Chapter 8
Eight
Mark
I pull into Maria’s apartment complex at twenty-to-seven, and park in one of the visitor’s spots at the front of the building.
She must have been watching for me because she’s already coming out when I exit the car.
The knowledge makes me smile, as does the pale-yellow sundress and white sweater she’s wearing.
She’s simply breathtaking, and I’m back to not being able to control my dick.
I wasn’t sure about texting her so soon after our date last night; I didn’t want to come on too strong and freak her out.
I can tell she’s been hurt before because she’s really guarded.
So, I have been cautious with her. The more I learn about her, the more I like her, and I don’t want this to end before it’s had the chance to begin.
When I texted her today, it was in a moment of weakness, where all I could think about was talking to her again. I am surprised it worked out in my favor and she agreed to go out with me again tonight, but you won’t hear me complain.
I meet her by the front of the car and take hold of her waist with one hand. The other, I use to pinch her chin between my fingers and tilt her head up. I smile as her eyes brighten, and I press my lips against hers in a quick kiss.
“Hi.”
Her cheeks turn the adorable shade of pink that I love. “Hi,” she responds breathily.
“Ready to go?”
She nods and steps backward out of my arms. I reluctantly let her go. “I didn’t know what to wear since you wouldn’t tell me where we are going. Is this okay?” She motions down to herself.
I make a show of looking her over, even though I have thoroughly done so already. “You are perfect, Maria.”
She scrunches her face in response. “Liar.”
That’s it. I may not want to freak her out, but I am tired of her making those kinds of comments about herself around me.
Cocking an eyebrow, I grab her wrist and press it against the very prominent bulge in my jeans. Her eyes go big and round, and her lips part.
“Does that feel like I’m lying?” I ask pointedly. When she doesn’t respond, I take a step closer, pushing her hand more firmly against my swollen cock. It throbs, but I ignore it. “Answer me, Maria. Does. It. Feel. Like. I’m.”
“No,” she says quickly.
I nod. “As you can clearly see, I find you insanely attractive. So I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that anymore. You got it? I may not be able to stop it when I’m not around, but with me? No more.”
“O-okay,” she stammers. Her face is really red now, probably because I’m still holding her hand against my dick.
“Good girl,” I praise, kissing her cheek.
I finally let go of her hand and instead lead her to the passenger side of the car. After opening the door for her and making sure she’s buckled in, I close it and rush to the driver’s side. Just a few seconds later, we are on the road.
We cross the town line in fifteen minutes, and it’s another ten before Maria tears her gaze away from the scenery flying past the window and looks at me. I can feel her eyes on me like a heated caress, and my cock begins to harden all over again. I just got the damn thing to calm down, too.
I glance over at her briefly, hopefully keeping her attention off my lap. “What?”
She shakes her head innocently as I turn onto the road that steadily leads to higher ground. “Nothing. I’m just waiting for you to tell me where we are going.”
“Why?” I tease. “Still think I’m a serial killer?”
Rolling her eyes, she playfully slaps my chest. I gently snag her wrist before she can pull it away and wind my fingers with hers so I can hold her hand in my lap.
“I know you are not a serial killer, Mark. I was just curious.”
“Well, you will find out soon enough,” I tell her. “It’s right up here.”
She turns her attention out the windshield as I drive us the rest of the way to the lookout.
It’s not a big place, but it is a bit of a tourist attraction during the day, even though there are only four parking spots. However, it’s quiet and private at night, perfect for a date where you want to be alone. I like to come up here when I’ve had a particularly bad day.
There’s a single bench and one of those metal viewers, and only one road in and out.
A few trees are scattered about the area, and there’s a stone fountain that sits off to the left, closer to the edge of the cliff.
The best part, though, is the vast number of wildflowers that blanket every inch of grass.
After putting the car into Park, I quickly jump out to open Maria’s door.
She takes my outstretched hand and allows me to help her out of her seat.
Her eyes are fixated on the view that stretches out before us, her mouth hanging open in awe as she stares at the inky black sky that’s dusted with millions of bright, shiny stars that hangs above the town below.
“Oh my gosh, Mark,” she gasps, glancing at me as she moves away from the car and closer to the fence at the edge of the cliff.
I watch her take it all in with rapt attention while moving to the trunk of the car to grab the picnic basket.
Because tonight had been a last-minute thing, I had gone to the store to grab some drinks and snacks to bring up here.
I realized then that I didn’t have anything to carry them in when I saw the baskets. So, I snagged one of those, too.
I sit on the bench as she takes in the view, and I’m surprised to find that I’m nervous.
I want everything to be perfect, to impress her, because I want to keep seeing her.
I want to give this a real chance and see where it can go.
I just have to convince her. I know she’s into me, but I also know that she’s worried I have some kind of ulterior motive.
It’s in the way she spoke to me earlier in the day when we were texting back and forth.
We were flirting relentlessly, but when I casually brought up a few serious topics, she’d start pulling away.
“This place is incredible,” she says happily, dropping onto the bench beside me. I pass her a snack bag of grapes, and her smile brightens. “And you brought snacks!”
