A weird feeling settles in my stomach, a kind of unsettled sensation that’s uncomfortable. I don’t know what it is, but Idoknow I don’t like it. Shaking it off, I accept the hand Bear offers to help me up and follow him back to the truck.
My thoughts turn to this evening, and I wonder how it will go. Not being much of a social butterfly, nerves have me regretting my decision to go tonight, and my mind races to find a valid reason to pull out. I’ve not thought of a plausible one by the time we reach Bear’s vehicle.Well shit.
13
BEAR
I walk through the open front door and turn back to say goodbye to Eloise. Bracing a hand against the jamb, I smile at her. Considering I’m such a tall man at six-foot-six, it’s refreshing not to have to bend too low to be able to look someone in the eye.
“I’ll be back to pick you up in about an hour, if that’s enough time for you to get everything done?”
“Perfect. That’s plenty, thanks.”
Without thought, I lean forward and drop a quick kiss on her cheek. I’m not sure who’s more surprised by my actions, but covering my confusion, I straighten, wave, and saunter over to the elevators. “See you later then,” I say as I beat a retreat.
“Yep. Later.” She sounds as shaken as I feel.
The elevator arrives, and I hop on, standing with my left side shielded from view as I pound furiously on the ground floor button. What the hell was that? Thankfully, I don’t have to wait more than a couple seconds for the doors to close. As the car descends, I stare blindly at the control panel trying to figure out why I did that.
It’s easy to like Eloise. She’s exactly the kind of person I’d want to have a relationship with if that were something I wanted. Making my way to the truck, I allow myself the briefest of moments to imagine what it would be like to not feel so broken and tainted by another person’s behavior, that a meaningful partnership would be feasible.
But I’m not. My father’s DNA makes up fifty percent of mine; his dirty blood flows through my veins. I may not be my father’s child, as the saying goes, but I’d far rather not tempt fate. I would never wish to treat a woman the way he did my mother, so it’s safest to be alone.
In an effort to avoid my thoughts, I drive home with the window wide open and the music cranked way up. Stopped at a traffic light, I look over and spot some high school kids stopped beside me, rocking out to my tunes. The guy in the passenger seat sees me looking their way, grins, and lowers his window right down. “Sick tunes, dude.”
The light changes, and they go peeling off, but that small interaction lifts my spirit and lightens my mood. Trying to be objective as I look at the situation at hand, I consider the idea that perhaps – just maybe – Eloise would be open to a friends-with-benefits liaison.
All the benefits of a relationship with none of the commitments of one. That way, if my father’s ways rear their ugly head, there’s no messy separation. Just going our own way, no harm, no foul.
My mind churns as I dash through the shower and get ready for the evening ahead. So what if I take a little more time, put in a little more effect than normal? It doesn’t mean anything.
Eloise messages me to let me know she’s ready anytime I am. I dash off a quick reply to let her know I’m on my way, and she’s waiting on the sidewalk for me by the time I stop outside her building. My breath catches as I drink her in, standing tall and beautiful, waiting.
My dick hardens at the sight of her, my jeans going snug across my groin, the teeth of my zipper biting. God, she’s gorgeous. She’s wearing a flowy dress that leaves her shoulders bare and ends a fraction above the knee. The gauzy material shows her voluptuous body off to perfection while still managing to appear modest. That glorious mane of hair flows down her back, the breeze gently stirring the dark strands.
She spots me as I pull up and waves, a smile tilting her lips up. Lips that are painted a bright red. And the thought dawns on me that I’ve never really seen her quite so done up. Not even the day we bumped into each other at Aces.
Getting out to open the door for her is somewhat uncomfortable in my current condition, and I pray she won’t notice how tight my jeans are. As she hops in, she turns enormous eyes on me, all smoky and moody, and my zipper bites harder.
I’ve got no idea what the hell she’s done, but those huge, dark pools are bottomless. They almost seem to be begging – for what I have no clue. But God damn. It’s just as well we’re on our way to spend the evening in the company of other people, because if we weren’t, I’d be hard pressed not to throw Eloise down on the nearest flat surface and sink my aching cock into her wet heat.
I climb back into the truck, consumed by my thoughts.
“… don’t like me?”
I blink. Clearly, I’ve missed something here. “Who doesn’t like you?”
A gust of fresh, minty breath blows past my face as she sighs. “You never heard a word I said, did you?”
Sheepishly, I rub a hand over the back of my neck. “That’s not strictly true. I caught the last three, if that makes any difference.”
“Oh you,” she says as she slaps my arm.
“Seriously though. You okay?”
“I’m just nervous about tonight. What if they don’t like me?”
The vulnerability shining bright in her eyes surprises me. Up to this point, Eloise has always come across as confident in herself. But this moment makes me see there’s far more beneath the surface than I could have imagined. And damned if it doesn’t make me want to hug Eloise close and protect her from anything that could hurt her.
