Page 45 of The Anaconda Downstairs

IS THAT AN ANACONDA IN YOUR PANTS?

EVERETT

Ikissed Penelope.

I kissed her, and the world didn’t end. In fact, it felt like it was finally beginning.

When I pulled back, Pen’s eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted. A drop of beer had transferred from my shirt to her cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb.

“Ev,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “What... what was that?”

“Shit. Sorry, Pen. I did that all wrong. Let me try again.” I lowered my lips to hers, almost touching but not quite. “Pretty Penny, can I kiss you? Please? I might go crazy if I can’t, but it’s up to you. It’s what you want.”

“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever asked me.” Her words tickled my lips and my heart. “You don’t even need to ask, because I definitely want you do kiss me again.”

“I do need to ask, sweetheart.” She deserved to be treated like the queen that she was, and I’d make sure she was every single day, even if she didn’t think it was necessary. “Enthusiastic consent is the sexiest thing from any woman in the world, but it’s even better when it’s you.”

I was going to kiss her again. And then again, and again. But she needed an answer to her question.

I took a deep breath, knowing that whatever I said next would change everything. No more hiding behind the guise of being her teacher. No more pretending I didn’t feel what I felt every time she smiled at me.

“That,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended, “was something I’ve wanted to do since the moment you asked me to teach you how to date. Maybe even before.”

Pen blinked, processing my words. “But... but you’ve been trying to set me up with other guys. You organized this whole speed dating thing.”

I let out a chuckle, even as my skin heated up for her. “Yeah, well, turns out I’m not as much of a love guru as everyone thinks I am. I thought if I could just find you the perfect guy, these feelings would go away. But watching you tonight, seeing how amazing you were with all those men... Pen, it was driving me crazy.”

“So when you said you were hoping to go to the awards show...” She tipped her head and gave me that quizzical look I so enjoyed.

“I was going to tell Simone that I couldn’t go with her because I was hoping to take you.” I ran a hand through my hair, grimacing when I felt the stickiness of the beer. “But then you dumped a drink on my head before I could get the words out.”

Pen’s face flushed a beautiful shade of pink. “Oh god, Ev, I’m so sorry. I thought... I assumed...”

I pulled her close again, resting my forehead against hers. “It’s okay. I probably deserved it for being such an idiot for far too long.”

She laughed then, a soft, breathy sound that made my heart skip. “We’ve both been idiots, haven’t we? Because that day at the coffee shop where you met Simone? I, uh, set that up. I wastrying to help you find love, because Jules said you wouldn’t play well if you weren’t in love.”

I almost choked on my own laugh. “You what?”

I was both going to torture my little sister and buy her a fucking pony. “First of all, the saying goes that Kingman men play better when we’re getting laid,”I teased, then sobered.

“But, Pen, I need you to know... You aren’t some one-night stand or fling to me. I have real feelings for you. Feelings that Declan is going to want to murder me for, but I’m willing to face his wrath for you.”

Pen’s eyes shimmered in the streetlight. “I’ve had a ridiculously huge crush on you for a while. I even had some, umm, dreams about you.”

“Oh god, please tell me they were sex dreams, Pen. And then tell me everything we did in them so I can do it all to you for real.”

She bit her lip through a smile, but her face went serious after. “I just... I didn’t think someone like you could ever be interested in someone like me.”

I frowned, cupping her face in my hands. “Someone like you? You mean someone smart, funny, kind, and sexy as hell? Pen, you’re amazing. Any guy would be lucky to have you in their life.”

“But you’re the only guy I want,” she said softly.

And just like that, I was kissing her again. This kiss was different from the first—less desperate—but no less passionate. It was a promise, a beginning.

When we finally came up for air, I knew I didn’t want this night to end. “Come home with me,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could second-guess them.

Pen’s eyes widened. “So we can act out my sex dreams?”

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