A Single Date (Dating Just Got Serious) Read online

  “Well, you’re not married. It’s obvious you live alone and your car is spotless. So what’s your excuse?” He handed her a glass of wine.

  The comment stung but she deserved it for venturing down this path. How many times had her parents tried to figure out why at twenty-six she didn’t have a steady boyfriend and the promise of grandchildren somewhere in their future?

  “You sound like my mother. To listen to her, you’d think I could pluck a man from a garden like a ripe tomato. My parents have set me up on dates with every eligible bachelor from their stable of affluent friends. If they aren’t bland, then they’re demanding.”

  “Ahh, I see. Then you know what I’m talking about and it has nothing to do with cleanliness of vehicles.” He came around the counter to stand next to her. His elbow brushed hers.

  “You’re much nicer than I imagined.” His voice was heavy. Standing so close, she could see the stubble on his chin. As hard as she tried she couldn’t tamp down her rising interest in him. The kiss alerted her body and it seemed wide-awake now.

  “I’m very nice. Ask my friends. I’m just very focused on a contract. You see, my father thinks I’m wasting my talents at the non-profit, so I’m trying to prove him wrong. Until I wrap up the deal, my time is consumed. I’m not usually late nor am I one to stand people up. Really, I’m not. You should never judge a book by its cover.” She pulled the broiler pan from the oven and placed it on the trivet.

  “I agree with you and I never judge by minor indiscretions.”

  “Let’s eat.” She pulled the potatoes from the microwave and placed them on a plate along with the steak. After handing him some napkins and flatware, they sat at the table and ate while swapping dating horror stories.

  “When my parents moved to Florida, I thought I was going to get a reprieve from the constant meddling, picking, and inspections of all my dates and boyfriends. But with my mom so far away, she seems to have doubled her efforts to make sure her only daughter is firmly attached to something permanent before they leave this earth.”

  “I do the same thing with my sisters. If nothing else, at least their men know to treat them right because I’m watching.”

  Yani sipped her wine. Her mother’s idea of ideal wouldn’t be Drew Sizemore. Maybe it was time to take her own counsel on dating, because the playbook her parents used wasn’t working.

  He ate the last of his steak and put down his fork. “That was the best steak I’ve ever eaten.” He wiped his mouth.

  “You’re just being nice, but thanks for the compliment.”

  “You’re yawning, and it’s getting late.” He looked at his watch. “I better get out of here.” Drew pushed away from the table and stood.

  “Wow, I didn’t realize what time it was.” She stood too. “Thank you for a nice day. How soon will you start on the project?”

  “So you’ve decided I’m the man, huh?” His smile was wicked.

  She tried not to blush, but her cheeks got warm anyway. “Yes, you’re the man.”

  “Then I better get my truck cleaned up.” He gave her the most enchanting smile.

  In the foyer, he loomed over her like a marble statute. “I’m very professional with my clients. I don’t make a habit of kissing them, just in case you were wondering. But you’re not like any client I’ve ever had.” He leaned in so close she froze.

  “I’ll take your word for it.” On her toes, she pressed her lips to his. Right now it was best not to analyze the commotion in her gut. Her parents’ words were loud enough in her head. But as she slipped her arms around his neck nothing else mattered. Desire called her name and she had to answer. Drew was the mirage she dreamed about after every bad date. Maybe he wasn’t the perfect man, but tonight he was close enough. The heat from his skin kindled a desire in her that no paper-pusher could match. But there was no such thing as a perfect man. She tugged his ponytail loose causing his hair fall to his shoulders.

  The playfulness of their tongues grew more serious. He slowed the action down and increased the intensity. She relished each twist and turn. Instead of feeling like he wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else, he held her like she was the prize, the golden ticket to be won and treasured.

  He unzipped her pants and slid them down along with her panties. She stepped out of her clothes and left them at his feet. He hoisted her against the wall, putting her at his level and granting easier access as he pushed his hand under her shirt. His flesh pressed into her, turning up the heat rushing through her veins. He ran his tongue over her earlobe. The touch was so pleasing, she sighed like a helpless jezebel. Everything she felt was wrong and right and good and bad, but she couldn’t stop the mounting desires storming through her.

  She ignored the disapproving words of her father floating in her head. Just this once she wanted to follow her heart and the desire stirring up the dusty corners of her soul. As his hand ravished one breast and then moved to the next, she discounted all the lessons preached to her by parents and opened her heart to the taste, smell and touch that Drew offered.

  The moan that pierced the quietness surprised her, but she hadn’t felt so helpless to her passion before. When his finger found her core, she released his tongue, threw back her head and gave in.

  Suspended against the wall with only his arms for support, he fondled her like he was stoking a fire. Each gentle pull of his finger sent a spasm cascading over her body. With his free hand, he tilted her head and eased his tongue back in her mouth. She wanted to be the good girl her parents had raised, but she couldn’t will her body to stop responding. Having sex on the first date would have been absurd. But here she was doing just that and they hadn’t even been on a date, yet she was surrendering her soul to him.

  All of the blood in her body seemed to pool between her legs. She squeezed her eyes shut as every muscle in her body went rigid. As each contraction jerked her she bit down on his tongue.

