She gets like this whenever something acting related happens. The whole world suddenly spins on her axis. Fuck everyone else.
I’m used to it.
I see Michael’s lip almost curl in satisfaction as he takes in her words, his eyes moving from mine to my chest as he stifles a grin.
“I’ll stay here,” I chime in. Maybe a little too quickly, touching the space where Michael had his hand over mine.
Already craving that feeling someplace else.
“I’ll drop you on the way,” Zoe snaps absently, pressing her hands to her temples and starting to pace. Doing that thing actors do with their mouths when they need to stretch and loosen up.
“Really, I’ll—” I try to say again, looking eagerly at her dad, whose face is falling but she’s already made her mind up.
“I need the car dad. Keys,” Zoe practically orders Michael, who eventually sighs and hands them to her from his pocket.
I feel a little betrayed, but as Zoe rushes to the front door and grabs her coat on the way, Michael grips my arm again.
Both hands are on my elbows this time as he pulls me close.
So close I can feel his whole body against mine.
He’s so tall, strong, and hard all over.
I’m like a pillow he’s holding against himself.
“Come tomorrow, Sheree. My office,” he says in a near whisper. But it’s still a strong command.
An order I can’t ignore and daren’t disobey.
He leans in, gripping me firmly, his lips opening slightly, edging closer to mine so quickly I don’t know what to do.
“Sheree!” Zoe shouts from the hallway, making me jump.
Another moment lost, but I promise Michael with a single look I’ll make it up to him tenfold tomorrow before I stand on tippy toes and peck his cheek.
It’s the single most daring, crazy, and outrageous thing I’ve ever done, and spinning on my heel I don’t look back.
I can’t.
If I’ve read things right, this could just be the beginning of something incredible.
But if I’ve got this all wrong, I’ve just made a complete fool out of myself.
Chapter Six
Michael
It doesn’t register when I hear the front door closing.
I don’t register straight away that Sheree’s left with Zoe either.
All I can feel is Sheree’s lips still on my cheek.
Her straining to stand on her tippy toes as I bend, leaning down to do what I know we both want.
It’s pure attraction, no other word for it.
A chemical reaction creating a greater then, not equal to the reaction between us.
There’s a formula somewhere that describes it perfectly, but it’s meaningless when I compare it to this feeling.
Something I’ve never felt before in my whole life.
I want to kiss her. Was going to kiss her.
But if I’d kissed her the way I know I have to, need to, then Zoe would have seen and we’d have a very different kind of problem right now.
Because I know once I kiss Sheree, once my body joins with hers. I won’t stop.
But Sheree, being clever, sees her chance and says more with a single kiss on my cheek than four years of edgy conversations or awkward double meanings ever could.
It all makes sense now.
I never wanted to interfere with her studies, with her degree.
Plus the relationship I have in mind with her doesn’t mean I can simply let her walk out the door every morning without me to watch over her.
By the time I come back down to earth and I realize what’s happened, I rush out the front of the house, hoping to catch her again, even for a moment but I only see the red tail lights of my car disappearing around the end of the street.
The snow’s falling heavier now and melts on my cheek where her lips touched.
Still warm from her, my whole body feels like it’s on fire.
The pressure in my groin matches the one I feel in my chest whenever I think of her.
Missing her already.
Needing to do more than just kiss her.
Already knowing I can’t rest until she’s mine. Until I claim her properly.
I busy myself for as long as I can with cleaning up after our dinner and then packing up some more of my things ready to move.
It’s after twelve by the time I hear Zoe pull in the drive, back from her drama group and I rush to the door.
Hoping she’s brought Sheree back with her somehow.
“You waited up for me?” Zoe asks, creasing her mouth into a frown and looking a little overtired by the time she gets inside.
“I was packing,” I replied, disappointed there was no Sheree but half relieved too.
I’m in the mood for claiming her, right now, no more games or pretending otherwise. Not even to myself.
It’s best to keep Zoe and her separate if I’m around from now on, for a while at least.
“How was the...” I ask absently, struggling to focus on anything but Sheree right now, as proud as I am of Zoe and her achievements.