My next stop was to my office. I had a coffee maker set up there, a throwback to the days when I spent more time in the office than I did now. But it came in handy now as I pulled out a bag of specialty coffee made from beans roasted right in town. Kelly drank more coffee than anyone I’d ever known. Maybe that explained why she didn’t eat. She showed up at work with a massive travel container of coffee and sipped on that throughout the day, so maybe she felt like she didn’t really need anything else.
By the time I got back to the garage, she was there. She gave me a knowing look and a little smile. I walked up to her with a cup of the coffee I brewed and handed it to her.
“Good morning,” said.
“Good morning. Thank you,” she said, accepting the cup and taking a sip. “This is delicious.”
For the rest of the day, Kelly moved around me carefully. It wasn’t like she was trying to avoid me or didn’t want to engage with me at all. Instead, it seemed more like she was just being cautious and making sure we were never alone together. I could understand that. But I wasn’t going to surprise her like that again. I wasn’t planning on jumping her in the garage or tossing her over my shoulder and bringing her to my office, as much as both appealed to me. I was going to let her think on everything a bit. She was definitely more reserved than she was the night we met. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a slightly different energy, one that was calmer and steadier.
That didn’t surprise me. I was sure I wasn’t exactly the same as I was the night we’d met, either. We’d grown and matured over the time we’d been apart, and she was older than me by a few years at least. I’d never asked her how old she was because it didn’t matter to me at all, but she’d confirmed she was a bit older the night we met. Now her confidence and maturity were even greater, and I was more impressed by her the longer I knew her.
Because of that, I wasn’t going to pressure her. Instead, I was going to court her. She deserved the attention and to feel like she was special. I wanted her to know I wasn’t just about getting her back in my bed. This was so much more than that. So, I’d keep sneaking her special snacks into her locker and bringing her coffee throughout the day. I’d find as many ways as I could to acknowledge her without getting overbearing, and if she smiled every time she looked my direction, so much the better. And if I was smiling, too… well, I was happy, damn it.
22 Kelly
The last few days were nothing short of a full-fledged, all-men-on-deck assault. But in the very best way possible. When Darren told me he didn’t want it to just be friends, he was serious. It wasn’t just about wanting to get in my pants or even just prove we were still attracted to each other. That sounded ridiculous, but it wouldn’t be the first time I encountered a man who had his masculinity bruised by me saying I just wanted to be friends rather than pursue anything else and decided he was going to restore his faith in himself by seducing me. Whether that was really to prove it to me to have the final say or to keep himself looking good in his guy friends’ eyes was always up to interpretation.
But that wasn’t what was happening with Darren. There was definitely heat and intensity in the kiss he gave me. It was even more than the night we met. That was just instant lust and adrenaline. Birthday drinks gave him a bit more liquid courage and the knowledge I was leaving in the morning made me want something to mark my last night in the country. It was impulsive and heady, but it was incredible. The kiss he gave me in the garage was more. There was something behind the touch of his lips and sweep of his tongue. There was promise in them and tenderness in his fingertips as they stroked my neck. He was telling me far more with that kiss than just that he didn’t want to keep pretending we were nothing but professional anymore.
And it didn’t stop there. Darren didn’t intend to just have that one moment with me. He was fully dedicated to making sure I knew what was on his mind. The kiss took my breath away and immediately sent my desire for him skyrocketing, but there was something even more alluring about his careful attentiveness. He didn’t just want my physical attention. He wanted to show me I mattered to him as well. The sweet gestures of leaving me snacks in my locker and keeping me full of coffee might have seemed minor to other people, but they were precious to me. I felt recognized and acknowledged. I felt special and valuable in a way I never really had with other men. Darren was willing to take his time and not put any pressure on me, and that was incredible.
“Can I walk you to your car?” he asked a couple of days later.
It was the end of an extremely long day, and we’d stayed almost two hours later than we usually did so we didn’t lose momentum. Two of the other guys stayed with us
