Chapter 8 #3
He made a popping sound with his lips. “She once went with me for a last-minute job interview when I was finishing grad school. Our connecting flight from Vegas to Austin was cancelled, and I was going to miss it, but she rented a car and we drove twenty hours straight through.”
“Oh man. That is ride or die. Did you… well, I’m guessing you didn’t take the job since you were in the Bay?”
“Didn’t get it, but we ended up finding ourselves at a karaoke bar, and we danced and sang ’til it closed, grabbed a few hours of sleep in a seedy hotel with the largest bugs I’ve ever seen, and then we flew home.
Any other mom would have been like, ‘Francis, it’s not meant to be,’ or ‘Francis, there are other fish in the sea,’ but not Anne Liang. Well, now Lau.”
“My mom was like that when I was young, too. She was a very resourceful woman when she needed to be. With a husband deployed so much, we got creative.”
He frowned. “It must be hard, being so far away from her and your daughter?”
“We talked a lot about it before I made the decision to keep Grandma’s property.
Mom knew I wouldn’t be able to travel for a while.
She fully supports my sanctuary dreams, unlike my ex and my daughter.
Well, my daughter just hates that I came to California without her.
She’s finishing undergrad soon, and I have a feeling she’s going to want to come out here.
She’s coming to visit when her summer term is over. ”
Would that be uncomfortable for Francis?
“That’s great! I’d love to meet her. Oh, well, as your neighbor. I don’t want to make it weird.”
“No, I don’t want to make it weird for you,” I said, my cheeks getting hot. I needed to go home, but I wanted every possible minute with him. “She’s very… She has opinions.”
He burst out laughing and covered his mouth before giving me a knowing grin. “You mean, she’s a little saucy?”
I groaned, and he laughed harder.
“I don’t know what would be worse for me, you spending time with Kimo or my daughter.”
He winked. “Aw, come on, Fire Boy, can’t take the heat?”
I stepped in and reached for his waist.
He came willingly, licking his lips.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to fool anyone that you’re just my neighbor.”
“Oh,” he said, lifting on his toes and brushing his lips against mine. “I didn’t want to assume, but you’re right. When I’m with you, I’m like—”
“Don’t say a moth to a flame.”
He laughed against my mouth, and I took the opportunity to tangle tongues with him. I’d wanted his mouth, his tongue, all damn night.
“So no fire similes or metaphors?” He lifted his leg again, hooking his heel around my calf, rubbing the arch of his foot along my leg.
“God, Francis—”
He cried out as I gripped his hips tight and pulled him snug against me, my hands along for the ride as he ground his erection against my hip.
We kissed hard, breathed harder, and we couldn’t get close enough to each other.
As much as I wanted this and so much more, I held him a few inches away from my lower half, and buried my face in his neck, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.
“My goshness, I nearly climbed you like a… oh! Like the pole in a firehouse!”
I groaned as we both fell into convulsive laughter, holding each other while we gasped for breath.
“As much as I was enjoying being… climbed… I want to respect our agreement. Believe me, every minute I spend with you is beyond my wildest dreams. I’m loving it all, and I’m loving the pace. Okay? You get what I mean?”
He nodded and ran a hand down my chest. “I appreciate that. I’m doing a terrible job of keeping myself in check because I know when I finally get you horizontal, it’s going to be…”
“Yeah.”
What passed between us on his porch that night was stronger than our agreement.
It was as if we were both determined to get as close as we possibly could before we got as close as we could possibly get.
We wanted to know each other. We wanted to honor and respect each other.
It was unlike any relationship I’d ever witnessed, much less experienced. So much more than dating.
It blew me away that at this point in my life, at nearly forty-eight years old, I would find someone who was my complete opposite, but exactly what I wanted. Needed, even.
“And Kendall? I know things are busy for you, and they’re about to get busier for me, but these stolen moments?
The texts, the fence-line deliveries… I hope we keep them up.
I think I’m going to need them.” He exhaled and gave me a brave smile.
I had to remember that he wasn’t always as brave as he seemed.
“We will. I want them too. My job is mostly great, but it can be intense, and taking care of my reptiles is sometimes more than I anticipated it would be. Having these moments to look forward to makes it all better.”
We shared a few more kisses before Francis finally pushed me out the door with a laugh and closed it on me.
“I deserved that,” I called out. “Good night, gorgeous.”
He opened it up a crack.
“Good night, yourself, Fire Boy.”
I turned and jogged to my truck, too worried the lust would overcome me and I’d kick the door down. Not really, but man…
Francis Liang had a hold on me, and I kinda loved it.