I WAS NERVOUS.
I felt stupid for being nervous, but I was.
I stood in the living room, staring out at the road, waiting for Anders to show up. He texted that he would pick me up at seven, but it was now ten past the hour, and he still wasn’t here. Sabrina was snoozing on the couch, and Samuel was asleep in his crib. I estimated that I had about three hours before Samuel woke up, so the clock was ticking.
Suddenly, headlights shone from down the road, and I held my breath. A black truck came into view and then slowed as it rolled up to the front of the apartment building.
My heart pounded as I shouldered my purse and headed to the front door. I didn’t want to wake up Sabrina, and I certainly didn’t want to wake up Samuel, so I took care in shutting the door behind me before I took off down the hall to the front door.
Anders gave me a small wave from the passenger window as I hurried to the passenger door and pulled on the handle.
“Hey,” he said as he took a moment to admire my outfit.
I’d taken my time getting ready, picking the perfect black dress that had been tucked away in my closet, slipping into some red heels, and curling my hair just right.
If he wanted to take a second and appreciate my hard work, I was going to let him.
“Hey,” I said as I twisted to grab the seatbelt and click it in place. “You look…” His whistle finished his sentence.
My cheeks warmed, which was a contrast to the shivers running across my body. It had been so long since I’d been admired like this, that my muscles seemed to be shaking off their slumber and basking in the warmth of his gaze.
I shook my head slightly at that thought as he pulled away from the curb and headed down the street. My entire body began to relax as he drove.
“So, are we going to Harmony Pub?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Actually, I was thinking that we could go back to my place and have a drink.”
I quirked an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wasn’t the kind of girl that just went back to a guy’s apartment on the first date. But it did sound nice to sit somewhere quiet and talk. The pub would be crowded, and I always felt like I had to scream to be heard.
“Where do you live?” I glanced over to see he was resting his wrist on the steering wheel and had his other hand resting on his thigh.
“Just past your shop, actually. I’m renting an apartment from Kevin.”
I nodded. Kevin, the son of Marcus Proctor. They owned much of the town and acted like royalty here. I didn’t run in their circle, but I heard a lot of gossip about them from Missy.
“Kevin and I go way back. We were roommates in college.” “Oh?” That was interesting.
“Yeah. He was smarter than me, though. I dropped out second semester and started doing construction to pay the bills.” He pulled in behind the apartment complex on the far side of town and turned off the engine. “I’m here now, though.” He leaned closer to me, and the warmth of his body washed over me. “So, I’m not complaining.”
His meaning wasn’t lost on me as I unbuckled and moved to climb out of the truck. He did the same, and soon, we were walking side by side to the back door of the building.
The feeling of fingers touching the inner part of my forearm startled me, and I glanced down, watching as Anders slid his hand into mine and entwined his fingers with my fingers.
Warmth emanated throughout my entire body as I tried to keep my smile from getting out of hand. There was no need for him to discover that I had basically lived as a nun for the last few years.
He led the way through the building, making sure to hold doors open, and kept the elevator door from shutting on me. I loved how his arm
brushed mine as we moved or the way he stood close to me as we waited in the elevator.
He smelled amazing, and I felt tiny in his presence.
“Now, don’t judge me when we get in my apartment. I’m a guy, and so is my roommate. We’re not dirty, just…” He blew out his breath. “Just guys.”
I brought my free hand up to his elbow and held it as I leaned in. “I’m sure it’s fine.” After all, I lived with Sabrina. That girl could go days without washing a single dish.
His gaze moved down to my hand on his arm before making its way back to meet mine. He smiled and shoved his key into the lock. He flipped on a light and pulled me through the door into his small apartment.
It was small, but clean. The furniture was sparse. Only a futon and coffee table filled the living room. On the far wall was a gigantic TV.
Typical.
The kitchen had some dishes in the sink, and there was a faint smell of Chinese food, like it had just been warmed in the microwave a few minutes ago.
“Huh, Sebastian must be home.”
I turned to look at him. “Sebastian?”
“My roommate,” he said as he stepped closer. I thought he wanted to be near me, but then I heard the front door shut behind me. “It’s fine. He shouldn’t bother us.”
I chewed my lip as I glanced around. It was actually better that way. After all, I’d just met Anders. Having a second person here helped me feel more comfortable.
“What can I get you to drink?” he asked as he let go of my hand and moved to set his keys down in a small bowl on the kitchen counter.
I felt lonely without my hand in his, so I moved to follow him. “Umm, what do you have?” I asked as he pulled open the fridge.
His back was so broad that I couldn’t see inside as he leaned into it. When he straightened, he had a bottle of wine in his hand. “How about some of this?” he asked.
I quirked an eyebrow. “This is expensive,” I said as I took it from him.
He shrugged. “It’s Bash’s. I’m pretty sure he won’t mind if we drink some.”
I stepped back as I held the bottle and Anders moved to grab some glasses from the cupboard. “Bash is rich?”
Anders looked at me from over his shoulder. “Does wealth matter to you?”
I gave him a soft smile. “Absolutely not.” I looked around. “It’s just that if he’s rich, why don’t you live somewhere else?”
Anders stepped up to me with two glasses in his hands. He set them down on the counter next to him and then took the bottle of wine, setting it next to the glasses before he stepped closer. His body was barely an inch from mine.
I was still too scared to look up at him. I worried that if I did, he would see the fear in my gaze. I hadn’t done this in so long…would I mess it up?
