The Scheme

My feet touched the ground, and we stared at each other for a moment, then he bent his head and crashed his mouth into mine. This was the kiss I had felt at the bar, my whole body hyperaware of his lips on me.

His fingertips gripped my waist, leaving indentations against my skin. His tongue danced with mine. We were in the middle of a crowd, but it didn’t matter. It was just the two of us and this all-consuming kiss.

After a moment, I pulled him into me, fisted the back of his shirt, and felt his arousal against my stomach. My breathing intensified, and I knew if he didn’t take me home this instant, I’d have to resist the urge to drop my panties in front of this massive crowd.

I pulled back slightly, just enough to catch the look of desire on his face. I went on my tiptoes and whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”

He blinked once, but didn’t hesitate. Grabbing my hand, he led me out of the crowd.

An i

***

I heaved in exhaustion as I lay on Brian’s chest. We’d just had marathon sex, and my stomach suddenly grumbled against him, hungry from the workout.

The only light filtering through his window was the moonlight cascading a blue shadow over his grey blanket, which encased both of our bodies.

Sleep was calling my name as my heart rate descended, finally returning to its normal pace. Brian ran his hands through my hair, over and over, contributing to my drowsiness.

Don’t fall asleep. Stay awake.

I couldn’t fall asleep here, not at his place. Not before I had consciously made my decision about us.

He kissed my hair. A week ago, I would’ve told him that was against the rules, but we were definitely past rules now. Those rules had been broken, destroyed.

He kissed my temple and his hands moved to trace circles along my back. And just as I was thinking about the rules, or lack thereof, I heard his gentle voice. “Stay. Stay the night.”

I shut my eyes tight, letting the words wash over me. I was tempted, so very tempted, but I couldn’t. Not when I hadn’t totally thought things through.

This one slight move would be the final change. It would solidify things. It would be an unspoken act of affection on my part, a proclamation that I wasn’t sure I was ready to make.

I shifted off of him and smiled to soften the blow. “I can’t,” I said regretfully. My stomach churned as I watched disappointment filter through his eyes.

Without saying a word, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. He didn’t even look at me as he headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Wait. What just happened?

I sat there for a moment, debating going after him as his cotton sheets rustled against my naked body. Should I go? Should I let him stew alone?

No. I wanted to know. I had to know what he was thinking.

I jolted up and clutched the sheets against my chest, but remained stoic on the bed.

Chickenshit, I scolded myself. I was a chickenshit. I was usually much braver than this.

I knew why I wasn’t going to barge through the bathroom door and question him. It was because I didn’t want to hear the truth. In my heart, I knew what he was going to say. It would’ve been the switch in our already blurry relationship, and nothing would be the same.

It was fear keeping me here. Fear from the past. Fear of the unknown future. Fear of falling in love again and letting myself be open to the kind of vulnerability that came with being in love.

At times, I thought I was dauntless. But with Brian, I was just a coward.

SIXTEEN

BRIAN

I’d messed up. Asking her to stay the night had been a total fuck up.

I could sense everything changing between us, yet I couldn’t stop it, nor did I want to.

I had my client call tomorrow morning, and I needed to bring my A-game, but the only thing that occupied my thoughts was her. This was my last meeting with Tiggins Corp, and it included their CEO. This was it, so I should’ve let her walk out the door and called her tomorrow.

But somehow I knew I’d sleep better in my bed with her in it.

This woman had walked into my life with a simple solution to help her get the other man. Yet, she was the ultimate solution to mine, and I didn’t even know it. My parents had been married for almost thirty years, and when I was ten, my father had told me that when he’d met my mother, he’d known she was the one. I hadn’t understood him before, but now I did.

When they said opposites attract, wasn’t it the truth? I’d never felt an undeniable co

I splashed water on my face and stared at my reflection. How the hell did I get myself into these situations? For once, why couldn’t this work in my favor?

But as I asked myself these questions, I knew the answer. The problems weren’t mine. They were hers. Her old pains, her old insecurities, kept this hidden barrier and chains against her heart.

I could see the torment in her eyes. I sensed the internal struggle she was going through in her actions. What she said versus how she acted was a constant battle. One minute, she was sighing into my shoulder, relaxing against my hold, and the next, she was denying me, not wanting to sleep over.

It didn’t matter though, because I knew myself. I’d fight to banish her insecurities, be her safe haven and squash her fears.

Before I could think any further, I rushed out of the bathroom, afraid my girl had left.

My girl.

I was already claiming her, and she didn’t even know it, but I couldn’t help it. My heart belonged to her now. We were forever linked.

When I stepped out, I exhaled a low sigh of relief that Kendy hadn’t left. She was out of bed, though, and dressed in her jean shorts and red, white, and blue tank. She was crazy beautiful, just as she’d been this evening.

My eyes traveled the length of her legs, and I had the strongest urge to drag her back to bed. Her eyes flickered to mine for a second then moved to her purse on the ground, but not before I sensed the hesitation, the fear in them.

Almost as if she had to keep busy, she picked it up and began rummaging through her belongings. “Thanks for taking me to the fireworks.” Her voice sounded shaky. Not a good sign.

“Kendy,” I said gently, approaching her slowly so I wouldn’t spook her.

I reached for her waist, and then brushed her hair away from her face. I peered down at her, our eyes locking. My insides softened as I saw some of that hesitation melt away, and then I bent down to kiss her. Again she didn’t stop me. I told her with my lips how much I wanted her to stay the night. My true feelings and emotions rushed to the surface, and I savored her with such passion that she turned liquid beneath me.

She was the first to pull back. She blinked a couple of times as confusion crossed her face, and something else. It was an emotion I was familiar with, an intense look of longing, and it gave me a tinge of hope that she felt as deeply as I did.

I didn’t give her another chance to deny me. I cupped the side of her face. “Stay,” I whispered urgently. When she didn’t protest, hope bloomed in my chest, and I brought her closer by the nape of her neck. “Stay,” I whispered again.

When I caressed her lips with my tongue, she didn’t open at first, but then I flicked my tongue against her. “I need you,” I told her. I didn’t give her a chance to respond.

Tonight, I would do anything to keep her here. I didn’t want her to walk out that door, not again. We’d played this game long enough. I was done with the game, done with FTFing, or whatever the hell she thought we were still doing. I was over it, and if making love would keep her here, I’d happily oblige . . . all night long.