“Couldn’t let you go hungry,” I tell her honestly.
The happy and carefree look on her face as she turns back to admire the view and pops a grape into her mouth is everything. We snack together in comfortable silence while I am feeling rather proud of myself for being able to throw all this together at the last minute.
“I’m sure all the women love it when you bring them here,” she says after a while. She’s attempting to sound casual, but I can tell by the way she shifts in her seat that she’s fishing. “It’s like the perfect date spot.”
I shrug, not looking at her. “I wouldn’t know. You’re the first one I’ve brought up here.”
“Wait, seriously?”
I just nod.
“I guess I must be special then.”
I don’t know if she means it or not, so I finally look over at her so she can see the truth in my eyes. “You are, Maria.”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, her demeanor shifts, and I watch in real time as she sort of recedes into herself a bit. “What makes me so special?” She asks quietly.
I take a second to ponder my answer because it’s not easy to put into words. “We click,” I begin carefully. “That’s the best way I know how to describe it. Things are comfortable with you, easy, and I haven’t felt that way with anyone in a very long time.”
“Can I ask—” She pauses and shifts in her seat, as if what she wants to ask me is difficult.
I want to tell her that she can ask me anything, but I can already see how hard this is for her.
So, I just keep munching on my grapes and give her all the time she needs.
“What are we? Are we just friends? Are we dating?”
As hard as it is, I try to ignore the way my heart rate picks up. “Well, that’s up to you. Do you want to just be friends?”
“No,” she admits quickly, and it makes my heart soar. I’m glad we are on the same page because I don’t want to be just friends either. “I like you, Mark. A lot. So, if you told me that you just wanted to be friends, I’d probably walk away.”
“And why is that?”
She peers up at me from beneath her lashes, and I’m lucky I’m already sitting down because that one look is all it takes to steal every last drop of oxygen in my body. “Because I’m way too attracted to you to just remain friends. And watching you date someone else would break my heart.”
Taking her bag of grapes, I dump it back into the basket with my own. I turn my whole body to face her and then clasp her hands in mine, finding comfort in her touch. “I feel the same way. So, where does that leave us?”
“Figuring things out?”
I smile and brush a strand of hair out of her face. While it’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, I’m willing to go at whatever pace she needs. “Okay.”
“But… we aren’t going to see anyone else, right? While we are figuring things out. Are we exclusive?”
I had been trying not to think about her with another man, but the moment I do, it fills my heart with something that I’m not familiar with.
Jealousy. I am not a jealous man, so that’s another thing she brings out in me.
I know, without a doubt, that if I were to see her with another man, things would not end well. For anyone.
The air crackles around us with so much tension and unspoken emotions that it’s almost palpable. It prompts me to lean in closer. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t see anyone else.”
Her whole body relaxes in relief. “Okay. Good.”
The way her breath fans across my face has my gaze dropping to her lips. “Maria?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to kiss you again.”
She inhales sharply at my admission. “O-okay.”
With her permission, I crush my mouth against hers with the hunger of a starved man.
A rumble of contentment shakes my chest when her tongue meets mine, and my hand moves from holding her hands to delving into her hair at the nape of her neck.
My fingers tug at the strands, angling her head to deepen the kiss, and I am rewarded with a soft moan that goes right to my dick.
My whole body feels like it’s on fire, slowly being consumed by a blazing inferno, and I willingly walk into the flames.
The kiss feels like it goes on forever, and yet there’s still no end in sight. Not that I want there to be. We are both breathing hard, and when her hands begin a slow, hesitant exploration of my chest and abs, a primal need begins to flood my veins. Still, I refrain and let her set the pace.
Time ceases to exist, and the snacks inside the picnic basket lie forgotten as Maria consumes my heart and soul.
My restraint snaps for just a moment, and I growl against her mouth as I lift her into my lap so that she’s straddling me.
She squeals in surprise and then giggles when her hair falls around our faces.
I easily brush it out of my way and begin trailing kisses across her jaw and down the side of her neck.
She gasps loudly, tipping her head to give me better access.
“We should stop,” she murmurs without conviction.
I nod, the small voice in the back of my head telling me that she’s right. “We should,” I agree.
However, because it’s obvious she doesn’t want to stop, I can’t bring myself to do so either.
Her hands dive into my hair as she grinds her pussy against my cock in such a way that it makes my head spin. She only does it once, but once is enough to make me want so much more.
“You’re not stopping,” she breathes.
I release her neck with a small pop and meet her heated gaze with my own. “Do you really want me to stop?”
It would suck, really fucking suck, but if she truly wanted me to stop, I would in a heartbeat. It would kill me if she ended up regretting being with me, and I would never forgive myself.
Her eyes bounce between mine for what feels like an eternity, and I know she’s fighting a war within herself, trying to decide between what she should do and what she wants to do. What we both want to do.
My dick may be hard as granite and leaking precum onto my boxer briefs, but she’s the one with all the power here. Whatever she wants, she gets, no matter what that may be.
“No, Mark,” she finally says. “Don’t stop.”
This time, she’s the one who kisses me, and my cock throbs painfully in response.