Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Okay, now I know I’ve died and woken up in some kind of alternate universe because this kiss… This is not a kiss from a mere man. No, it’s something otherworldly. Neo has to be some kind of heavenly creature, because I’ve never been kissed like this in my life.
When Neo pulls away, he doesn’t let go. His hands are still firmly holding me against him. “On a scale of one to ten, how much did you like that?” he asks.
I pretend to consider my answer. “Is one good or bad?”
“Bad,” he says.
“Ten then.” I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. I liked it. I didn’t want it to stop. I want more.
“Good, because I really fucking want to be able to do that again.” Neo winks at me. The moment he drops his hold on me, a shiver runs through my body and coldness seeps through my skin. “Jump in. I’ll turn the heat on for you,” he says.
I slide into the front passenger seat of his car. How am I going to tell him he has to leave me alone? I know he has this idea of me moving in with him, but only an insane person would do that. Right? I can’t actually just move in with a man I met yesterday, no matter how good he is at kissing.
“You must have had a lot of practice,” I blurt out.
“At what?” Neo asks, pulling out of the garage and maneuvering the car down the long driveway.
“Kissing.”
His head turns towards me, and he smiles. “Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re good at it, and the only way you get good at something is with practice.”
“That’s not practice. That’s you,” he says. “Where do you work?”
“At a diner near my building.” I just started there a couple of days ago. The tips are shit, but they’re better than nothing.
“Do you like it?”
I snort. “Nobody likes waitressing.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because I need money.” I shrug. “Shit.” I pick up my discarded purse. I honestly can’t believe he found it. I quickly dig through the contents, pull out my wallet, and open it. I had about fifty dollars in here. But now, there’s… a lot more than fifty dollars.
“What’s wrong?” Neo asks.
“This isn’t mine.” I pull out the wad of hundred-dollar bills.
He quirks an eyebrow. “Is that not your bag?”
“Yes, the wallet is mine. The money isn’t.” I have no idea where it came from.
“I mean, it’s in your wallet. Possession is ninety percent of the law or some shit. So, if you ask me, it’s yours.” He shrugs. “What time do you need to be at work?”
“Um, twelve,” I tell him.
“What time do you finish?”
“Seven.”
“Okay, we’ll go to your apartment. You can tell the guys what you want packed and how, and then I’ll drop you off at this diner and come back at seven to pick you up,” Neo says like it’s a done deal.
What? No.
“Um. I can’t move in with you, Neo,” I whisper.
“Why not?”
“Because I just met you yesterday. We don’t know each other, and there are probably a million other logical reasons why not,” I say.
“You’re right. There are a million reasons you shouldn’t move in with me.
But there are also a million why you should.
None of the reasons matter, Caitlyn. What matters is what you want, what you truly want.
Not what you think you should want, or what society thinks you should want.
What do you want?” Neo’s eyes bounce between me and the road in front of us.
“No one has ever asked me what I wanted before…”
“I’m asking you,” he urges.
“What happens if I tell you I really don’t want to move in with you?”
“I’ll make it my life’s mission to change your mind,” he says. “I can be persuasive when I want something, Caitlyn.”
“And you want me?” I ask him. “To live with you, I mean.”
“I want you,” he clarifies.
He doesn’t know me, or the baggage I come with. “I don’t think you would want me if you really knew me. Also, what happens when you get bored? How many women have you had live with you?”
“Zero. I have never wanted another person to live with me before,” Neo says. “I’ve never had a woman in my home before.”
Why me? I’m no one special. And look at the man. He could have anyone he wanted.
“Can I have more than five minutes to think about it?” I close my eyes and hold my breath while I wait for his answer.
“You can,” he says almost instantly. “I’m not kidnapping you. I’m never going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“Thank you.” I don’t believe him. In my experience, if I don’t give him what he wants, he’s going to take it anyway.
When we get to my building, Neo stops out front. “Wait for me to open your door,” he says before he jumps out of the car.
There are four men standing outside. Neo stops to talk to them, and then they all nod their heads and walk away. When he opens my door, I look down the street.
“Do you know them?” I ask him.
“They work for me. They were here to pack your things and move them to my house, but you want more time to decide so I told them the move was on hold… for now,” he explains.
“I… thank you.”
Neo wraps his hand around mine. “Let’s get you dressed. I hate that you’re naked on the sidewalk.”
“I’m not naked.” I laugh. I’m wearing his sweatshirt, which reaches my knees. I’m very covered.
“You are naked under that,” he insists.