“Now?” I open my eyes wide as my mouth drops.
“If you don’t do it now, you’ll think about it too much, and then you’ll get inside your head and talk yourself out of it. It’s like ripping a Band-Aid off. You just need to do it right away.”
I turn to Melody for her advice, and she shakes her head.
“Nope, I’m not helping with this one. It’s all on Drunky McDrunkster.”
Shoot. Okay. I guess if this is going to happen, then there’s no better time than the present.
With some liquid courage and bravado from my friend, I stand up.
“How do I look?” I ask, taking in my leggings and oversize sweatshirt.
She shakes her head, slapping her forehead with her palm. “You really need to get dressed up more often.”
“What? I’m at home, doing nothing.”
The two look at each other with scrunched faces, like I’ve offended them.
I wave them off and head toward the door. “You know what I mean. Okay, I’m going. Wish me luck.”
“Your phone,” Charisse yells out, and I run back to her to grab it before heading out the door.
As I knock on Jake’s door, I check to make sure my phone has enough battery. I’m tapping my foot on the floor as I knock again and wait from him to answer.
When it opens, I’m greeted by him in gray sweats and no shirt. That beautiful, glistening, tanned skin is on full display. I have to blink as I move my eyes up to his face and smile as if I wasn’t just checking out his body—and the happy trail that leads below his pants.
“Hey, what’s going on?” he asks, leaning against the frame.
I should have thought this through a little bit more. Smiling, I decide to not hide my intentions. Well, at least not all of them. “I was hoping you’d help me with a social-media post I wanted to do for TikTok.”
“Is that the dancing app?”
“Yes. And no. There are a ton of challenges you can do, and it’s super fun. Can you help me out?”
He steps back into his apartment, welcoming me inside. “Sure, come on in.”
His apartment looks just like mine, except double in size. The living room, the kitchen and dining area, everything is increased in space. Plus, I’m pretty sure his has two bedrooms, where mine only has one.
It’s also very well decorated—from the steel and glass furniture to the bold artwork and leather couches. Jake definitely spent more time and money decorating his place than I did.
His eyes narrow at me as his lips tilt up in a smirk. “Is there really a TikTok video, or did you just want an excuse to check out my house?”
Placing a palm on my head, I turn to him with a bashful smile. “Yes. Right. Your place is very nice, by the way.” I’m a writer, and I can easily think of a lie on the fly, yet that just feels wrong. I decide to go for omission and just not say anything at all. “I need you to take a seat.”
He shrugs. “Okay. Do I have to say anything?
“Nope. Just sit down,” I answer as I prop the phone on his coffee table and make sure it’s getting the width of his sofa in the shot.
“You look nervous.”
“I am. A little.”
“Should I be nervous?” He’s making a joke, but I don’t laugh.
Instead, I just answer, “Be petrified, my friend. Because I am.”
“You know, you really need to work on your pitch. You’re lucky I’m pretty much game for anything because you’re not making me feel at ease here.” He chuckles.
Once the camera is in place, I hit record and sit next to Jake on the couch.
“Okay,” I say into the camera, “I’m here with my friend Jake, who lives next door to me. He’s agreed to be in this video, but I haven’t told him what the video is about. So, wish me luck.”
I turn to Jake and take in a deep breath. Lifting my lashes, I look up into his chocolate eyes and melt at the sight of him sitting here, staring at me, waiting to see what I’ll do. His lips quirk up just a touch as he tries to figure out what I’m up to.
My tongue darts out and grazes my lower lip.
His eyes follow my movement. That chocolate turns to midnight.
I run a hand up and down my thigh, mustering up the courage. His finger twitches and hits my thigh.
I take a breath.
Here goes nothing.
Leaning forward, I arch my back, pucker my lips, and kiss him.
His lips are warm as I press mine against his, barely and briefly. As quick as I started this, I end it even faster, pulling back, my heart racing in my chest.
I take a quick inhale, and before I’m able to release it, Jake’s hands wrap around my head and yank me back in.
He is kissing me.
Where my kiss was quick and vapid, his is intense and heated. His hands move from behind my head to my face, holding me in place and deepening our moment. His tongue flicks and dances against mine, passionate and powerful, as he tucks me flush against him.
I kiss him back.
My body quivers as I stroke my tongue against his, gripping him back and feeling the sensual arousal down in my core. I’ve written kisses. Ones where the man’s hands are an embrace of her cheeks, where her skin warms when his thumb graces the curve of her jaw. I’ve described the way her spine tingles with the swipe of a tongue and how her body clenches with need as his lips wrap around hers.
But I’ve never felt it.
This is a kiss that raises the bar for all other kisses in the history of kisses.
With my hands on his chest, I feel his body—hard and strong—vibrate with a groan that has me lifting my chin. His mouth finds my jaw and places openmouthed kisses along my skin.
The break in contact is enough to have me leaning back.
