It wasn’t that I had any issues with her or even her husband. My parents were great people, as well. I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with their questions about why I haven’t found a nice man to settle down with yet. Or why I wouldn’t follow them down to Florida when I had nothing left for me here. I thought I’d found someone special once, and that blew up in my face. As for having nothing left for me here, I had my work, my friends, and my music. And my family was the kind I could only handle in small doses, anyway. And since my skin was covered in so many tattoos, it wasn’t like I could sunbathe by the ocean. So why the hell would I go to Florida?
However, when I picked up my phone, the message wasn’t from the guys or my sister. And when I opened the message to read it, what I saw made my eyebrows shoot up in surprise and my lips split into a grin.
Foster: I was right. I woke up. Cleaned my apartment. Even took a shower until my water ran cold. I still don’t have any regrets.
Hope tried to take flight inside me as I read, then reread his message, and I had to squelch it. He didn’t have any regrets. That was great. But that didn’t mean he still wanted to continue whatever it was we were doing. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. So, I forced myself to keep my reply simple and sarcastic.
Me: I can’t imagine the water staying hot for long with such a small water heater.
Foster: It was long enough.
I was debating on what to reply, since my mind instantly went to activities I liked to do in the shower. Ones that included an extra person and needed an abundance of hot water. But then the three dots appeared on the screen, and I stared at them until another message popped up.
Foster: Got any plans today?
Me: Netflix, pizza, and beer.
Foster: That sounds better than what I’m going to do.
Me: And that is?
Foster: Clean
I snorted. Should I invite him over again? I’d just seen him less than twenty-four hours ago. I didn’t want to come off as forceful, but if he was bored and wanted to get out of cleaning… Plus, maybe we’d be able to share a few more kisses, and possibly a bit more.
Me: Well, I have plenty of pizza and beer if you want to come share.
Foster: Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.
Me: I wouldn’t have invited you if I wasn’t, so get your cute ass over here.
The three dots briefly appeared on the screen before disappearing. I waited patiently for them to pop up again, and then a message came through.
Foster: You think my ass is cute?
My lips curled into a grin at his innocent question. I knew he wasn’t fishing for a compliment, but that he was really surprised someone found him attractive. He really had no idea just how enticing he was. And the innocence he possessed only made me hornier for him. I wanted to break down those barriers and let his inner freak shine. I could tell by the eager way he kissed me that he’d be wild and passionate between the sheets. All he needed was a partner to encourage and show him what he could be capable of. No, he didn’t just need any partner—he needed me.
Me: Among other things.
Foster: Such as?
Me: Come over, and I’ll show you.
More dots appeared before going away again. Was he trying to find a way to turn me down? Had I come on too strong? I didn’t think so, but this was all new to him, and flirting wasn’t obviously something he was used to.
Foster: I’ll be there soon.
I set down my phone and hopped off the couch to do a quick survey of my house. Even though he’d seen it already, we were both tired and had been more focused on kissing than anything else. Now that we’d had some sleep and were more clearheaded, I was sure he’d look around, and the last thing I needed him to see was a dirty sock under the couch or a pair of underwear tossed on the floor.
Luckily, I had nothing like that, but I made sure to tidy up as much as I could and even took out my trash. It wasn’t close to overflowing or anything, but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything in there that could possibly make my house smell. Then, I queued up Netflix on the screen and had the app to order the pizza ready on my phone when there was a knock on the door.
Foster had arrived.
As I walked to the door, I had to get myself under control. Pulling him into a heated kiss before throwing him into wall so I could feast on his ass wasn’t the kind of greeting he needed. At least, not yet, anyway. We were just two friends hanging out, who happened to share a kiss or three. The only thing I’d be eating that night was pizza, and I had to keep that in mind when I pulled the door open.
But when my eyes locked with his shy brown ones before zooming in on the teeth that were gnawing on his lip, all thoughts of self-control flew out the door and down the street. I gripped the front of his T-shirt tightly in my fist and hauled him against me as I planted my lips against his—right back where they belonged.
Even though I’d lost my battle with keeping my greeting friendly, I fought to keep the kiss brief since we were standing in the doorway. Though that could’ve been an easy fix by walking a few steps backward and kicking the door shut.
“Hello to you, too,” he teased when I reluctantly pulled away.
I ran my finger across his bottom lip. “Sorry, I saw you biting that lip, and I had to kiss it better.”
“I should bite it around you more often.”
I growled. “You’re already distracting enough as it is, don’t make it even harder to me.”
“I am?”
“You really have no idea how irresistible you are, do you?”
Foster frowned. “Is that a trick question?”
I shook my head and took a step backward. “Come on inside and let’s figure out what to order and pick a movie.”
Foster seemed a bit disappointed at my words but didn’t say anything as we walked to my living room. He sat down on the couch and I sat directly beside him, so close that our thighs were touching. As I reached out to grab my phone, I saw he was looking around at the various photos of landscapes I had hanging on the walls.
“Hey,” I said capturing his attention.
He turned to look at me. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for being here.”
“Thanks for letting me come.”
I leaned over and kissed him softly. “You haven’t come yet. But hopefully I can fix that for you.”
Foster stared at me, his lips slightly parted and his cheeks flushed as what I said to him sank in. I expected him to stand up and leave. For him to tell me it was too much, and that I had crossed a line by coming on too strong.
But he didn’t.
Instead, my innocent bartender was full of surprises. He reached down and laid a hand on my thigh. He tried to appear confident as he slowly stroked his hand upward and allowed his pinky to slightly brush against the evident bulge in my pants. But the nerves in his gaze and tremor in his hand told me how nervous he truly was.
“I hope you do.”
His voice was husky, and there was a small tremble in his spoken words, but the fact he was touching me showed me he wasn’t lying when he said he had no regrets. But now I was suddenly forced to figure out which speed to go with this man. Do I ease my foot off the accelerator or press it to the floor? The truth was, as much as I wanted to pound his ass right there on the couch, I couldn’t. He deserved better than that. And fuck me, this was going to be an ultimate test for my patience. I just hoped I passed.