Page 23

CHAPTER 23

Matt

I ’ve never gone on a date where the end goal wasn’t sex. I’ve taken women out, but they always knew they weren’t getting a relationship out of it. With Zoey, it’s all different. Do I want to sleep with her? Of course. I’d be idiot to see how gorgeous she is and not want to. But if she never wanted that, or made me wait an entire year for it, I’d be okay with that, because it’s her. Kissing her in the park was not the plan, but when I saw how carefree she was and she laughed as I pushed her on the swing, I couldn’t stop myself. It wasn’t an overly explicit kiss, but it was hands down the best one I’ve ever had.

When we stepped out of the restaurant, I knew I wasn’t ready for the night to end. I was not ready to just drive her home and drop her off, so I suggested a walk. When she later asked about watching another Star Wars movie, I knew she felt the same way.

I’m itching to hold her hand as I drive, but I hold back, not wanting to dive into anything too quickly. I need to make sure we take all of this at Zoey’s pace.

Inside my apartment, Zoey takes off her boots, and I watch as she undoes the zipper, slowly exposing more of her legs. I can’t seem to take my eyes off it. When she looks up at me, she smirks, knowing exactly how enrapturing she is. I clear my throat and head to the kitchen.

“Popcorn?” I call.

“Of course. We can’t watch a movie without snacks.”

I shake my head with a smile. Of course. I do know this about Zoey, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her watch anything without either eating a meal or snacks. She settles on the couch, and I put the popcorn oil and kernels in a pot on the stove.

When I notice her pull at her skirt as she adjusts herself on the couch, I head into my room and grab the same clothes I gave her the last time she was here and hand them to her. I tip my head towards the washroom. “Put these on, you’ll be more comfortable.”

She offers me a relieved smile and heads to change. By the time she’s out, the popcorn is done and I’m salting it. I settle at the end of the couch, and when she tries to make her way to the other side, I grab her wrist and shake my head.

“You are going to sit right beside me and share this bowl of popcorn.”

She raises a brow. “Now, who said anything about sharing? I may just eat the whole thing myself.”

I raise a brow back. “Oh really? You may have to fight me for it.”

She takes a step closer and lowers herself in front of me. “Oh, I could take you in a fight, Carter.”

She reaches into the bowl and grabs a large handful and shoves it into her mouth, a few kernels missing and falling down her shirt. She pulls it away from her chest and grabs them before tossing them into her mouth, and I shake my head. It’s something I’ve seen all the girls do before, they’ve all become very comfortable in the group and have no qualms about eating anything that lands on or between their boobs.

She plops beside me and pulls a blanket off the back of the couch, which has only found residence there since Zoey started coming over a year and a half ago. The girl is always cold and is always in need of a blanket when she’s sitting still, so I left one out for her. Plus, the look of joy on her face when she gets all bundled under it and does a happy dance in her seat is worth it.

I press play on the movie, and we settle in. Once the popcorn is finished, I put the bowl on the coffee table. Zoey leans into my side, and I wrap an arm around her. My thumb hooks under the fabric of the sleeve of her T-shirt, and I run it up and down her arm, loving the feel of her soft skin.

When the movie finishes, she looks up at me with hopeful eyes as she asks, “Next one?”

Who am I to say no to a request like that? Pressing play, I hold her tighter into my side.

It’s 2:30 a.m. by the time we finish the movie, and I’m yawning, beat from the day. Zoey is yawning beside me, and I know there’s no way I’m taking her home tonight.

I kiss the top of her head and say, “We should head to bed.”

She nods against me as she yawns again. I get up and offer her a hand, and she takes it, following me into the bedroom. She climbs into the same side as last time, and when I climb in this time she doesn’t stay on her side, she curls into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. I run my hand through her hair, allowing it to sink in that I have Zoey Williams in my bed, consciously cuddling me, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. She drifts off quickly, and I’m reminded that the girl snores, and not some cute soft snore, but in the shake the walls of the house kind of way. Luckily I’ve always been able to sleep through anything and can drift off.

When I wake up in the morning, I don’t even bother hiding the fact that I’m hard. There is no way I’m getting out of this bed, or out of Zoey’s arms, until I absolutely have to. She nuzzles into my side and lets out a contented sigh, only solidifying my decision. I grab my phone and quickly send a text to Gi asking if I can push back picking up Jayden, and she tells me Mom was hoping to keep him for the day and offered to keep for the night again if that helped. I agree, hoping I can get Zoey to stick around a little longer this morning.

I brush back some of her hair that’s covered her face and smile as I take in her peaceful expression. Her eyes flutter, and she smiles up at me when she closes them again, protesting waking up.

“Morning.”

“Not yet,” she mumbles.

I chuckle.

She cracks one eye and asks, “What time is it?”

“Nine a.m.”

She nuzzles deeper into my side. “What time do you have to pick up Jayden?”

“Mom offered to keep him for the day and do another sleepover.”

“So more sleep,” she says with a smile.

I chuckle again. “You can, but I don’t think I’ll be falling asleep again.”

She huffs. “So breakfast.”

I laugh so hard my body shakes, and Zoey makes a face at me, making me laugh even harder. “Bug, when it comes to you, I know I must feed you first thing in the morning and give you plenty of sugar if you’re to function normally.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve learned that. So, what are you feeding me?”

I stare at the ceiling, running my fingers through her hair.

“What do you want? I have everything to make pancakes, or French toast, or omelettes. I have hash browns in the freezer and bacon, and of course, coffee and some flavoured creamer.”

When I look back at her she’s grinning like crazy. “Did you say pancakes, hash browns, bacon, and eggs?”

