Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Kyle
I sit up straight when the alarm on my cell phone goes off.
It takes a minute for my eyes to focus. They feel like I got sand in them, and I am really tempted to go back to sleep.
After all, I didn’t get into bed until close to five this morning.
And now it’s… I reach for the phone and turn it over.
“What the fuck,” I mumble to myself when I notice it’s seven ten in the goddamn morning.
After much struggle, I throw the covers off me and stand up. With a jaw breaking yawn, I slowly walk toward the bathroom, trying to remember why I have to be up this early.
I make it to in front of the toilet and take my cock out of my boxers, ready for the relief peeing brings. That’s when it hits me. I am up this early because I am supposed to meet Zara for breakfast.
“Oh fuck!”
Peeing in record time, I shake it off before pulling my boxers back up. I glance toward the shower but decide there is no time for that. Brushing my teeth is not optional though.
Rushing as if my life depends on it, I wash my hands, then stab the toothbrush in my mouth, very aggressively brushing for a lot less time than I’m supposed to. Once I spit the paste out of my mouth, I throw some cold water on my face before sticking my head under the faucet.
The cold liquid snaps me out of my daze as it runs down my chest and on the back of my neck, but still manage to walk straight into the door jamb when done.
“That fuckin’ hurt,” I whine to the empty room as I hop around.
I don’t even know what I should wear, or, to be more exact, what Zara would expect for me to wear. What I do know for sure is that if I don’t leave this house in the next four minutes, I am at the risk of running late.
“Shorts and a T-shirt,” I decide out loud. “It’s just a breakfast place, nothing fancy.”
I drop my boxers to the ground, put on a clean pair of briefs before pulling up my most comfortable shorts. Since I didn’t do laundry in a few days, I don’t have any plain T-shirts, so I grab one that has the name of the last game I created across it.
Smoothing my hair back, I am ready to go, with thirty seconds to go, I might add.
“Phone, check,” I say as I grab it off the nightstand.
The key fob is always in my truck, so I don’t have to look for it.
I open the garage door, surprised when a gust of cool air breezes through.
It’s not as warm as I was expecting. Thankfully, I have a hoodie sitting on the passenger seat, so I don’t have to go looking for something else.
Once done with that, I am finally ready to go.
I glance at the clock on the dashboard, realizing that I am in danger of being really late if I hit more traffic. Zara doesn’t seem to have any tolerance for being late, and I’d hate to blow this off.
A grin spreads across my face as I think of her.
Meeting her last night was quite the experience, in the best of ways.
I didn’t expect that at all. I found her address and showed up there, my brain at a standstill as far as common sense went.
All I knew was that I wanted to see her again.
I wanted to make sure she didn’t forget our connection from earlier in the evening.
Not to be conceited or anything, but I think we forged an even stronger connection after I got to her apartment. The way she grinded her hips on top of me told me everything I needed to know.
I did expect for her to return the favor after the explosive orgasm I gave her.
I guess she more like took it from me. But the look on her face when I took my cock out was not one of excitement.
She was horrified, giving me the impression that she does not sleep around.
That is a good thing, although, I would not have judged her if she did.
After all, I’m not exactly a virgin myself.
Pressing a fist to my chest, I try to calm down while I make every effort not to run over the cars in front of me. It shouldn’t be this complicated getting to this coffee shop where I’m supposed to meet Zara.
I let out a big sigh of relief when I finally see it in the distance. My clock says I have two minutes to get there, and there are three stoplights in between. If they all turn green at the same time, this shouldn’t be an issue.
The first light is green already, so I fly through the intersection. When I get closer to the second one, I see in horror as it turns yellow, but the car in front of me goes, so I go, too.
I am halfway to the third light when I see it turning yellow. This time, the car in front stops, giving me no choice but to do the same.
The clock on the dashboard turns to the time when I am supposed to meet Zara. I am annoyed beyond belief, but in the end, it is what it is. And it’s definitely not the end of the world if I am a couple of minutes late, despite her opinion of it.
Stressed out beyond believe, I wait patiently for the light to turn green again, then make it to the driveway to the small restaurant that’s my final destination. I park the truck and get out, walking toward the entrance with both hands in the pocket of my sweatshirt.
