Chapter 6 #2
“Oof,” I said, shutting the apartment door and sagging against it with closed eyes. I loved Hazel with everything I had, but the silence after they were gone for a fun weekend with her family? Priceless.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of rich chocolate mixed with sugar and peppermint that permeated the whole apartment. My stomach rumbled lowly, though it definitely didn’t want anything sweet.
“Do you want me to grab McDonald’s?” Luci asked, his voice carrying laughter. “It can be our very own secret.” Opening my eyes, I found him standing right in front of me, eyes dancing with mischief. “I swear I’m better at keeping secrets than your daughter.”
Chuckling, I pushed myself off the door and stepped right up to Luci.
I finally had the chance to do what I’d been wanting for the past hour.
Opening my arms, I pulled him into a hug and closed my eyes again.
The scent of peppermint was more intense now, coming from his hair.
His arms snuck around my middle, pulling me closer until nothing fit between us.
My heart somersaulted a couple of times, but then settled into a calm rhythm, and my shoulders sagged as I continued to inhale his unique scent.
Peppermint, acrylic paint, and a hint of something sweet.
A chaotic mix that should not work together but somehow did.
“I know you’re better at keeping secrets,” I whispered in his ear, smiling as I felt him shudder against me. I’d done that. “After all, we waited so long to do this.”
My heart pounded in my throat as I gently placed a hand on Luci’s cheek and tilted his head up so I could look him in the eye, making sure he was on the same page as me.
For years, I thought I’d never get to have this.
That I’d never be brave or bold enough to go for what I wanted. It had seemed terrifying.
And it still was, but with Luci it was also easy. The most natural thing in the world.
His mouth curved into a smile, tantalizing, red lips shimmering with moisture as I lowered my head and captured his mouth in a kiss.
I groaned as his taste hit me, all sweetness and peppermint, his lips all soft and pliant, while his stubble scratching my skin gave the kiss a bit of a bite.
I tightened my grip on him, lost in a sea of impressions.
His tongue licking at the seam of my mouth, hot, wet, and insistent, challenging me to deepen the kiss.
His hands roaming over my back, dipping beneath the hem of my Henley.
His fingers leaving burning paths along my skin.
His hard cock pushing against my thigh, my cock throbbing in response, sending wave after wave of want through me.
It lasted an eternity, yet was over far too soon.
“Sorry,” Luci wheezed, gasping for air. “That was…”
“Incredible,” I whispered, the smile on my face so wide it almost hurt.
“Yeah.” Resting his head against my shoulder, he let out a little sigh.
For a while, we just stayed like this, locked in a tight embrace, our breaths slowly syncing, hearts hammering in our chests. It was peaceful. Exhilarating. Until my stomach rumbled again, and Luci laughed.
“You know, the McDonald’s thing was meant to be a joke, but I think I really do need to feed you.”
“I might have skipped lunch today,” I admitted. “My coworker was sick, so I was manning the bookstore alone, and for some reason, half the campus decided to stop by today.”
“You work in a bookstore?” Luci asked, pulling back a little to look at me. “That’s so cool.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m incredibly lucky because Linda and Joseph let me live here rent-free and help with my tuition, but…
I don’t know. I never want them to think I’m a freeloader.
So, I work at the campus bookstore part-time to support myself and Hazel.
Once I finish college and have a stable job, I’ll have to negotiate paying rent and possibly paying them back for everything they did. ”
Luci nodded. “I get that, but they’re Hazel’s grandparents, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, they’re Josie’s parents.”
“And you said Josie died?”
I nodded again, biting the inside of my cheek to squash the grief and pain flaring up inside me. “She did. A drunk driver hit her on her way back from prom.”
“Oh wow. That’s horrible. I’m so sorry,” Luci said.
“I can’t imagine how devastating it must’ve been for you and Josie’s parents.
But… that’s kinda the thing. They lost their daughter, and Hazel is the last living piece of her they still have, so…
it makes sense that they do everything they can to support you. Both of you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “They’ve supported us from the very beginning, you know? Before Josie died. And they have stepped up even more since. Without their support, I definitely wouldn’t be living in a nice, spacious two-bedroom apartment.”