  “Ouch,” he said as she came to rest against him.

  “It’s your own fault. I couldn’t help it.” She was breathing hard.

  “It’s a good thing I was expecting your reaction or you would have hurt me.”

  The lust should have vanished when she landed back on earth, but the fire wasn’t ready to be contained. She ran her index finger along his jaw. “Let me make it up to you.”

  He brought his lips to her ears. “What do you have in mind?” There was as much desire in his voice as she’d heard in her own.

  She nodded to the back of the condo. He anchored his arms around her legs and carried her to the bedroom.

  #

  So the princess did have carnal desires, just like everyone else. He had begun to think his attraction to her was all one-sided. But Yolanda Maxwell continued to surprise him. Maybe she was toying with him, slumming while getting her renovation work done. And for now he was willing to be her boy toy.

  She pulled him down on the bed on top of her. Moisture gleamed on her forehead. Standing back up he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. As he stepped out of his jeans, he reached for his wallet in the back pocket and extracted the condom.

  “Are you always prepared?”

  “I try to be. You aren’t complaining, are you?” He crawled between her legs and pushed his tongue against her swollen core. She knotted her fingers in his hair.

  “No, this was supposed to be about you. Remember?”

  “I don’t. And this is about me.” He rolled his tongue over her sweetness as slow as he could. She started a grinding rotation with her hips to let him know he’d found his mark. Right now, he should have been completing paperwork and submitting measurements for her renovation, but the nirvana between her thighs was so much better than he could have imagined.

  When her movements increased with intensity, he pulled back then slipped on the condom. He eased into her warm depths, and for the first time, he released a groan that summoned all his willpower to contain his reaction to her.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist
which drew him in deeper. With her eyes closed she looked just as beautiful as she did in his dreams. Even though Yani tried to exhibit a tough edge, it hadn’t taken him long to see she was tender on the inside. She was the kind of woman who could trip him up just when he had his future all laid out.

  “Drew?” She said his name with urgency, demanding his attention.

  “Yes.” He plunged deeper into her, savoring every inch and every movement.

  “I can’t…”

  “Yes, you can, baby.” He buried his head in her neck and caught her soft flesh between his teeth. “Now,” he demanded and right on cue she tightened her legs and her body contracted around him like a vice grip.

  She pulled her arms around him and held him like a lover. He didn’t want to start imagining things. Maybe she was holding on to him just until she gained her composure. But moments later when he rolled over, she continued to hold his arm.

  Chapter Five

  The ringing phone pulled Yani out of the magic of the night. She extracted her arm from his grasp and smacked around on the nightstand for the annoying interruption.

  “Hello.” Her voice sounded drunk with sleep. She was more irritated for having to move away from Drew than she was at the early morning wake-up call.

  “Yolanda?” The terse sound of her father’s voice erased the remnants of sleep.

  Yani jumped out of bed and covered the phone as she hurried into the kitchen. “Dad, is something wrong? You’re calling so early.”

  “I wanted to catch you before you left for church.”

  She flopped onto the kitchen chair and placed one foot on top of the other. “What’s up?”

  “I’m going to have to push my visit back a week. Your mother and I are going to see your brother. He and Olivia called last night. We’re going to be grandparents. So we’re going out to see him. Isn’t that great?”

  She wanted to be happy for her brother, but his wonderful life only made hers appear more tarnished. His life was purchased in a luxury department store. Hers was picked up at the thrift shop.

  “Yeah Dad, that’s great. I’ll have to call him later today.” She hoped she sounded better than she felt. How could one call from home wipe out such a beautiful night? She reached for the towel draped over the oven handle and covered her naked lap.

  She ended the call and made her way back to the bedroom. The momentum she’d enjoyed during the night dissipated like rain on a hot summer day. Drew nearly bumped into her as he dashed out of the bathroom fully dressed.

  “Is everything okay?” He pulled on his shoes.

  “Yeah. That was just my dad.”

  “You look a little pale. You’re sure you’re okay?”

  He pulled her into his arms while swaying back and forth. Just a few days ago her life was on track and content, even if there wasn’t a significant other to cuddle up with. But now her brother had raised the expectations, and like always, she fell further behind.

  “I’ve got a lot of work to do.” Drew kissed her. The caress of his tongue was like a balm, but then he pulled away and headed for the door.

  She rushed into the bathroom. Her hair must have looked frightening. By the time she came out, slipped on her bathrobe and ran into the kitchen, he was backing his truck out.

  The day blurred in a pile of restless thoughts. As the sun slid below the horizon that night the sinkhole in her heart had grown, spreading like an ink stain on a fresh white shirt. She’d half-expected Drew to knock on her door, and recuse her from the loneliness, but the day waned, the moon glowed, and nothing.

  Monday morning, Yani sat at her desk and tried to clear her mind. She shook all romantic notions from her head and turned on her computer. Expecting him to come back on Sunday was probably asking too much. Now he acted as if it was back to business as usual.

  Instead of trying to dissect the events of the day before, she accepted them. She was horny, he was hot, and nature had taken over. It was simple and didn’t require more scrutiny. Now with the hot fling behind her, she could get on with her life. No one had to know what she did, and no one could judge her as long as she kept the indiscretion to herself.

