Page 11 of Holding Out for a Gyro
“Good point.” She gave me a squeeze and let go to turn right onto Cherry. The hourglass was nearly empty. “But I don’t think I could ever leave Elizabeth here.”
“Is that the kind of thing you put on that checklist of yours? Traveling to new places?” I asked, cursing the GPS for announcing our imminent arrival.
“The opposite, really. Traveling is my default escape strategy. My therapist has challenged me to bring the adventure home, push me out of my comfort zone, encourage wacky shit like tonight, and dare myself to open up. Otherwise, I’d just do the same old day in, day out.”
“I understand inertia all too well. A body in motion stays in motion.”
“Is that another cheesy pickup line?”
As she pulled into my driveway and threw the car in park, I had to shoot my shot. “Do you want it to be?”
She swiveled toward me, her dark mane cascading over her shoulder in slow waves of moonlight and shadow. I longed to run my fingers through that liquid night. When I tentatively lifted my hand, she tilted her head, and I took that as permission to twine one finger around a strand of her silky hair.
I studied her face, committing her features to memory. “I’m glad I met you tonight.”
“Me too.” She winced, like she’d confessed more than she meant to.
“Has the truth serum worn off yet?”
She fixed me in a hard stare. “Soon.”
I let my palm fall against her cheek. I had to ask, while shemight tell me. “If you don’t want a boyfriend, what do you want? Nothing? Friends with benefits? A one-night stand?”
“Are you offering?”
I searched her eyes. Was she serious? After she’d worried about Elizabeth going home with a strange man, I figured she’d be more circumspect. I set my sights on what I could realistically achieve in the here and now. “Would you be offended if I said I’d love to kiss you?”
I braced myself, longing for a yes, preparing for a no. She seemed to consider the request but pulled slightly away. “And then what?”
Fuck it. I wasn’t going to leave without at least trying. “And then whatever you want.”
She scoffed. “What if I just want sex?”
I swallowed hard. It was so forward, but did she mean it? I’d never managed a purely physical relationship, though in retrospect, my passion always ran its course fast enough that my “serious” relationships turned out to be as casual as a hookup. Evan called me Easy Lover because I loved the idea of falling in love, and I often got ahead of myself, imagining how every woman I flirted with might fit into my future. I’d already fallen half in love with this woman I’d just met, and here Chelsea had proclaimed herself a romantic cynic.
But I couldn’t resist the temptation. “Would you like to come inside?”
Her eyebrows rose. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
The dog barked as I unlocked the door to my embarrassingly small house. I shared this rental with a roommate, but as a medical resident, Farrid worked long hours. The foyer was empty and dark. I crossed the den and slid open the patio doors to let Pepper run outside. When I turned back, Chelsea leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting.
“Do you want something to drink?” I asked.
She shook her head, so I stepped closer.
“Would you like to sit and talk?”
She sucked on her lower lip, let her teeth drag across it, and my cock stiffened. Her eyes closed as I neared. I brushed her hair from her temple, bent close, and whispered, “What do you want, Chelsea?”
Her eyes opened, and she leaned in, a breath away. “I want you to kiss me.”
I grasped her hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her to me, so I could taste those burgundy lips. She smelled like summer, like coconut and honeysuckle. Our mouths crushed together, her berry lip gloss sticky and sweet. When her tongue brushed mine, I unearthed a groan.
My lips dragged down to her jaw, her neck. She raked her fingers across my cheek, then clasped my shoulders, my chest, frantically tugged at the hem of my shirt. I helped her peel it off and let it fall to the ground, my skin on fire.
She stepped back and ogled me.
I reached for her shirt in turn but hesitated, needing her consent every step of the way. “May I?”
