31. LIKE THE FIRST TIME
LIKE THE FIRST TIME
It’s been weeks since Kenneth and I got takeout at his apartment, and ever since then, we’ve been hanging out at my penthouse almost every night.
We’ve gone on a few more dates, mostly casual.
Reservations I made for dinner at a really fancy restaurant, the aquarium, an art museum, and the Harborwalk.
We walked for a long time, talking about everything and anything that came to mind.
I learned even more about him—something I didn’t think was still possible.
Boy, was I ever wrong about that. He might not be an open book with everyone else, but he lets me see him.
Really see him. The parts he doesn’t show anyone else. Just me.
The Boston Harborwalk was definitely my favorite date, even if it was hot outside.
We walked around for what felt like miles, watching the boats, taking in the sunset he loves so much.
We even went to the snow cone stand and ordered the same thing—coconut with cream.
It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside when he looked at me and grinned, giving me a glimpse of the man from before.
The one I so desperately want more of. But it takes time for him to trust people, and I can and will be patient.
At the end, we got our cartoon portrait painted by a guy who was at one of the parks.
There was also a face painting booth, and of course, Kenny got a pink butterfly.
It reminded me of when he said I make him feel like a princess.
It made me smile so big I’m sure I looked like a lunatic.
But it made him happy. He liked seeing me smile. I could tell.
Now I’m here, with him, on yet another date.
I reach up to adjust my tie, feeling slightly suffocated as I stand beside Kenneth while he talks to a couple who is interested in his portrait.
I’m not sure why I’m so nervous, except maybe the fact that he invited me to his gallery tonight—as his date.
This is a huge deal for so many reasons.
He wouldn’t invite me to something like this if he didn’t see this going nowhere.
And most importantly, he’s the one who asked me on a date this time around.
He beat me to it, and that surprised me so much that I was speechless for an entire minute.
He even thought I was rejecting him, and when he started to backtrack, I finally spoke up with a lot of enthusiasm.
I may have come off a little strong, but who am I kidding? I always do.
My hand presses against his lower back a little more firmly, and he shifts his body slightly, turning toward me, even if he doesn’t stop his conversation.
It’s like he wants to be closer to me in any way he can.
I silently watch him speak to the couple, in awe of the passion with which he speaks.
It makes me smile, and when the lady watches me in a way that tells me she knows I’m head over heels for him, I feel myself blushing.
My face heats to feverish proportions, and when Kenneth glances at me, he grins, eyes sparkling.
In a surprising move, he winds an arm around my waist and squeezes my side gently, then pulls me into him until we’re leaning against each other.
The couple smiles at me, and I try to get my heart to calm the fuck down so I don’t pass out.
Finally, the couple walks away. There’s a moment of silence between us, and then Kenneth turns toward me, draping his arms over my neck and holding me close, our foreheads pressing together.
My breath catches at his proximity, the way it always does, and I know he can tell because he smirks.
My face heats again, and it feels like I’m sweating in this stupid suit. I need out of it.
Kenneth smiles, then looks into my eyes. I meet his gaze. “Are you okay?” he asks, and I nod slowly.
“Yeah.”
He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth ever so gently, and I shiver.
We still haven’t even kissed—weeks of dating and I’ve been too much of a coward to make a move on him.
I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea.
This isn’t a hookup to me, and I need him to know that.
I think he does now. He doesn’t seem in a hurry either, which is reassuring.
“Ready to get out of here?” Ken pulls away to look into my eyes again, and I frown.
“Are you sure? We’ve only been here two hours.”
“I’m sure.” He smiles. “I have something else I want to do.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Like what?”
Kenneth smirks, then says, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Dinner first?” I ask, and he grins. “We could go to your favorite place.”
“That’s kind of far,” he replies. “What about somewhere closer?”
“Sure.” I nod, and he steps back, grabbing my hand. “Okay.”
Kenneth smiles, then pulls me after him, and everyone parts to let him through. It’s impressive how everyone looks at him, as if he’s a god. And I suppose he is. I could make a religion around worshiping him forever. That’s for damn sure.
