Page 57 of The Tip-Off
“Yeah, okay.”
She lets out a squeal, stands on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek, and then rushes into the apartment, shutting the door behind her. My back hits the wall and I let out a breath. I’m anxious and nervous and hella curious about what’s going on in there. If she’s filled a kiddie pool with Jell-O, I may ask her to marry me on the spot.
The time on my phone says it’s well past my bedtime, but I feel confident that whatever is about to go down here will be worth it.
The door opens and Gabby’s head pokes out. “Ready?” she asks like she’s been waiting on me, but my momma didn’t raise no fool, so I say, “If you are.”
“Close your eyes.”
I start to protest, but then think better of it. There’s nothing in there I don’t want to see, so it’s pointless to put up a fight. When my lids are shut, I hear the door creak and then her hand takes mine and pulls.
Without my sight, the first thing I notice is the sound – Color Me Badd is crooning about how they want to sex me up and I laugh. “You made a sex playlist, didn’t you?”
“Duh,” she says like I should have expected it.
The music is coming from somewhere not in the living room, it’s too faint. The second thing is the smell – matches and wax, she’s lit candles.
She drops my hand and her voice comes in a whisper. “Open.”
The room is lit with more candles than I can count, giving the dark room a soft glow. “Wow, Gabby this is…”
“There’s more.” She takes my hand again and leads me toward the bedroom. She’s still wearing the shorts and tank top she had on at the bar, and I admire the view. It’s a good look on her. They’re all good looks on her.
The candles continue in her bedroom, scattered on a table by her bed and on top of a dresser on the far wall. The music is louder here too, and I find the source of the sound coming from her open laptop on her desk.
She’s set the mood and though I don’t need it, I find it endearing that she went to such lengths. She obviously had a plan for her first time, and I feel completely unworthy showing up with nothing but a condom and a determination to make tonight everything she ever imagined.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping the night would end with sex, but now that it is… I’m fucking nervous.
Her eyes are wide, tension bouncing off her as she waits for my reaction.
“This is amazing. Highly flammable, but truly amazing. You did all this for me?”
She nods and lets her chin dip. “Listen, I know that what we’re doing is just…” She waves a hand in the air like she’s searching for the right word. “Casual, but I guess I still want it to be romantic or memorable or whatever. Is that okay?”
I reach her in a single step and wrap my arms around her. “Just because this thing between us is temporary, it doesn’t make this, tonight, our time together, any less special. It’s more than okay. It’s perfect.”
29
Gabby
His hands slipunder my tank top and I still. Forcing myself to breathe, I let his hands wander up my stomach and eventually to cup my breasts through my bra. He moves his hands to my back and feels for the closure.
“Actually, is it okay if I keep this on?” I pull my tank down to cover the exposed patch of stomach.
He transfers his hands to my hips so fast it’s like I’ve slapped him. “Of course.”
I realize I’ve confused him, so I take the initiative and unbutton my shorts and push them down so I’m naked from the waist down. “I still want to have sex, I’m just more comfortable with my shirt on.”
He nods ever so slightly. “Are you sure? We can just—”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Zeke lies me on the bed and takes my mouth in a kiss that I feel in my toes. I pull at his shirt until he reaches behind with one arm and pulls it over his head. His lips are back sealed to mine in an instant and he deepens the kiss, tasting and teasing me until I’m confident I could orgasm from this alone.
My heart races and emotion clogs my throat as I slide a hand to his jeans and undo the button. With fumbling fingers, I push the zipper down until I can slip my hand inside and underneath his boxers. He lets out a hiss as I wrap my fingers around his length. It pulses in my hand and there’s a bead of moisture at the tip.
Eager to see him and to touch him without the barrier of clothing, I help him ease the jeans and boxers down his legs. He tosses them on to the floor and then pulls me so we’re lying on our sides facing one another.