I am just about to pull the door open when something catches my attention in the corner of my eye.
“Zara?”
The person walking briskly toward the parking area to the side and away from where I parked stops in their tracks.
“Kyle,” she greets me in a very polite tone. A forced smile forms on her beautiful lips that I’ve been obsessing over for the last twelve hours of my life.
“Where are you going?” I chuckle. “The restaurant is this way.”
“I am aware of that, Kyle.” She doesn’t sound happy at all. “But you are late, and I am leaving.”
With frantic moves, I pull out my cell phone.
“I am three minutes late, Zara. It’s not that big of a deal.”
There is no amusement on her face. In fact, she looks so disappointment, that I am embarrassed to stand in front of her.
“It is a big deal to me,” she explains. “I don’t wait for anyone.”
She is almost turned around to leave when I jog lightly and press a hand to her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Zara.”
It takes a lot of effort for me not to roll my eyes at her. But I really like her, and I want to make this right.
“I’m on two hours of sleep here,” I explain. “Traffic was a bitch, and I would’ve been here right on time if that last traffic light had cooperated.” I let out a big sigh. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Her head turns slightly to the side, like she doesn’t want to look at me. I honestly don’t know what to make of it. I get that she likes being punctual, but this was supposed to be fun. We’re not clocking in for work, and no one is going to write us up over being three minutes late.
“Why didn’t you sleep last night?” she finally asks.
I take that as an olive branch of sorts, but I still can’t stop myself from teasing her.
“I had you on my mind.”
I’m only half lying. After I got home from her place, I figured I’d get caught up on some drawings I’d started.
I was having a hard time concentrating on my current project because all I could see in my head was Zara’s face.
So I switched to a new screen and worked on some drawings of her, then I went back to my actual work.
“I can’t believe you’re making fun of me like this.”
My eyebrows go up in surprise at hearing her words. “How am I making fun of you?”
“The way you talk…” She moves her hands around like I should know what that means. “You always sound like you’re about to crack a joke.”
I chuckle. “I thought girls liked funny guys.”
Zara rolls her eyes. “Girls may like funny guys, but only where it’s appropriate to be funny.”
She is chastising me like I am a little kid.
“There is a time and place for things like that, Kyle.”
“And this was not it?” I tease in earnest now. That seems to further aggravate her.
“See? That’s what I am talking about. Like last night,” she yells.
I have a feeling that’s he doesn’t show her emotions in public like this, and I don’t know what she expects me to do.
“I thought you liked last night.”
If she tells me right now that it didn’t feel good when she came, I will give up sex for a month. That’s like three years in dog years. I will be dead as my balls will turn a sickly shade of purple.
Zara’s jaw clenches in distress. “I am talking about you answering my phone last night.” Her mouth barely moves when she speaks. “And talking to my mother !”
I grin from ear to ear at that part.
“My mother, Kyle,” she hisses at me. “Now she thinks we have some deep connection. She wants to meet you!”
My eyebrows go up in surprise. “She does?”
“Yes! She called me back last night after you left. I didn’t know how to tell her you’re just a random guy a met on the internet.”
Her voice breaks the more she tries to control her face when she speaks. I am amused beyond measure by everything she’s telling me, but I have a feeling she would not appreciate any joke I might come up with on the spot.
“She sounded like a great lady,” I assure Zara. “I’m sure she’ll understands. Great sense of humor,” I add for good measure.
“It’s not all about being funny, Kyle,” Zara stomps her foot on the ground. When her purse slides down from her shoulder, she pushes it back in annoyance.
I realize with a start that we are once again standing in the parking lot of a restaurant, just like last night. And I want to kiss her again, just like I did last night.
Deciding that spontaneous is best, I take the few necessary steps forward and dig my hands into her hair. I wish it wasn’t up in this intricate bun she has going on. It only makes me want to mess it all up.
“Sometimes we have to laugh, babe,” I speak softly against her lips. “And sometimes…” I press my lips ever so lightly against hers. “We have to kiss.”
Zara opens her mouth with no hesitation, and I waste no time in taking advantage and once again delving my tongue in, ready to explore every single part that I can without getting arrested.