My eyes take in how everyone is watching him, then me.
They gaze at him with reverence, like he’s something beautiful that they covet.
They look at me with unabashed jealousy.
No one bothers to hide it, and I’m not sure how it makes me feel, knowing he could have anyone he wanted.
Part of me wants to feel insecure, but another part of me, the part I want to listen to, tells me he could have anyone, but he wants me.
Somehow. Impossibly. Yet true all the same.
I know what it feels like to be wanted by him, and while this barely scratches the surface, it’s a start. Selfishly, I want more.
He finally opens the door that leads us outside, stopping abruptly.
I run into his back, pushing him forward into what I realize is rain.
It’s fucking pouring down over us, soaking us to the bone in seconds, and he laughs loudly, then turns to face me.
For a split second, I think he’s going to kiss me like we’re in a rom-com, but he doesn’t. Instead, he grabs my hand and squeezes.
“I think dinner is no longer an option,” he tells me.
“Let’s go to my place.” I squeeze his hand back. “It’s just around the corner.” Two blocks away, to be exact.
I wait for Kenneth to nod, and then I’m pulling him in the direction of my penthouse.
We run there, not stopping even when the doorman looks at us like we’re insane.
Once we get in the elevator, we’re both panting from running, and he looks the happiest I’ve seen him since what I call our past life together.
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.
To see him as he was, as he truly is. He’s letting his walls down and letting me have a long look at his heart and soul. It’s all perfect. He is.
The elevator dings, and the door opens into my living room, and we make it a few feet into the penthouse when he looks down at the puddle around him.
His eyes widen at the amount of water dripping off him, but I smile, reassuring him it’s not a big deal.
Without a word, I gesture with my head for him to follow me, and we end up in my laundry room.
I take off my suit jacket and throw it in the corner, then unbutton my shirt and shove my pants off until I’m standing in just my very wet, very tight boxer briefs.
His eyes take every inch of me in, from my face to my abs to my half-hard cock.
The anticipation is killing me. I know I said I want to take things slow, but I feel like we already have, and I’m human.
The temptation might just fucking kill me.
I tilt my head and motion for him to do the same, and he follows suit slowly.
He stares at my face as he strips for me, and when he hooks his thumbs into his soaked baby-blue boxer briefs that leave nothing to the imagination, I gasp.
I can’t tear my gaze away as he pushes them down his legs, then steps out of them.
My eyes trail back up his legs, then catch on his rapidly growing cock.
He wraps a hand around it, stroking firmly once, and my knees almost give out on me.
I’m not sure I’m strong enough to withstand this.
I need to touch him. I need him so badly.
“Ken,” I breathe, and he steps closer to me. I can’t help but think about the fact that he looks exactly the same as all my memories of him. It makes me wonder what else is the same. Does he sound the same? Taste the same? Look the same when he comes? “W-what are you—”
“What?” Kenneth asks, his voice low and husky.
He pushes me against the nearest wall, getting impossibly close until our bodies are flush. His hard cock pokes my abdomen, his tip slick with precum. My breath is shaky as I inhale, and I bite my bottom lip as I stare at his face. He stares right back, and all I see is want. He wants me, too. Me.
“Nothing,” I reply breathlessly.
“Not nothing,” he murmurs. “You’re looking at me like…”
“Like what?” I ask nervously. My voice shakes with the question, and he tilts his head.
“Like you’re in love with me.”
My hands begin trembling at my sides, and I whisper, “It’s the only way I know how.”
Kenneth gets impossibly closer, forearms resting on the wall on either side of my head, caging me in.
It feels like I’ve been struck by a live wire, my entire body quivering from the shock.
His lips brush against mine lightly, so softly, it feels like I imagined it.
The sound that rips out of my throat is that of a wounded animal, and a look crosses his face that I can’t describe, except he starts breathing as hard as I am, so he must be affected too.
He stares into my eyes for a long time, so long that I grow brave and grip his hips firmly.
His eyes widen at the contact, and he leans in again, brushing his lips over mine once more.
The contact is making me tingle all over, and it takes everything in me not to close my eyes.