Chapter 10
Scottie
“Whoa! Save some puzzle for me.”
Koen smirks while he slides the last two pieces into the puzzle. He lights up with satisfaction. “I’ll buy you a new puzzle.”
“Says the guy who said puzzles are not good gifts.”
He stands, his hands parked on his hips, admiring his work.
“You might as well go home now since we have nothing to do.”
“Do you want me to go home?” He turns toward me, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“No.” I deposit my shoes by the door and step in front of him. I think about Price, and it takes a little joy from this moment. I hate that. But I wouldn’t change the situation. My life feels more pivotal now than it’s felt since … well, since I left Price Milloy twelve years ago.
“We could kiss.” Koen smirks.
“We could.” I take another step, resting my hands on his chest and curling my fingers around his shirt.
Koen ducks his head and kisses me, keeping his hands in his pockets until I take another step toward him, forcing him to step backward and use his hands to frame my face so the kiss doesn’t end in us falling.
He teases my tongue with the tip of his. It’s a moan-worthy kiss, but I control my urge to sound desperate despite my fingers unbuttoning his shirt.
“We …” he breaks the kiss. “We shouldn’t do this.”
My hands stop with half of his shirt unbuttoned. “You’re saving yourself for marriage.”
Koen eyes me without blinking, without a single tell in his expression. I’m joking, but I now think I hit it on the nose.
“No,” he says slowly. “I was just being considerate. I didn’t want you to think I stayed and finished the puzzle just to have sex with you.”
“Then why did you stay?”
His neutral expression morphs into an incredulous one. “I …” he twists his lips. “I was staying to …”
“You just wanted to finish the puzzle.”
“No. I stayed to be with you.”
“Well, here I am.”
“Fine. I stayed to kiss you.”
Oh my god. He’s a gentleman at heart, but I’m not sure he’s proud of it. Or maybe he’s not proud of the other part who wants to kiss me so badly.
It’s that part that wins.
His expression relaxes, and he cups my face again, pressing his lips to mine. Then he takes the deepest inhale through his nose. As he exhales, our lips move together, and his hands slide up the back of my shirt, unhooking my bra.
Dear God …
He’s such a good kisser.
His lips skate along my jaw to my neck while one of his hands cups my breast, teasingly pinching my nipple. Need explodes inside of me. My eyes close, and my lips part for an audible breath.
As my head begins to spin, there’s a knock at my door.
Koen releases my lips, but just barely. We breathe heavily together.
“Shh … maybe they’ll go away,” he whispers, circling the pad of his thumb over my nipple.
I grin against his lips. “I doubt it’s someone selling cookies.”
He drops his head in defeat to my shoulder while adjusting himself and grumbling something inaudible.
After hooking my bra and rubbing my lips together, I open the door.
Price cringes. “My car won’t start. And I don’t have a phone. Can I borrow your phone to call for a ride? Or do you have jumper cables?”
I nod, then quickly shake my head. “Yes. You can borrow my phone. No, I don’t have jumper cables.” When I step away from the door to grab my phone, Price follows me, stopping when he sees Koen.
This is a new level of awkwardness, even for me.
“Koen, Price. Price, Koen,” I make a speedy introduction while snagging my phone from the table. “Price’s car won’t start; he’s going to call for a ride.”
Koen buttons his shirt.
So awkward…
“I’ve got jumper cables in my truck,” Koen says.
God!
Why am I so embarrassed that Price knows exactly what we were getting ready to do? I feel like my parents caught me in the basement going to second base with my homecoming date.
There’s not enough room in here for the three of us, so I nudge Price toward the door with Koen behind me.
“I really appreciate it,” Price says.
“No problem.” Koen heads toward his truck while I hug myself to keep warm and look at anything but Price as the night air fills with a smoky smell like someone’s burning something not too far from here.
The two men try to jump-start Price’s car with no luck.
“You need a new battery,” Koen informs Price while disconnecting the cables.
“Thanks for trying. Sorry to have disturbed your date. I’ll make a quick call and wait for my ride.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Koen offers, storing the cables under his back seat.
“No. I’ll wait for a ride. But thanks.”
“It’s no problem. Get in.”
Price looks at me. What am I supposed to say?
With a tight smile, I shift my gaze to Koen. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Price echoes, climbing into Koen’s truck.
I give them a tiny wave. “Goodnight.”
Price returns a wave, but Koen just gives me a half smile that I can’t decipher. Is he mad? Relieved? Indifferent?
Thirty minutes later, I’m perched on my bed, working on a new bracelet, when I get a text from Koen.
I had a great night. I hope we can do it again
I laugh. Yes. Minus the interruption.
Thanks for taking Price home
UR welcome