“This is crazy,” she mumbles in between kisses. “Why is this happening again?”
But she doesn’t stop me when I yank her hard against me, making sure that she can feel through all the clothing just how hard she makes me.
I know that this is not a real date, or the road to a real relationship, but I sure want it to be a real connection when we finally do the deed. And that will have to happen sooner rather than later.
“I want you so damn much,” I groan. One hand is now on her hip while the other is still at the nape of her head. “I wish we spent last night together…” I grind myself against her, as much as I possibly can considering we are in such a public setting.
“Kyle,” she sighs.
Just to be sure, I crack an eye open to make sure she is not staring at me like she was last night. But no, she is completely lost in our kiss, and nothing short of a bomb could separate us now.
“Zara!”
I don’t know why I hear her name, and I don’t think it’s me saying it since my tongue is deep inside her mouth.
“Zara,” someone calls out again. “Zara!”
Okay, this last time, I heard it loud and clear, and it wasn’t me who said it. I try to pull back, but Zara lets out a little whimper of protest that I just can’t resist.
“Dude,” some man snorts. “I never imagined in a million years that Owen’s Zara is wild like this. Why didn’t anyone say anything?”
The words completely distract me from the intense make out session between me and the most interesting woman I have met in a while. I pull my head back and stare at her. She still has her eyes closed and mouth pursed, like she is ready for another kiss.
My eyes go to the side, only to find three guys standing fairly close to us, staring like we just dropped from the sky. They are actually staring not at me but at Zara. Owen’s Zara.
“Who is Owen?”
I’m not sure if I am asking these guys the question or his woman. I shouldn’t care this much that she’s taken, but I am very surprised. She didn’t strike me as that type of person. She got all in a tizzy because I was three minutes late. Who would’ve thunk it she was cheating on her man with me?
“Owen?” Her eyes snap open, but she is still not yet aware of her surroundings.
“Over here,” one of the guys standing to the side replies. “This is the last thing I thought I’d see this morning,” he says. “Or in my life, period.”
To her credit, Zara finally catches on and jumps back. But the damage is done. Owen here has seen everything there was to be seen.
“Oh my god, Owen!” She takes a couple of steps back in an effort to put some distance between me and her. “What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
He stares at her in disbelief. “My twenty-four-hour shift starts at eight. And I work next door.”
Zara’s eyes widen in shock. She has this horrified look on her face, like this is the worst thing in the world.
I lean back to see what’s next door to the restaurant, only to find the fire department.
I immediately start connecting some dots with the information she gave me last night.
I’m pretty sure she mentioned her brother being a firefighter.
“Which one of you is Zara’s brother?”
All three of them eye me like they don’t know what to make of me. They’re not sure if they are surprised or mad about finding one of their own making out with a random guy in the public parking lot next to their station.
“That’d be me.” The one in the middle steps forward and stretches his arm out. We shake hands, with him squeezing just a tad tighter than I’m comfortable with.
“Quite the grip you got there,” I chuckle when he lets go.
He sizes me up before turning to look at Zara. She looks absolutely horrified by this entire incident.
“Who’s your friend, sis?”
She jumps into action.
“Uh, this… is…” She rushes to stand next to me and I swear I can feel her shaking like leaf.
“I’m Kyle,” I respond in her place.
Owens frowns at me. “Kyle who? And where did she find you?”
“Kyle Kelly,” I formally introduce myself. “And funny story about how she found me…”
“He’s my boyfriend,” Zara blurts out, cutting me off. “And he needs to walk me to my office now. Owen, I’ll see you at lunch. Have a great day everyone.”
She grabs me by the arm and marches me to her car.
“What are we doing?” I let out a laugh. I’m not sure if I’m really tired or if this is that funny.
“You are going to drive me to work, like a gentleman,” she hisses.
I try to turn around. “My truck…”
“Shh, be quiet,” she instructs.
We walk like this all the way across the parking lot. I look around, hoping to locate her car, but there’s no one parked back here.
“Where’s your car?” I ask.
Zara now pulls me out onto the sidewalk, and we continue walking.
“We are not going back there. You’re walking me to work now.”
I sure hope it’s not far.