I nod, and she’s throwing the covers off and sliding out of bed as I laugh and follow her.

She turns the coffee pot on as soon as she’s in the kitchen, and I start gathering the ingredients. She grabs a baking sheet and wire racks and gets to work laying the bacon out while I whip up the pancakes. We work perfectly in sync. I’ve never cooked with a woman. I’ve never let one stay the night. Sleepovers imply the possibility of doing something the next morning, and I never wanted to give women that hope. That’s why most of the time I’d go back to her place, that way I could dip out when I wanted to. Cooking with Zoey feels natural, as though we’ve been doing this for years.

When we finish, we head to the dining table, and Zoey wastes no time digging in. We eat in relative silence and after a few minutes, I pull her chair closer to mine. That gets her to stop and look at me. Her brows furrow in confusion for a second before she smiles at me. She’s right handed, so I can’t take her closest hand, so I settle with a hand on her knee, stroking my thumb across the outside of it. She bites her lip and ducks her head as she gives it a slight shake and continues to eat.

When we finish, we take our plates into the kitchen.

Zoey’s hands land on my chest as a playful look takes over her expression. “So, what do you say about a second date?”

I grin back at her. “I’d say I’d love one.”

“And what about right now? Wanna binge the rest of the movies?” I can feel the excitement radiating off of her.

“Sounds like the perfect plan.”

She bounces up on her tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss on my lips, and bounces towards the couch, and I’m left staring dumbfounded at her. She just kissed me casually, as if it wasn’t the first times she’s done it, and God, I hope it’s not the last.

I join her, and she curls into my side. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her in close and playing the movie. Zoey and I are both people who don’t enjoy talking a lot during movies; we like to settle in and enjoy them. It’s one of the things I love about spending time with her.

We decide to do snacks for lunch instead of making something and eat them while we watch. When the final movie finishes, we sit there with Zoey tucked into my side and my hand running through her hair, neither of us wanting to be the first to pull away.

She eventually pulls back, looking up at me. “Any plans tonight?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m completely free.”

She gnaws her lip as if deeply contemplating something, and I can tell the second she makes her decision. Her fingers dance up my arm slowly as she asks, “Would you say the fair and Star Wars binge was our first date?”

I quirk a brow at her. “Do you want it to be our first date?”

Her eyes hood as she sits up on her knees. “Well, if it was, that would make this our third date.”

I know for a fact she’s thinking something mischievous right now, and if I say no, I may just lose out on experiencing something amazing. I swallow and nod. “Yeah, we can call it our first date.”

She grins. “Good, then I won’t feel so bad about doing this.” She swings her leg over mine and straddles me, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning in until her lips dust over my jaw. She places gentle kisses up my jaw until she reaches my ear and whispers, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” My voice is strained, because I was not expecting this at all.

She pulls my earlobe between her teeth, and I groan, trying not to toss my head back. She rolls her hips against me, and my hands immediately find her hips, holding tightly. Zoey is entirely in control right now, and it’s fucking hot.

She moves to the other side of my jaw, repeating the same movements, and then she’s kissing me. She puts everything on the table with this kiss as she takes control. When she licks my lips, seeking entrance, I give it to her, my tongue meeting hers stroke for stroke. I’m hard as a rock in my shorts, and she grinds against my erection, causing me to groan into her mouth and tighten my grip on her hips.

Our kiss is hot and heavy. I eventually break it, kissing her jaw and neck in the same way she was doing to me earlier. She leans back, giving me better access. My stupid T-shirt has her covered almost to her neck, and I want nothing more than to take it off and throw it as far away as I can.

My hand skates under the hem of the shirt and dusts over her skin. Her grip on my shoulders tightens as my hands skate further up. She grinds against me again as a soft little hum escapes her. I kiss her again, trying to take control, but she won’t give it up.

She pulls back, panting. “Wait.”

My hands pull away from her as my chest heaves.

“No sex. We can make out, but I’m not going to be another notch in your bedpost. I’m not jumping into sex.”

She doesn’t really believe that’s all she’d be, does she?

I cup her cheek. The look on her face is strong but reserved, like she’s ready to protect herself no matter the blow. “Zoey, I will one hundred percent respect that. We’ll do this all at your pace, however fast or slow that is. But you also need to know you could never, and I mean never, be just another notch in my bedpost. You mean way too much to me for that to ever be the case.”

She stares at me for a minute then nods. “Okay. I believe you.”

My hands slip into her hair and grab a good fistful, and she mewls.

“Can I kiss you again?” The words are barely out before her lips are on mine and she’s devouring me like she can’t get enough.

I keep asking myself, why Zoey? Why is Zoey kissing me? Why is Zoey the only woman I’ve ever thought I’d never get enough of kissing? I want to consume her. I want this kiss to be her only thought, to be the thing that distracts her in the middle of the day because she craves it so much. I want to be her every thought like she’s become mine.

We sit on the couch, exploring each other’s mouths as our hands roam, never crossing that line. When we finally separate and come up for air, she grins at me.

“I can say you’ve at least learned a thing or two from all the experience you’ve gathered.”

I grip her hips tightly. “I don’t think we should be talking about any of that experience when you were just grinding yourself on me like the needy girl you are.”

Her eyes shine, and she leans forward, whispering in my ear, “You haven’t seen just how needy I am.”

This time, I do drop my head back as I groan. All I can picture right now is her riding my dick on this couch as she tells me over and over that she’s so needy for me.

She must know just how she’s affecting me, because she slides off my lap and heads towards the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, “I’m going to grab a quick shower.”

Great, that will hopefully give me enough time to pull myself together.