Luci chuckled. “The joy of second-hand nepotism. You do know you could’ve warned me that Hazel’s grandparents are my landlords, don’t you?”
My cheeks heated. Honestly, I’d completely forgotten that Luci would already know them. But it made sense since Joseph liked to show the apartments himself. They were old-school like that, wanting to know the tenants.
“Sorry?”
Luci giggled. “You can make it up to me.” He wagged his eyebrows, and mirth danced in his eyes.
“Yeah? How?” I wasn’t exactly sure if I was prepared for his answer. It was for sure going to be something overly flirtatious or sexual in nature. Nothing I was ready for, but at the same time, I wanted him to flirt with me.
Knowing he really wanted me, a twenty-one-year-old single dad with no experience with men and no real concept of having fun and living a little.
“By feeding me,” he said, cackling when he saw my surprise. “Sorry, but you should see yourself. I’m not going to make you comfortable again by suggesting you blow me or fuck me on a canvas in a sea of paint.”
Uh… what?
“See?” Luci nodded at my face. “Too much too soon. And I really am hungry. So, we can either go out and grab dinner, we can order in, or we can cook ourselves.”
My mind was still busy trying to come up with an image of a naked Luci, lying on top of a white sheet, paint running all over his body, dipping into his navel, running through the dips of his abs, pooling on his groin.
Had Hazel tampered with the thermostat again? Because it was getting hot in here.
“Theo?” Luci waved a hand in front of my face. “Did I break you?”
“Kinda,” I said, my voice all rough and raspy. “Da—lmatian. The image of you naked in a sea of paint is… uh… something.”
Luci smirked. “I know. It’s hot, right? I’ve never tried it, but I like to fantasize about it. If you want to, I can tell you more about all the fantasies I have over dinner. So, what do you want to do?”
On the one hand, I wanted to stay right here with him. Since we had the apartment to ourselves, I could get all the cuddles and kisses I wanted to, but I also desperately wanted to take him out. I wanted to hold his hand in public, for all the world to see. Because I was allowed to do that.
“Let’s go out, okay?”
Luci nodded. “Fine by me. I’ll go grab a coat and a scarf, and we’ll meet downstairs?”
I just nodded, reveling in the little peck Luci gave me before he practically skipped out of my apartment.
I had a date. A real, grown-up, two-person date.
“I can’t believe you really took me out to McDonald’s,” Luci said, waving a chicken nugget in his hand. “Of all the places we could’ve gone.”
For a second, I felt bad. Like I did something wrong. A fast-food restaurant was in no way a romantic location; I knew that. But then I looked up, and Luci grinned at me, his green eyes filled with so much warmth and laughter, and I relaxed.
“You wanted to go,” I said, gently nudging his foot with mine.
“True.” Luci shrugged. “But I kinda expected you to insist on taking me to a real restaurant. Like grown-ups.”
“Nah,” I said, “I figured you’d think that’s boring and too predictable.”
“Damn, this is our first real solo date, and you already have me all figured out. Maybe I’m too predictable?”
“You?” I scoffed. “Never. You surprise me with everything you do. Your texts, the outrageous memes, the surprise date.”
Luci scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks and ears taking on a rather dark shade of red. “My brother warned me it wasn’t a good idea. But I was excited, and…”
I held up my hand. “I liked it,” I admitted, my heart hammering in my chest. “Yeah, it caught me off-guard for a moment, and I know I said not to surprise me like that again, but in the end… I really enjoyed it. And Hazel did, too. Also, in hindsight, I think even if it was very spontaneous, you clearly put thought and effort into it.”
Luci gave me an evil grin, placing a hand on my forearm. “You want to tell me I have your permission to surprise you again?”
I would regret that, wouldn’t I?
Fridge it.
“If you keep it to weekends only for the time being. We do have a pretty strict routine during the week.”
Luci squeezed my arm. “I promise I’ll keep my shenanigans to weekends only.”
Oh yeah, I’d definitely regret this later.
I couldn’t wait.