Blindfold

“I moved here from Sacramento,” he said. “But I was actually raised in Boston. Business took me to California and then brought me here. Most of my brothers and sisters are still in Boston, but my oldest brother works an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”

“What business would that be?” I asked as I took another drink. At least I knew whatever Fi

“I'm a journalist,” he said. “Technically, the business meeting I told you about the other day was me meeting a source about a story.” He took a drink. “What about you?”

“I'm a teacher.”

I felt myself starting to relax as Fi

No. I wasn't going to think about him. Or the way it had felt when his hands had run over my body...

Dammit, Cade!

Fi

But I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering to Cade. Wondering what it would be like if it was him sitting across from me. What he would say and do.

I had to get him out of my head. Had to do something to make myself stop thinking about him.

“Which apartment did you say you were in?” I asked at the next break in conversation.

“Four C,” Fi

“I'd like to see it sometime.” I smiled when I saw Fi

“Really?” he spoke slowly, as if his brain was racing to figure out if I meant what he thought I meant. “When would be good for you?”

I emptied my cup and then reached into my purse for a mint. I held another one out to Fi

Fi

I didn't even hesitate as I took it. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get my mind off of Cade and show that I could do the whole casual sex thing. I'd make sure Fi

The two of us walked back to our apartment building hand-in-hand. The wind was brisk and I could smell a hint of snow in it. We usually didn't get snow until closer to the end of November, but it was definitely cold enough. This would probably be one of the last times I'd want to be walking much of anywhere and I enjoyed the chance to enjoy it with some easy conversation. Whatever was coming, we weren't talking about it, and I appreciated that. I wanted to see where things progressed naturally and it really felt like Fi

He unlocked his door and stepped inside, motioning for me to follow. I stepped inside and looked around. The apartment was virtually identical to mine except backwards since it was on the other side of the hall. Well, that and the fact that this one still had unpacked boxes against the living room wall while mine was obviously very lived in.

“I haven't gotten around to settling in all the way.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “It's mostly kitchen stuff, so I can't offer you much more than a beer or leftovers from a box.”

I chuckled. “I understand. It took me weeks to get everything organized.”

He gestured towards the worn couch. It looked like he'd picked it up in a thrift store, which wasn't surprising. Most single people – especially men – weren't going to spend the money for brand-new furniture. I walked across the room and sat down. Fi

“I have to ask.” The tone in his voice changed. It wasn't slick or anything like that, but there was a definite undercurrent of something else. “How is a woman like you still single?”

I paused, unsure about how much I wanted to tell him. I decided to keep it simple. “I wasn't up until a couple months ago.”

“His loss.” He smiled. He started to reach for me, then hesitated. When I didn't pull away, he tucked a curl behind my ear. “My gain.”

“What about you?” I asked. I might not have been looking for a relationship, but I definitely didn't want to get involved with something complicated. “You're good-looking, kind and,” I gestured around me, “you obviously don't live with your mother. How are you still single?”

“My job tends to send me on trips every couple weeks. I've found most women don't like it when their boyfriend has to leave at the drop of the hat and be gone for who knows how many days.”

I really hoped I wasn't reading too much into what he was saying. It sounded to me like he wanted to let me know that he wasn't looking for something serious and that was good. No matter how nice he was, I was getting more and more sure that I didn't want to get right into something that could be a relationship.

“I could see how that'd be difficult,” I said honestly. “I know my ex always got a

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I didn't want to talk about Ronald and I sure as hell didn't want to think about Cade. I knew of one way I could make sure neither of those things happened.

I leaned across the distance between us and brushed my lips against his. The kiss was tentative because I wasn't entirely positive Fi

His lips moved with mine, opening my mouth. I ran the tip of my tongue along his bottom lip and he made a pleased sound. I tried not to frown. I was glad he liked what I did, but the moan hadn't sounded quite right to me. Fi

No. Fi

He leaned into me and I knew what he wanted. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled, letting him lay me down on the couch. The hand on my back slid down my hip and he pulled my legs up before stretching out on top of me. I ran my fingers along the short hairs at the base of his neck, trying not to think about how I preferred longer hair. Soft curls. Dark...

Fi