“Abigail?” He said it like he was enjoying the way my name tasted on his lips.
“Yeah?” I breathed out as I closed my eyes. My entire body felt tight as I waited for what he was going to do.
“Will you look at me?”
I slowly let out my breath as I tipped my face up. His forefinger found the bottom of my chin, and he pressed. Suddenly I was staring into his warm, brown eyes. The amount of desire I saw in his gaze took my breath away.
“You look amazing tonight,” he murmured as he gently pressed his lips to my collarbone.
A small moan escaped my lips before I could stop it. I pinched my lips together as I widened my eyes. Anders must have heard because he pulled back and tipped his lips up into a smile.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “Don’t ever feel embarrassed to express your pleasure.” He brushed his lips against my cheek as he brought them closer to my ear. “Especially if I’m the one giving it to you.”
Warmth filled my stomach as I tipped my face and crushed my lips against his. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. My hands slid from his shoulders to the nape of his neck as I clung to him. His lips were warm as they moved across mine.
He teased my lips with his tongue, and I responded by parting them. He tasted like cinnamon as he explored my mouth. His hands found my hips, and he bent down, cupping my rear. Before I knew it, he’d lifted me up. I
responded by wrapping my legs around him as he set me down on the counter.
I was now higher than him, so I rested my hands on his shoulders before I slid them forward, caging him in with my arms. His hands found the small of my back and dragged upwards before he pulled me closer to him.
I wanted every part of my body to touch him.
I wasn’t sure how long we were in the kitchen, kissing, but by the time he pulled back, my lips felt swollen, and my gaze was foggy as I attempted to focus on him. His cocky smile was back as he rested his hands on my now exposed thighs, drawing circles with his fingers.
“That was amazing,” he said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine once more.
“It was,” I said, responding with another kiss.
He chuckled against my lips before pulling back. I moaned, disappointed that he was leaving.
“I gotta use the bathroom.” He pulled back. “Stay right here.”
I pointed to the floor in front of me and gave him a small salute. He laughed as he gave me a wink and then turned and headed down the hallway to the left of the kitchen. I sat on the counter, glancing around.
I didn’t move to pull my dress down. I would only have to hike it back up when he came back. I was fairly certain I wasn’t done kissing Anders, and I had a suspicion that he wasn’t done kissing me either.
With my hands on either side of me, I sighed as I kicked my feet. I pressed my lips together and smiled, reveling in the memory of kissing Anders.
I brought my fingers to my lips and touched them. The memory of Anders’ lips on mine warmed my heart.
I heard a door open in the hallway that Anders had disappeared down, and the sound got my heart pumping again. I fluffed my hair and wiped under my eyes as I prepped for his return.
I kept my face tipped so that I could see if he was coming, but also, so it didn’t look like I was too eager. A figure appeared in the hallway, and just as I turned to smile, my entire body froze.
I was staring into the bright blue eyes of the man that had been digging around in my trunk yesterday.
“You?” I asked as I raised my finger and pointed at him.
He blinked a few times before his gaze dropped to my exposed legs. Realizing the compromising situation I was currently in, I slipped off the counter, pulling my skirt down as far as I could.
“What are you doing in my apartment?” he asked, glancing behind me. I followed his gaze to see that he was staring at the wine and glasses. “Oh, never mind. Anders?” he yelled over his shoulder.
Another door opened, and Anders suddenly appeared next to him. “Hey, man. I didn’t know you were going to be home tonight.” Anders clapped his hand on his shoulder. “Did you meet Abigail?”
The man’s eyes shot over to me. “Abigail?”
“Yep. She runs the bookstore-slash-coffee-heaven in town.” He chuckled. “The place I’m always running off to early in the morning.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “What is she doing here?”
Anders frowned as he studied the man and then glanced over to me. “I invited her.”
He looked over at Anders, and I could feel his glare. “You should’ve let me know.”
“Geez, Bash. I didn’t think you’d care.”
Bash. This was the roommate, Sebastian. That was his name. Ha. At least I knew it now.
Bash looked over at me and then back to Anders and growled—actually growled—before he turned and stormed back into his room. I watched him go until I could no longer see him and then turned my attention to Anders. He looked just as confused as I felt when he turned back to study me.
“What’s gotten into him?”
I shrugged as I leaned against the counter. “I don’t know.” I decided to keep my and Bash’s little run-in at my store secret for now. It was already apparent that he didn’t like me. I didn’t need him feeding Anders any weird information about the conversation we had as I chased him down the street.
From the looks of it, Bash wanted nothing to do with me, and I wanted nothing to do with him. As long as he stayed away from me, I was going to stay away from him.
It was a win-win.
Thankfully, the effect of Bash’s sour mood quickly dissipated as Anders sauntered over to me and slid his hands from my waist to my back before resting them on the counter behind me. He leaned in and nuzzled my neck.
“Where were we?” he asked.
I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck and tipping my head back, as he gently pressed his lips from the hollows of my neck to the back of my ear.
“Oh, that’s right. We were right here,” he said, his voice so low and sexy that my entire body responded.
His lips found mine, and I fell back into kissing him. It was as easy as breathing.
Here, I was happy. For the first time in a long time, I was doing something for me. And there wasn’t anything that was going to stop me. Not Sabrina. Not Samuel.
And certainly not Anders’s grumpy, sullen roommate.
I was going to enjoy myself tonight if it was the last thing I did.
