Permanent Lines (9 page)

The conversation for the rest of the meal continued as smoothly and effortlessly as
it began. I was beginning to like Nova more and more as the afternoon went on. With
more than a few beers in my system and a few Long Island Iced Teas in hers, the buzz
was coming alive. I wasn’t sure how in the bag Nova was, but by the permanent flush
she was wearing and the giggle that came after every sentence I said, I’d say she
was sitting just as pretty as I was.

I couldn’t believe it when I looked at my watch and saw that it was already six o’clock.
Mentally, I cursed that I had just a couple of hours to sober up before I opened the
bar. Not that I never worked the bar with a buzz, it actually happened just about
every weekend, but because some chick or group of them would always ask me to do a
shot with them and I didn’t want to work the whole night completely plastered. And
how in the hell does a testosterone driven male turn down a shot with a pretty girl?
We don’t. But I had my limits. I wasn’t stupid. I owned the bar and had a good rep
for it; I wasn’t going to ruin it getting drunk on the job. Once I thought I had enough,
I would make sure I had a beer bottle next to me, and instead of chasing the shot
with beer like it appeared, I spit the shot into the beer bottle instead. It was perfect—no
one could tell and I didn’t get shitfaced.

But back to Nova, though … for the first time in a long while, I didn’t want the day
to end. I didn’t want to work. I wanted to spend more time with her. She was a cool
chick, one that I liked hanging with and wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better.
Though I wasn’t head over heals for her, we definitely had some chemistry. Even before
we knew we were meeting each other, there was an attraction across that café.

“Time to go be Mr. Bartender?” Nova asked, noticing my glance down to my watch.

I tried to look nonchalant. I didn’t want her to think that I was watching the time,
because it wasn’t that at all, but I looked at her with an unfortunate frown. “Just
about,” I told her after emptying the last of my beer from the glass.

She did the same to hers, lifting it up and pouring the half full glass down her throat.
Nova was no softie with drinking. The more she had, the bigger the gulps were. She
was a champ, if I were to be frank, and it turned out she wasn’t a rich bitchy snob
at all. Two in the win column.

“Well,” she stood from her stool, doing a little sway once she was up, “this was fun,
Merrick.”

I laughed at the obvious—she was more than half in the bag, and it was damn cute.
I held onto her elbow to help her stand up straight. Our bodies were close—real close—closer
than they’d been all day. I could feel her sweet breath on my face, a heady mix of
mint gum and alcohol and woman. Both of our mouths grew into smiles as our bodies
felt the obvious attraction. It was undeniable. I wanted to lean in and kiss her but
didn’t wanted to be too forward. Last time I tried something with a girl, I ended
up sending her home, but this was different, right? This was a sanctioned date, and
dates end in kisses.

“Ready when you are.” Her voice was almost a whisper as her eyes dipped from my lips
back up to my eyes.

Fuck it!
My face inched forward, slowly, making sure she had ample time to refuse or back away
from what she knew was coming, but she didn’t; in fact, she broke the distance, leaning
forward and pressing her lips against mine. They were soft and almost had an innocence
to them. I could tell a lot about someone just from how their lips felt against mine—if
they were aggressive or tainted or anxious or naive—I could tell a lot. Nova’s showed
innocence—no hidden secrets, no dark pasts—she was simple, honest, and pure.

My right hand moved from her elbow to her lower back, bracing her body close to mine.
I didn’t want to press my luck or take things any further than they had already gone.
I knew Nova wasn’t a whore or someone looking for a quick lay; not that I would ever
treat her like one, but I couldn’t help but notice how she responded, pushing in just
as intensely, her hand sliding from my chest to the back of my head, holding me in
place just as much as I was with her. The whole thing felt natural and not new … it
felt good, both of us smiling before parting our lips.

Her body felt so soft and warm, like it was an extension of mine. She lay next to
me like we did this every night, like we’d known each other for forever. I glanced
at her from the corner of my eye, watching a smile spread across her face as something
funny happened on the television. I didn’t even know what we were watching, some kind
of romantic comedy probably, I don’t even know. I was glued to her and only her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, barely dragging her eyes away from
the movie.

Her smile was contagious, making my grin grow even more. There was something about
Amelia I couldn’t explain, a connection between us that I had never felt with anyone
else.

I reached for her right hand that rested on her stomach, picking it up and intertwining
our fingers together, watching them intently as I did. She did the same, watching,
grinning at how amazing just the small gesture was—our hands fused together.

She had a simple silver band wrapped around her middle finger that I quietly played
with, spinning it around and around. For a moment I thought about how amazing life
would be if I could just stay like this day in and day out, sitting beside Amelia—no
worries, just enjoying her presence. She wasn’t like any girl that I had ever met.
I’d never felt so much by just sitting next to a girl. It was like my future was snapping
into place right before my eyes. I could see so much with Amelia, things that I never
thought I could ever link with a girl, with my life. Amelia brought out so many emotions
that I never knew existed.

“Like what?” I finally answered, looking up at her with what I’m sure was the biggest
pussy grin ever, my thumb now grazing the top of her hand. We’d come up to my apartment
after everyone downstairs at the party left and went immediately to my room. Nothing
hot and heavy, seriously; we just cuddled in each other’s arms, watching a movie,
but my mind was all about her. My cock was hard as granite being that close to her.
It was like having a girl over when your parents weren’t home in middle school. My
insides were going crazy and I had hardly any control over my body. As much as I loved
lying here, doing nothing, enjoying the simple pleasures in life, I couldn’t deny
the wheels that were turning, visualizing myself deep within her, watching her eyes
as I pleasured every inch of her body, how her moans would sound as I caressed her
beautiful tits with my mouth. Every emotion … Amelia brought out every single one.

