8. A Craving That Starts as a Spark #5
Her breath caught before she could stop it.
Lord have mercy.
Aniyah suddenly became aware of everything. The way his voice had dropped. The way his shoulders filled the space of the chair. The way his eyes had settled on her mouth for half a second too long.
It was sexy and very tempting.
She leaned back in her chair, pretending she had more control over the moment than she actually did. “You’re very smooth tonight, Mr. Porter.”
“I’ve had a good day with you today.”
“So have I,” she admitted softly.
The words hung between them, heavier than they should have been. For a moment neither of them moved. The tent glowed warmly around them while the night settled deeper into the park outside.
Sitting there across from Trevor Porter, Aniyah realized something that made her heart beat just a little faster.
If he leaned forward right now…
She wasn’t entirely sure she’d stop him. Because she wanted to be devoured by him.
The drive back to Aniyah’s house was quieter than the rest of the evening had been.
It wasn’t an uncomfortable quiet. Just the kind that came after two people had said enough for one night and were now sitting inside everything they had learned about each other.
Settling into feelings of desire that they couldn’t stop.
Aniyah looked down and saw how Trevor’s hands gripped the dear shift…
she never had been jealous of a car part before today. She had to get a grip!
When Trevor parked the car in front of her building neither of them moved.
Aniyah stared through the windshield at the entrance; her fingers loosely wrapped around the strap of her purse resting in her lap. The warmth from the heater still lingered in the car, but the quiet between them had grown thicker somehow.
Trevor exhaled slowly beside her.
“Well,” he said softly.
Aniyah turned toward him, a small smile touching her mouth,“Well.”
That was the cue to get out, however, neither of them reached for the door.
Aniyah could feel it sitting there between them. That pull. That dangerous little spark that had been building all evening. The kind that made her want to invite him upstairs just to see what would happen next.
Trevor was feeling it too.
She could see it in the way his jaw flexed slightly when he looked at her, the way his eyes lingered on her mouth before lifting back to her eyes again .
“You had a good time tonight?” He asked.
Aniyah let out a quiet laugh. “You took me to a museum, fed me Philly cheesesteaks, and built a heated tent in Prospect Park.” She tilted her head slightly, “What do you think?”
Trevor smiled, but there was something softer behind it now.
“I think I want to come upstairs,” he admitted.
The honesty of it made heat bloom low in her core.
Welp, there goes my panties. Get a grip!
Aniyah held his gaze for a second longer than she probably should have. The answer sat right there on the tip of her tongue.
She wanted him to. But something about the way Trevor had moved through the night— patient, thoughtful, and intentional with everything he had planned— made her pause. Like rushing this would somehow cheapen what had grown between them over the past few hours.
Trevor seemed to reach the same conclusion at the exact same time.
He shook his head slightly and leaned back in his seat.
“But I’m not going to,” he said.
Aniyah blinked.
“Why not.”
Trevor looked at her again, his voice lower now. “Because I want to do this the right way.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
Because the truth was… she did too.
Aniyah opened the door before she could talk herself into changing her mind. The cold air rushed in immediately, biting at the warmth of the car as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.
Trevor followed her, meeting her near the front of the car.
For a moment they just stood there beneath the glow of the streetlamp, the ocean wind tugging softly at the edges of her coat.
Aniyah tucked a loose curl behind her ear.
“So,” she said quietly .
Trevor stepped closer.
“Yeah.”
The space between them closed naturally, like neither of them had to think about it.
Trevor lifted his hand and rested it lightly along her waist, his thumb brushing the fabric of her coat as he studied her face one more time.
“You sure you don’t want me to come up?”
Aniyah smiled faintly.
“You sure you’re strong enough not to?”
Trevor huffed a quiet laugh, “Barely.”
She leaned up then, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before either of them could second guess it.
The kiss was gentle at first. Sweet even.
But the moment Trevor’s hand slid slightly deeper against her waist, something warmer sparked between them.
The kind of heat that made the kiss linger just a little longer than it should have.
Aniyah pulled back first, her breath catching slightly as she stepped away.
“Text me when you get home,” she said.
Trevor nodded once, “I will.”
She studied him for a second longer before turning toward the building.
The lobby doors closed behind her with a soft click.
Upstairs, Aniyah slipped off her boots and coat slowly, the quiet of her apartment wrapping around her like a familiar blanket.
She walked over to the window and leaned lightly against the glass.
Today had been…different from what she expected.
Trevor Porter had always been handsome. She’d known that since high school.
But tonight she had seen the other pieces too.
The patience. The thoughtfulness. The way his voice softened when he talked about the things he loved.
The way he looked at her like she was something worth paying attention to.
Aniyah stepped away from the window and decided to go shower to settle her mind.
However, her thoughts were still filled with him when she laid down for the night.
She was in trouble. Because somewhere between the museum and the heated tent and that kiss outside her building…
She was starting to fall for him. Her phone buzzed softly in her hand.
Zara’s Daddy: Home.
Aniyah smiled to herself before typing back.
I love a man that listens.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Zara’s Daddy: Baby I’d listen to anything you say.
Aniyah shook her head, laughing softly as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
Flattery will get you everywhere.
His reply came a second later.
Zara’s Daddy: I hope so Roxanne. Sleep well.
Aniyah stared at the message for a moment and decided not to respond. Instead, she reached over to the small notebook resting on her nightstand and flipped it open to the page where the familiar words waited.
Her What I’m Not haikus. The pen moved across the page slowly .
What I’m Not
is…
Afraid of the fall
Love feels less like danger now
More like open sky