eager to please, but not for the right reasons.
Emery was everything opposite.
So, instead of knocking on her door in the middle of the night, I had to jerk off multiple times to calm down. Just kissing her made me feel I was about to come in my pants, let alone what she did with her mouth.
“Fuck…” I hissed through my teeth, adjusting myself.
My cell buzzed on the workbench. Glancing down, I saw a text from Mateo.
Group of us are going to see the new action movie. Interested?
I wasn’t, but if I didn’t do something I would cave and end up back at Emery’s. It took all my energy to stay away now, and with each passing hour, the sun setting behind the trees, it was developing into a monster I couldn’t control. I’d end up back there, and she’d probably slam the door in my face. I wanted to give her a little time to miss me. To crave me like I did her.
I wanted her to come to me instead. All day I fantasized about her showing up in my garage. Her naked body spread over the hood of my car.
I adjusted my cock again, grinding my teeth together. I peered at the empty drive behind my GTO, the music of CCR streaming from the radio the only thing greeting me.
Yes. I texted Mateo back. I needed a distraction more than he knew.
My cell dinged. Cool. Meet us at 7:15 in front of the theater.
Tossing the dirty rag onto the workbench, I went inside.
“Grandpa?” I called out. “I’m gonna head out tonight. Will you be okay?” I strolled into the living room, where he sat in his chair, Claudia on his lap, watching football.
“Of course. You think I can’t take care of myself?”
No.
“Of course you can.” I went over, scratching Claudia on the head before heading to the kitchen for a drink of water.
“I’ve already eaten, peed, and pooped. What else do I need?” My grandpa was getting crankier; his mind and body were at odds. He still thought of himself as this Air Force pilot, young and full of vigor, when he couldn’t do much at all anymore. He sat in the garage with me, knowing he could no longer even get under a car and check it out. His body could no longer do what he used to, even though his mind said he could.
I understood that frustration. By my appearance and the fact I worked out, people didn’t see it in me. Didn’t see I was also limited.
“Speaking of taking care of yourself, have you taken your pills today? You know Grandma will get on your ass if you don’t.”
“Yes,” he huffed. “Have you?”
Touché.
“Go!” He waved me on. “Go out and be young.”
“You sure? I can stay here with you.”
Grandpa stared at the TV for a while before he spoke again. “Mas, I’ve already lived a full life. Found the woman of my dreams. Don’t waste your time sitting here watching TV. You should be out with your friends, being a teenager.”
I didn’t feel anything like a teenager. Actually, I wasn’t any more. Instead of playing video games or drinking at parties, I wanted to be cooking Emery dinner, watching movies, and fucking her on the counter before we had dessert.
My grandfather’s sentiment was supposed to be inspirational and all, but now that I stood here, waiting for some guys I didn’t really give a fuck about—except Mateo—for some movie I didn’t care about, I wanted to be anywhere else. Like at a cottage down the street from my house, between Emery’s legs as I drove into her.
Was she home? Eating a crappy microwave dinner and watching TV? Had she thought about last night all day as I had?
The way her body responded to me, how loud she cried out, how I had to hold her down so she didn’t fall off the washer when she orgasmed all flooded my mind. I had felt her come again when she was swallowing me down. How fast she responded to me when I kissed her after. I wanted so badly to bend her over the machine and fuck her senseless, but for once, I wanted the upper hand with her.
Did I regret it now? Hell yes.
A noise vibrated my throat, my hand nudging at my dick, trying to get it to calm the hell down. It was like it knew it had been twenty-four hours, and it was losing its shit now, craving her so badly I was starting to not see straight.
“Hey!” Mateo’s voice boomed, his hand in the air, a gang of football guys behind him. “Sorry we’re late.”
I dipped my chin, nodding at all the familiar faces, not one did I talk to anymore. Again, if I wasn’t involved with football, we had nothing left to say. Meeting at the movies with friends didn’t fit me. I felt old, beyond this teenage crap.
If they only knew who I had been with the last night, what I was doing. I had heard many of these guys talk about Emery, muttering about how hot she was, fantasizing about fucking her.
A smug grin worked over my mouth. I knew how she tasted, how loud her cry could get. None of these assholes ever would.
“Let’s go. I need to get Milk Duds and popcorn before it starts.” Mateo hit my arm in greeting, heading us toward the door. Waiting for them to go in, my gaze wandered down the sidewalk, a bar and grill blaring music as people went in and out, some with holiday hats on.
Air dissipated in my lungs, my entire body flexing in shock… then pure raw possessive anger took over. Jealousy.
Emery.
She wore a red dress cut low in the front and rose several inches above her knees. Her legs looked toned and long as she strolled to the Grill in her heels, a fuzzy velvet coat wrapped around her, her hair down and curled.
She had every inch of me standing to attention, but I saw the man beside her, his hand on her lower back, ushering her in as if he had the right to touch her. The one who had the right to be by her side. Like it was his tongue inside her last night. Her mouth wrapped around his cock.
What the fuck?
Here I thought I had the upper hand, that she would be home wondering if I was going to show up or not, when in reality, she was going on a fucking date. With this douchebag.
He was all of 5’10”, average build, a nice enough looking guy, and definitely older than her. Where she sparkled, he was dull and dim. He was all wrong for her.
The door shut after they entered, losing her inside. My feet moved. Not into the movie theater, but to her. I knew Mateo and the guys probably wouldn’t even notice I wasn’t there until later.
Striding to the Main Street Grill, I slipped into the dark, lively restaurant, my gaze scanning the space and finding a group of people in the bar area. A beautiful black woman dressed in a glittery red top yanked Emery up to the bar, ordering double shots. That man was right by her side, like a fungus, his hand still touching her. Trying to stake his claim to any man around.