She looked at me with a mischievous grin, studying my face. I didn’t shy away, matching
her gaze. My lips were going dry and I could have sworn that my breathing had paused.
She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Her bright green eyes were lit
up even in the dark room and her jet black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a
midnight waterfall. I couldn’t look away, she was too captivating … someone I couldn’t
get enough of.

I didn’t speak, but I caved first, leaning forward and placing my lips on hers. She
held no resistance, falling into the cushion of my body. With no hesitation or control,
I pressed my weight against hers, slowly pushing her back even further into the pillows
of my bed. Her arms draped around my neck, lightly running the tips of her fingers
up into my hairline as my hands pressed into the mattress on either side of her head.
In a moment, my body was squarely on top of hers. Exactly where it was meant to be.
Our lips moved methodically, my tongue slipping in to dance with hers, taking and
tasting, learning more about each other than we could with words. She moaned and I
was a goner. I loved everything about her body beneath mine; the taste of her sweet
mouth, the way her hips rocked up against my cock. She felt fucking amazing below
me, like that’s where she was supposed to be, and she was, and I never wanted it to
change.

Our lips parted as my face skimmed the smoothness of her cheek, moving to the side,
breathing heavily into her ear. A sexy as hell sigh escaped her mouth as my mouth
skated the perimeter of her ear, my tongue sliding against the lobe. Her skin was
a delicacy, a dessert waiting to be indulged in. I couldn’t get enough; I wanted to
taste every inch of it.

My hands moved with a mind of their own, the right one slipping up underneath her
shirt as the left continued down the length of her body, stopping at and cupping her
hip. The more skin my hand and mouth touched, the sexier and louder her moans became.
I was beginning to lose control; I wasn’t going to be able to keep my leisurely pace
for much longer. I needed more. I needed to feel her body naked below mine. I needed
to see how her face looked as I pleasured her body. I needed it all … I needed Amelia
in every way, shape, and form.

“Oh, God!” she cried out as my mouth glided against her stomach and my hands slowly
pushed her shirt over her head, stopping at her perky tits, nipping at the peak that
was protruding visibly through her black lace bra.

My cock grew impossibly harder by just those two words. Every movement, every moan,
every cry that escaped Amelia’s mouth pushed me closer to the brink, and I wasn’t
completely convinced I was going to make it inside of her before losing my shit.

“God, baby, you taste so damn good,” I whispered into her ear as the last of her shirt
swept over her hands and puddled onto the floor.

Time sped up and our bodies moved with a synchronous urgency, our moans and sighs
growing to a fever pitch. Amelia’s determined little hands were at the hem of my shirt
as my fingers plucked her bra open, revealing her full breasts. Within seconds of
my shirt being swept over my head, my mouth was latched around her nipple, licking,
sucking, and clenching it softly between my teeth.

Her body moved vigorously below me, her hips pressing up, up into me as her hands
immediately found my belt buckle, loosening it with ease before undoing the button
to my jeans. I couldn’t wait a second longer, sliding my mouth down the rest of her
body, stopping at the top of her jeans. By the way she cried out when I dipped a finger
into the waistband, I didn’t bother asking for permission as I practically yanked
them from her body.

It was then that I took a step back, taking in the canvas in front of me. Amelia Driscoll
was a sight to see. Head to toe, her body defined perfection. She was watching me
with a sweet little grin as my eyes carried over every inch, starting at her face,
taking in the way her eyes stood out against her olive skin, her dark hair that looked
perfectly swept over her left shoulder, the way her tits looked beautifully rounded
and proportioned to her body. Her stomach … God, it was perfect- so fucking smooth
and had just enough to it to hold and grip with my hands. There was a dark tattoo
sitting on the top of her pelvic bone that caught my eye, but it was too dark to make
out what it was; my eyes stayed on it no more than a second before they fixed hungrily
on the sheerness of her panties. My body was heavy, full of every emotion imaginable.
I was excited, I was scared … I was beyond turned on, my cock visibly at large below
my pants, my heart jumping a mile a minute, pounding with lust, passion, and need.
I was feeling feelings that I couldn’t make out, but was so engulfed that I didn’t
care. I had Amelia practically naked, beautifully ready and willing, and that’s all
I cared about.

We finished removing any article of clothing covering our bodies before her grin grew
and she curled a finger, inviting me to climb back over her. Hell, yeah. As hungry
as we were, time went slowly. I grazed my nose against her jawline while my hands
slowly slid up the length of her body until I was cradling her head. Our faces were
so close that there was barely room between them. I wanted to stay like this forever.

I kissed her nose before her lips. When our faces were aligned again, her eyes drifted
shut. I closed my own, taking the moment in, thanking God or whoever for sending me
this magnificent creature, willing myself not to lose it too fast. I wanted to freeze
time, savor this time together for as long as I could. It was the first time that
I felt so much, thought so much, hovering naked above a woman. I wasn’t a “Wham! Bam!
Thank you, ma’am” sort of guy, but I’d never really had conscious intimate thoughts
like this before. It should’ve scared the shit out of me, but everything felt perfectly
right. Though my heart was back to pumping at a normal pace, it was full … so full
of emotion. Everything felt so new and so different. It was a feeling that I couldn’t
really describe, but I knew it was something I had never felt before.