A Single Date (Dating Just Got Serious) (9 page)

He placed her in the
center of the king-sized bed like he was handling a delicate piece of priceless
crystal. She watched as he stripped out of his clothes. From the nightstand he
removed a box of condoms.

She reached for him and
pulled him down on top of her. “You’re taking too long.”

He silenced her with a
kiss. Her tongue was eager, circling his with so much intensity, his body
hardened, threatening to explode. The palms of her hand caressed his back as he
shifted to taste her earlobe and her neck. Just a hint of her of cologne
lingered behind, but her sweetness was enough to fuel his desire. Never had his
body responded with such fervor. Controlling his eagerness was difficult, but
he wanted the night branded on them like a song on continuous play in their
heads.

She pressed her lips
against his chest, searing like a torch as she glided lower. Her touch was so
light and gentle he had to open his eyes to match the reality to what he was
feeling. He cupped her full breasts, squeezing each one with just enough
pressure to make her moan. She slipped out of his reach to plant lingering kisses
along his torso as she moved down his body.

Her mouth surrounded
his throbbing member. With a strong pull, she drew it deeper. Afraid he might
bruise her delicate flesh, he released his hold on her breasts and grabbed the
sheet instead. A blistering heat enveloped his body with every tug and twist of
her tongue. She wrapped her tongue around him like she was sealing a delicate
package.

Weeks ago when they first
met, his impression of her had been so different from the passionate person he
was falling in love with now. Just knowing she wanted to share a future with
him was enough to make him happy, but he wanted more. A family. A life. Forever
would be a beginning. Plans of introducing her to his parents were already on
his agenda.

He pulled her away
before she pushed him over the edge. The dark look glowing in her irises spoke
to her passion, too. He traced his tongue over each nipple while she groaned
and rotated her hips. Each seductive sway enticed him closer to the brink of
bliss.

“Enough, Drew,” she
pleaded.

He reached for the
condom on the bedside table and drew it on. He eased into her slick center,
trying to stretch the moment into hours. The tempo of her hips picked up speed
and nothing he did seemed to slow her down. They locked eyes just as his
feelings flung him into the universe.

“Do you ever plan to
let me go?” he asked moments later when her legs still held him in place.

“I don’t think so.” She
ran her finger through his hair, tugging on the ends. “I hope you’ll never let
me go.”

“It has taken me too
long to get you to wade into this relationship.” He held her tighter. “This is
real for me, Yani. I love you.” The words slipped out. Wearing his game face
should have been so easy, but with her none of his negotiating techniques worked.

“I think you’re
supposed to say those words before we make love, not after.”

He held her gaze. “At
least I said it.”

She placed her warm
soft hands along his face, and kissed him. “I love you, too, Drew. But I think
you already knew, didn’t you?”

“A man can hope.”

“I need you to do me a
favor.” She cradled his face.

He nodded. “Anything.”

“When we go to Phoebe’s
and Cory’s wedding, please let me introduce you to my parents as my carpenter.”

Jacki Kelly has written
dozens of short stories and several books. She lives in the North East with her
husband and one loveable dog. She loves hearing from her readers so please
contact her.

Connect with her online:

http://www.jackikelly.com

http://twitter.com/Jackikellybooks

http://facebook.com/jacki.kelly-Author

If you enjoyed reading A Single
Date, please tell everyone you know. Please post a review for other readers on
Amazon, Barnes and Nobles or Goodreads or other forums.

JOIN THE JACKI KELLY NEWSLETTER! So you can stay tuned
to new releases, appearance and events and prizes.

Chapter One

Cat Preston circled the huge kitchen
island of Drew’s Philadelphia penthouse. Each trip around the spotless quartz
counter was designated with an invisible period made with her index finger,
before beginning the next useless loop. Not the most productive way to spend a Saturday
morning, but going ballistic on her past lovers wasn’t an alternative for now.

Two months was a long time to take up
residence in someone else’s home, but when her life disconnected from gravity
and flung her against the cold, hard universe this was the softest place to
land. Surrounded by friends and sharing their laughter blurred the pain. But
Yani and Drew were getting more serious. Now it was time to move on. No matter
how delicate they tried to handle her, she was getting in their way. Just
because her love life ended up in a muddy ditch didn’t mean she should ruin
their chance at happiness. Nobody liked a third wheel and even if they were too
polite to say so, she knew it.

