22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
ZACK
Could I spend the night with Mia without allowing things to turn physical? Was that what I wanted?
Nope. Far from it. After tonight, all I wanted was to spend all night showing her how good we could be together. Because I knew without a shadow of doubt that even one night with her would surpass all the other nights I’d had with anyone else.
The lock on her apartment door clicked loudly and she pushed the door open, stepping inside. I hesitated before following her, still unsure if I’d be able—or willing—to stop something physical from happening tonight. Because I also knew I wouldn’t be able to settle for just one night.
Thankfully I didn't have to worry about the kittens. Not knowing how late the party would go, I’d left them at the station with second shift. Or maybe deep down I was hoping this would be where the night would lead.
She removed my jacket and draped it over the back of an armchair, grabbing a thin sweater off the coat hanger near the door. I took a minute to take in her apartment. The last time I’d been there, I was focused on making sure she was okay and peacefully sleeping off a drunken night.
It didn’t surprise me that her space was neat and tidy.
Everything had its place, and it wasn’t cluttered.
Her shelves had pictures and knickknacks, and there seemed to be multiple storage bins and baskets on almost every piece of furniture that I could see.
The coat rack had a few pieces hanging from it and a compact shoe shelf underneath.
She placed her heels on the rack, and I worked my shoes off, following her lead.
The two pairs couldn’t be more different, but sitting next to each other, they looked so right.
I could easily imagine them like that every day.
If she’d ever let herself feel for me the way I wanted her to.
“Do you want a drink?” Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“What do you have?”
“Beer and a bottle of Pinot Noir in the fridge. Or whiskey if you want something stronger.”
“Whiskey girl, huh?” I started humming the tune to the song titled the same, smiling as I sang the last three lines of the chorus.
Her eyes darkened as she held my gaze, and damn it made me want to close the distance and pull her into my arms.
She trailed her fingers down the edge of her sweater and my gaze tracked the movement, zeroing in on the swell of one of her breasts.
Was she purposely playing a game of seduction tonight?
“Did you decide what you wanted?” she purred.
“I’d already decided before I even stepped foot inside this apartment.”
Her breath hitched and her mouth fell open slightly, like she was surprised at the clear meaning behind my words. I knew her question was referring to what I wanted to drink, but it wasn’t even in the top five things that were on my mind.
“I like to make Tennessee Teas at home. Want one?”
I smirked. “Trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?”
Her lips twitched. “Maybe.”
“In that case, I’d love one.”
She shook her head, chuckling, and headed into the kitchen.
I untucked my shirt and undid the top three buttons as I walked over to one of the stools that sat on this side of the island-style breakfast counter.
I kept my gaze trained on her, watching as she moved around the kitchen preparing our drinks.
When she opened the cabinet above her head and popped up on her tiptoes to get glasses down, my gaze drifted lower to her ass as her skirt inched up her thighs.
Her movements as she poured the shot and mixed the drinks had bartender written all over them.
“You’ve bartended before?”
She glanced over her shoulder, slightly surprised by my observation. “Briefly in college. I moved up to bar manager pretty quickly.”
“What did you do before you took the dispatch job?”
Lyla had told us all that Mia was living in their hometown and commuting to Half Moon Lake before the two of them decided to take over Izzy’s lease last summer when she moved in with Logan.
But other than that, she was pretty tight-lipped on anything Mia related.
I always wondered why. At least it gave me a chance to learn more about her.
Keep her talking so I could hear that sultry purr I had started to crave.
“Manager of a restaurant.” She walked around the counter and handed me my drink with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It was okay, but wasn’t that fulfilling.”
I took a sip and hummed with enjoyment. “Pretty good.”
“Did you doubt me?”
My lips curved up at the challenge in her tone. Like I’d ever say yes to that question. “Never.”
“Good.” The word came out on a breath, and she shifted toward me, bringing her glass to her lips.
I held her gaze, watching as desire danced in the depths. A little bit of uncertainty and doubt lingered there too—almost a shyness that I was surprised to see.
I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and gripping her sweater, gently tugging her forward between my legs.
