Chapter 5 #2
Behind her hand, her adorable face scrunched with a forced glare.
She spun in her seat to face the rest of the table and flashed her “bird” for everyone to see.
“Screw you all and your cahoots!” And with that, she grabbed the penis shot glass in front of her and slammed its contents.
There was barely a cringe on her face as she turned back to me. “You play dirty.”
Those three little words from her pretty mouth lit me up. This wallflower turned into a vixen right before my eyes. “You have no idea.”
Her wrathful glare turned into a sweet pink blush, but there was still a hint of fire lit in her dark eyes.
She barely pulled her gaze away from mine as she reached for the remainder of her pink drink and guzzled every last drop.
Desire swirled through me while she licked her lips thoroughly.
I wanted to taste them too, knowing how fruity-sweet they’d be.
With a devious grin, she leaned forward and whispered, “I guess you’ll have to show me,” then scooted closer to me. If I shifted around, she’d practically be in my lap, which was exactly where I wanted her to be.
By the time I made the switch to water, I’d learned many things about this group of ladies.
They all taught at the same school.
Lucy was a mother of a two-year-old and hadn’t had sex in two years, ten months, and twenty-one days.
Jenn’s groom was a firefighter, but he preferred her to ride his pole.
Kennedy was a forgetful drunk, as she asked me if I had a younger brother five times.
Darcy’s aforementioned mission had a secret handshake and a theme song. But I didn’t get to hear it.
“It’s about a lot of penises for me.” Cici’s chin rested on my shoulder as she slurred into my ear.
Time for a breather for this one. She was absolutely a ninja drunk. Quiet, stealthy, then bam, talking about penises. For her.
“Air?” I whispered to Cici.
From her spot on my shoulder, she turned, her nose tickling my ear. “Mm-hmm.” Then she tucked herself in the crook of my neck with a happy little hum that had me shaking my head with a grin.
With a pat to her knee, I slid out of the booth. She followed behind me and gripped my hips to steady herself.
Okay. Those are her hands. Right there.
Before too much of me stood at attention, I turned to face her and gave them a little squeeze, then guided her toward the door.
On our way out, I motioned to the bartender for some water. He gave me a knowing nod and quickly tossed a bottle my way before I tugged Cici to the door. When we stepped out on the deck, I handed her the bottle.
She held it with two hands and gave me a devious smile as she wrapped her lips around the opening.
Not sure what it was about water that caused that reaction, but that face was irresistible.
It took all my control not to kiss the shit out of her.
But alas, drunk first kisses were not in my game plan.
I tried not to overthink that the words first kiss slipped through my mind.
As if many more kisses were to follow. That was never my intention.
Looking out toward the edge of the deck, she hollered, “Ooh, look, the ocean.” Drunk Cici was cute as fuck.
I followed her to the rail, where she looked down at the promenade and gasped.
“So many people down there!” Jumping up on her tippy-toes, she hollered, “Hey, peeps.” She continued to look down, then yelled, “Oh, girl, I love your hair. That’s rad!
” and then, “Oh, hey! It’s Cougar Lady,” and waved to the woman I’d tried to evade earlier that evening.
I snatched her back from the rail, and she crashed into my chest.
“Ooh, snuggles. I like snuggles.” She rested her head against my chest and did this little nestling thing with her nose. My stomach flipped, and it wasn’t from motion sickness. This girl was triggering all of these feelings inside me.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.
The smell of her hair enraptured me, and my senses homed in on the spot on my stomach where her hands were curled up between us.
We stood there quietly for a moment, her body melting into me while we swayed, but then she slipped a little lower in my hold.
“Standing’s hard,” she mumbled. “Sitting, please.”
Clutching her, I shifted us a couple of feet over to a lounge chair.
I released her to sprawl out on the lounger, and she followed, easily finding a spot tucked in under my arm, lying next to me, her head on my chest. She burrowed herself in again, and a sigh escaped me before I realized it was happening.
“Mmm, you’re warm,” she murmured, bringing one arm across my stomach and squeezing herself closer.
“And you smell good. I like how this spot feels right here,” she whispered as she nestled her nose into my neck and sighed.
I softly rubbed up and down her arm, then leaned my cheek on the top of her head.
This was nice. Did I also think being half naked and making out with her instead would be nice?
Yes. But this was something I didn’t know I needed. Wanted.
We lay there cuddled up, listening to the lapping of the water and the bustle of the people moving below us. Just when I thought she might have fallen asleep, she tilted her head up, and her nose grazed the stubble on my chin. “I like you.”
I smiled at this little confession. She paused for a moment, then lifted her head more, bringing it level with mine. “Do you like me?” Her words came out sweet, with a tinge of insecurity.
“I do.” I nodded and tucked her head back in. Her smile brushed against my neck before she exhaled.
Was that the sound of relief? God, how could she even doubt her… likability. She was beautiful and soft, yet had enough sass tucked behind that shy side of her she showed the rest of the world.
A moment later, she lifted her head back up and smiled at me. She reached up and patted my cheeks. “Gosh, you’re pretty.” This adorable girl, who was nervous about accepting a drink from a stranger at a bar earlier, just called me pretty with the most adoring look.
I tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “And you are beautiful.” I booped her nose, and she giggled. She closed her eyes briefly, but then they popped open.
“Sexy?” Her voice turned from perky to sultry. A jolt shot through my body, and I had to shift in the lounger to rearrange my position. That was a bad idea because, somehow, in my moving, I ended up with Cici pressed further into me. She crossed her leg over one of mine, and I gulped.
Despite clearing my throat, my voice came out deep and raspy when I said, “You have no idea how sexy you are.” The beam she gave me turned my insides warm. Hotter in some parts, for sure. The heat was easier to ignore as she tucked herself back into me with a contented sigh.
Cici’s breaths were quiet and calming, and eventually, they slowed, and her body softened around mine. I didn’t dare budge. As selfish as it was, I wanted to enjoy this sensation of her wrapped around me as long as possible. It’d been too long since I’d been this close to feeling… home.