The gentle pulling of the elevator cables
sounded as she marked her fourth lap. They were home. If she didn’t tell them
tonight, another month might tick by before she gathered her courage again.
Living in the elegance of Drew’s penthouse had been the balm she needed to
patch her heart, but now she was fine and it was time to prove it.

The elevator opened into what Drew called
a foyer. Yani stepped off first, like a graceful swan on parade. Since
accepting her feelings for Drew, she floated unfazed through things that used
to send her screaming to the phone. Her face was lit with a permanent smile.
Jealousy poked at the hole in Cat’s heart. It hadn’t lessened much in the last
two months but at least the sharp edges were wearing smooth. Drew stepped off
the elevator behind Yani and even though his hands were quick, Cat saw him grab
Yani’s butt. It was another indicator that it was time to give these new lovers
some privacy.

Cat cleared her throat but couldn’t look
away from their playfulness. “Hey guys, do you have a minute? I’d like to talk
to you.” She wrung her fingers so tight her pinkie ring dug into her flesh.

“Sure. We weren’t expecting to see you
downstairs so early.” Yani threw Drew a questioning look over her shoulder.

Cat sat on the edge of the white velour
love seat and motioned for them to sit on the matching sofa.

“What’s on your mind?” Drew draped his
hand on Yani’s knee. Robby had never touched her in such a loving way. That
should have been a sign.

“First, thank you both for letting me
crash here while I got myself together. You took me in like a stray dog. I know
my timing was awful, but I had to get out of my apartment. If I had stayed
another moment I would have done something regretful.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Drew said.

Cat put up her hand. “Let me finish
before I chicken out, again. I know it’s time to move on. I should have left a
month ago, but this place is so fabulous I decided to enjoy the treat. Anyway,
I think I may have found a place. It’s small and there’s no elevator, but it’s
in a nice area.”

Drew tilted his head and lifted his
eyebrow while staring at Yani.

“Cat, Bryant Construction just renovated
a cute brownstone that is a few blocks from here. As we were renovating I had
you in mind, but Yani and I agreed to wait until you were ready before telling
you about it.”

“Yeah, Cat. We didn’t want you to think
we were in a hurry for you to move.” Yani added.

“That’s nice of you two, but you’ve
already done so much. I can’t let you do anymore.” Cat shook her head.

“Actually you’d be doing me a favor. The
longer the place sits empty, the more likely it might draw the wrong
attention,” Drew said. He removed his hand from Yani’s knee and positioned his
elbows on his thighs. He’d shifted into business mode with such ease Cat almost
missed the transition. “At least take a look at the place. You’ll love it.”

“I really can’t ask you guys to keep
helping me. Either I was blind, numb or both not to see what Robby was doing
under my nose. I think I didn’t want to admit to two failed relationships. I
was in shock when my life spun out of control. But now I’m grounded.” She took
a deep breath. “Anyway, the place I looked at will be ready at the end of the
month. So, in less than twenty days you can have your privacy back.”

“Cat you don’t understand. Drew changed
the place just for you. He even painted the master bedroom the brightest yellow
he could find, since it’s your favorite color. It also has a private patio.
You’re going to love it. And he’s not giving it to you. You’ll lease it for
however long you want.” Yani was one of her best friends. She was always so
supportive. It wouldn’t hurt to at least take a look.

“You can see the place this morning. We
won’t even go with you to look at it so we won’t bias your opinion. What do you
say?” Drew jumped up before she could object again. “Let me call Jeremy. He can
show it to you this morning.”

Hearing Jeremy’s name was like having her
heart pulled out of her chest with a pair of rusty pliers. Her temperature
spiked several degrees. If life gives everyone one great love then, Jeremy had
been hers. He’d filled every empty spore of her heart, making her laugh at the
silliest things. And then one day he announced he was going back to his old
girlfriend. To marry her. The news was so unexpected it punched a hole in her
soul the size of a meteor. Robby was the rebound guy. Robby’s betrayal hadn’t
hurt as much as Jeremy’s, but in her weakened state she’d ended up on the
sideline of life.

She couldn’t say what she wanted to her
friends. How do you scream at the world that your life had been tossed off
course and you can’t find your way back?

Cat examined Yani’s face. If only life
was as simple as she made it appear. Drew and Yani were as perfect as yin and
yang. The flicker of hope behind their eyes was enough to coat Cat’s world in a
blissful state of harmony. But she smelled trouble and this stench had Jeremy
written on it.

Read the series

Blind Date

A Single Date

Date Me