She let me, but her eyes stayed trained on her drink as she brought it to her lips again and took a long gulp.
I wasn’t used to seeing her nervous or unsure of herself, and I had no idea how to proceed.
I threw my drink back in one swift motion, relishing the burn as the whiskey coated my throat. It felt great after the night we’d had. The fire and finding Lyla and then Adam…
I blinked and pushed away the memories, wanting to focus on Mia.
What lay unspoken between us. I refused to believe she didn’t feel something for me like I did for her.
The physical connection between us was insane, but even more than that, she’d opened up to me in the past few weeks and was willingly letting me in.
How she’d held me earlier in the night, giving me comfort and taking comfort from me, cemented my feelings for her.
It also cemented the fact that I was sure she felt the same way.
I just wasn’t sure if she would ever be willing to admit it. She was stubborn as hell.
“Mia,” I murmured, tucking my finger under her chin and tipping her head back, forcing her to look at me. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to be selfish tonight.” She searched my face, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth before continuing on. “I want one night with you, Zack. I want to know how it feels to be the center of your attention. To feel you inside me, your hands and lips on my skin…”
I could sense a but as her words trailed off and she looked away.
“But you know I won’t settle for a single night?”
She nodded, and I weighed my options. On one hand, I could say no. Keep us strictly in the friendly—or not so friendly—category. Or I could offer another solution. One that could ultimately get me what I wanted, or lead to utter destruction.
Was I willing to risk my heart at the chance to convince her we could be something real?
For a chance with this woman who I was already quickly falling for?
It was a no-brainer. I’d lay my heart on the line a thousand times for just a single chance.
“How about a compromise?” I offered.
She raised her gaze back to mine and cocked one brow. “Compromise?”
“We can be together without expectations or labels.”
She started to shake her head. “That won’t end well.”
“Maybe.” I smirked. “But this torture isn’t any better. I want more than one night, and you want casual, so this is the only way that would work.”
She sighed. “Our friends can’t know.”
That part would be extremely difficult for me—I was horrible at hiding things from people I cared about—but I figured that would be part of the deal if she agreed.
“Okay.”
She studied me for a moment with a hint of hesitancy before throwing back the rest of her drink and discarding her glass on the counter next to mine. I couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness.
I brushed the hair back from her face and cupped her cheek. “Baby, we have all night, and the last thing I plan to do is rush this.” Because I had been dreaming about this night for months.
Heat flashed in her eyes, and she gripped my thighs, digging her fingers in. Her tongue swiped along her lower lip and my cock jumped in my pants, imagining her tongue licking along the shaft.
Using my other hand, I slid under the hem of her sweater, brushing it off her shoulder. Her skin pebbled under my touch, ready to be caressed by my lips. I skimmed up her throat, cradling her jaw in my hand, and tilted her head to the side.
“I want to spend hours exploring every inch of your body with my tongue.” I lowered my lips to her shoulder, dragging them up the curve to her neck. Sucking and biting the skin there, I felt her quickly ramping up. Heat radiated off her and her breathing came in short, ragged breaths.
She moved her hands up, fisting the sides of my shirt.
I pulled back, bringing her face back toward me, and claimed her mouth.
Like every other time, it was the perfect mix of fighting for control and the sweet surrender that always followed.
Feeling her give in to me and soften every time gave me hope.
The sweater was already a heap on the floor at her feet, and even though I wanted to take my time, I wanted her black dress to join it.
I broke the kiss and spun her, bringing her back to my front. My fingers went to the tie at the back of her neck as I lowered my lips to her ear. “I’ve literally fantasized about this moment for so long.”
“How long?”
Was I willing to give her that bit of truth? Would that send her running?
I released the strings, letting the front of the dress fall around her waist, revealing the most perfect set of tits I’d ever seen. Round and perky, with rosy nipples that were already begging for attention.
“That night on the Ferris wheel,” I finally responded to her question.
She gasped and looked back at me, searching my face, trying to find the lie. “That was almost a year ago.”
I smoothed my hands along her stomach and then cupped her breasts, brushing my thumbs back and forth over her nipples. She arched into me with breathy little moans slipping through her lips.