  “So how was your weekend?” Cat slid into the chair in front of her desk.

  Yani massaged the knot at the back of her neck. “Uneventful. I think the work on the house will get started today. So most of the weekend was spent selecting kitchen and bathroom stuff.”

  “Did you get stuck with the old man all day on Saturday?”

  “Drew is a long way from old. He’s actually quite good looking.”

  “Oh, I see. That’s why I didn’t get you when I called. I thought you said you were going to be home.” Cat placed an elbow on the desk and leaned in like a detective questioning a suspect.

  “Stop fishing, Cat. I have nothing I want to tell you.” She gathered a stack of papers and tried to straighten them.

  “Do I need to get Phoebe on the phone so the two of us can pump you for information?”

  She sighed loud enough so Cat would know she was being a pest. “I know why your nickname is Cat. Because you’re too curious.”

  “No.” She laughed. “My mother was too lazy to say Catrina every time she wanted to reprimand me.” She moved from the chair to the edge of the desk. “But something is going on with you and you know I’ll find out what it is.” Cat waggled a finger.

  “There’s nothing to find out, Cat. Go mind your own business.”

  After Cat closed the office door, Yani dropped her face into her hands. What would she say to Drew this evening? Thanks for helping me work out my sexual kinks, and please forgive my lack of judgment. There was only one small problem with her announcement. She couldn’t get Drew out of her head. Flings weren’t supposed to consume her thoughts but, all day little tidbits from the weekend kept popping up.

  She shook her head. Even if she wanted to take Drew more serious, she couldn’t, unless she wanted to give her parents matching coronaries. She massaged her temples. No matter how creative she tried to be, there was no way of avoiding him for the duration of the renovation. And after the way he fled on Sunday it was obvious neither of them knew what they wanted or what to expect.

  Instead of shutting down her computer at the end of the day, she pulled more files from the drawer. Maybe by the time she got home Drew and his crew would be gone.

  #

  Drew helped his craftsmen pack up the tools. “Good work today, guys. We’ll start back tomorrow morning, about eight.” With his foot, he pushed the pack of marble flooring into the corner.

  Finishing the project by Memorial Day was possible. A couple more long days and they could get ahead. Unfortunately Yani wouldn’t have a useful kitchen or master bath for a few weeks.

  From the window in the living room he saw her small red car pull up. Even after she dimmed the lights, she didn’t get out.

  He picked up his jacket, locked the door and marched down the path. “So how long are you going to sit in there?” he called to her as he approached the car.

  “I was just getting out.”

  “Like hell you were, woman. I watched you for ten minutes.” He bent low to see inside.

  She unbuckled the seatbelt and grabbed her super expensive purse. He pushed his knee against the door so she couldn’t open it. “What were you going to do, stay out here until I disappeared?”

  “You’re one to talk. Sunday morning you hightailed it out of my place so fast I thought something was chasing you. And what about the rest of the day Sunday? Not one word from you. But hey, it’s okay. This doesn’t have to get messy. Just do the work and we can erase everything else. Pretend it never happened.”

  Stunned by her tirade, he gripped the door handle. “Maybe I was getting started on the project to meet your timing. Did that ever cross your pretty little mind?”

  “Are you going to let me out of the car?” She pulled the latch again. He stepped back to allow her to open the door. Leaning against his truck, he folded his arms over his
chest and waited for her explanation.

  “Okay,” she said with a big breath as soon as she was out. “Look, Drew. About the other night, I think we both got a little carried away. We hardly know each other. Maybe we should try to act more civilized so you can finish the reno. Let’s pretend the other night did not happen.” Her chest heaved with each word. This wasn’t easy for her.

  “Suppose I don’t want to?”

  Her eyes widened for a moment before she looked down at the asphalt separating them.

  “Sometimes, life doesn’t give you choices.” Her voice quivered.

  She appeared to be trying to regain her composure. She was doing a better job than he was. He wanted to rewind the events of Saturday, and she was talking about pulling away. If dragging out this project provided time with her then he would.

  She pushed her purse higher on her shoulder and headed for the house. He noticed she’d worn her hair long and straight today.

  “The kitchen is a wreck. You can’t eat in there.”

  Her purse slid back down her arm. Defeat registered around her mouth. “That’s okay. I’m not real hungry, anyway.”

  He grabbed her arm. “Let me take you to dinner. I need to talk to you about some things I discovered today.”

  “No, I can’t. Besides…”

  “You don’t have to argue with me over everything. Get in the truck.” He opened the door.

  After giving him a thorough look she acquiesced. “I can’t eat fast-food, so let me treat.”

  He grunted but didn’t reply.

  “Did you hear me? I don’t expect you to feed me while the kitchen is being done. I can make arrangements.”

  “Do me a favor, please, and just be quiet.”

  She sucked her teeth, but at least she stopped talking. The drive was quiet, even though she took several deep breaths.

  “When I asked you to be quiet, I meant all the sighing too. You’re making it hard for me to concentrate on my driving.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Why don’t I try to disappear?”