Chapter 10 #7
‘Mmm? Is that the only answer I’m getting from you then?
’ I teased, my voice softer now, threaded with a dare.
Slowly and deliberately, I let my hand drift onto his upper thigh.
Because why the hell not? Problematic as it might sound, he was still on my dime – and if he thought he was the only one allowed to play this game, he had another thing coming.
If we were going tit-for-tat on touches, then I wanted a fighting chance at leaving a mark he wouldn’t forget.
The effect was instant. His eyes flickered, heat sparking in them as they locked onto mine, then slid deliberately down to my mouth.
That stare alone was enough to short-circuit my pulse; it was hungry, and so intense I almost forgot to breathe.
For a heartbeat, the Uber melted away – the traffic, and the lights of Wandsworth Road.
There was only him, and this unbearable closeness of what might happen if either of us gave in.
I knew he wanted to kiss me; it was written all over him.
But something – duty, restraint, or maybe that professional boundary – held him back, and the tension between us stretched tighter and tighter, maddening, really.
Just as I leaned the tiniest fraction closer, the car jolted hard to the left, snapping the spell as we rolled into my cul-de-sac.
As the car came to a stop, I decided to ask one last question before departing:
‘Can I at least know your real name?’
Mind you, we were still staring intensely at each other at this point, both of us tipsy – on some 50 Shades of Grey-type shit.
My whole body was practically humming, every fibre aching to drag him upstairs and let him do unspeakably delicious things to me.
But I forced myself to keep it cute, to hang onto a shred of composure, even if my self-control was hanging by the flimsiest of threads.
The silence between us stretched, thick with sexual tension, until finally Jericho leaned in, his breath brushing hot against my ear, and whispered—
‘It’s Theo.’
I leaned in and kissed him, soft at first, testing the waters.
He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate – if anything, he leaned in harder, like he’d been waiting for me to finally make the move.
And oh my God, the second our mouths touched, it was like a light switch flipped – bam – fireworks.
His lips were warm, moist, and, honestly, a little unfair in how good they felt.
Then he deepened it, and suddenly my knees – even though I was sitting down, decided they no longer believed in supporting my body weight. Rude.
I let out a tiny gasp (in my head it was sexy, but in reality, it probably sounded like a baby sneeze), and of course he just stole it, swallowed it whole, his tongue sliding against mine in this ridiculously slow, teasing way that had my spine tingling almost erratically.
Meanwhile, my body was full-on betraying me – heart racing, legs wobbling, practically vibrating like a faulty washing machine.
At one point I accidentally shifted too quickly and nearly knocked my forehead against his, but managed to style it out as a ‘passionate head tilt’ (very professional of me, thank you).
Inside my brain? Pure chaos: keep it casual, don’t moan, don’t drool, don’t let your leg cramp in this position, Bloody hell, is this what they mean by sexual tension?
Outwardly though? Cool, calm, collected.
OK, maybe not that cool. Definitely not calm.
And collected? Eh. But hey, the kiss was good enough to make me forget all of that … at least until oxygen became an issue.
Just when I thought I might actually combust from the sheer intensity of it, a polite little ‘ahem’ floated up from the front seat – the Uber driver’s gentle reminder that, in fact, he had not signed up to chauffeur a live-action soap opera.
We both broke apart, laughing under our breath like guilty teenagers caught behind the bike shed.
As I glanced down, I noticed our little encounter had clearly gotten to him – he was hard. A rush of smug delight ran through me, a secret thrill that made me feel powerful, like I’d just unlocked some forbidden achievement.
‘Well—’ I began, brushing a stray smudge of lipstick off his mouth as I gathered my things ‘—this is my stop. I’ve had a wonderful evening with you, Theo. Message me on the app to let me know you got home safe, yeah?’
Jericho – or Theo, as he would officially be known from now on – let out a low, almost pained chuckle, his eyes flicking up to mine with something that felt like … longing. He tried to hide the evidence of his reaction, fumbling awkwardly, but failed spectacularly.
‘That’ll cost you,’ he said, eyes still glazing hungrily over mine. I made a show of getting out of the car – making sure to get out slowly so he could see the shape of my butt in all its glory in slow motion. I turned around and it had done the job; he couldn’t take his eyes off me.
‘Uhhuh. We’ll see about that. Oh, and thanks again for completing the game – I owe you,’ I said finally, with a smirk.
And with that, I sauntered back into my building, hips swaying side to side, with a newfound confidence in my step.
I turned around again to see he was still watching me leave from his side of the car.
He was going to be mine at some point. He just didn’t know it yet.