“Being in your line of work, I bet you’re used to paying attention to your surroundings.” I hadn’t missed how he always takes everything in when he enters a room. He even did it at the diner. His eyes drifted across everyone inside.
“I think with you, I pay even more attention.”
I peek up at him through my lashes. Then how can he not tell I want him to kiss me?
A loud hiss sounds from the other side of the door this time. “I should feed him. He can get grumpy when his dinner is late.”
“Tomorrow,” he reminds me as I slip inside.
“Tomorrow,” I agree as I close it. My fingers linger on the deadbolt. Why does it feel wrong to flip it with him still on my porch?
“Lock it, babe.”
Babe, I mouth to Krampus, who is glaring at me. I flip the lock. “Good girl,” he says before I hear his feet go down the stairs as he makes his way off my porch.
“Good girl? Did he really say that?”
Krampus gives me an annoyed meow, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Fine!” I hurry into the kitchen and get his wet food before I pull off my coat and drop my bag on the counter. Krampus clearly isn’t going to help me out with this, so I call the one person that might have some kind of advice. Even though I know I’ll probably regret it at some point, I dial my best friend's number. She’s so gonna run with this ball.
“I swear I’m turning my lights on right now. I forgot. There is a special that came out on Netflix about serial killers, and I got distracted,” Eve immediately says.
“I’m not calling about the lights, but I’ll wait while you turn them on.”
“You do know this is a cell phone? I can turn the Christmas lights on while I’m on the phone with you.”
“Why don’t you just have the timer thing set so they come on by themselves?”
“Screw Mick, trying to charge extra for the timer thing. I’m insulted. Like he thinks I’m going to forget to turn them on. I mean, I am, but he needs to mind his own business. I guess I should say his daddy's business.” She lets out a laugh at her own joke. “So what’s up if you’re not calling about the lights? This have something to do with you and the new guy having dinner at the diner tonight? Your fingers all touching while you made goo-goo eyes at each other.”
I blow out a breath. “Really?” Word travels even faster than I thought.
“Yep. Carlton texted me with play by play and a photo.”
“Oh my God. He really needs to get a boyfriend.”
“I bet he’s lonely. I’ve never even seen poor Carlton with a date.” She munches something, crunching sounds rustling through the phone. “Okay, moving on, tell me more about–”
“He didn’t kiss me,” I blurt out. “But he did call me babe and a good girl when I locked the door when I got in the house.”
“Doesn’t sound to me like you want to be a good girl, Liza,” Eve teases me.
“But why didn’t he kiss me?”
“Cause men are stupid?” Krampus meows in agreement with Eve for once before he prances his booty out of the kitchen.
“This is the worst,” I huff.
“Liza, you want to kiss him?”
“Well, yeah. Why else would I be acting like this?”
“Then go kiss him. The Liza I know goes for what she wants.”
“I do.” I stand up a bit straighter. I don’t want to play games. I can kiss him. Why the heck not? Then he’ll know where I stand on the matter. Even if I’m terrible at it. Which I most likely will be since I don’t have an ounce of experience.
“Go get that kiss, tiger,” Eve says before I hang up the call. I head back out my front door and across the yard over to his place. Before I can try to knock on the door, it swings open, my hand still in the air.
“Something wrong?” He steps out and assesses the street.
“Yes, something is wrong. You didn’t kiss me.” I grab the front of his shirt and yank him down to me. He comes willingly as I lift up on my tiptoes to meet him halfway. His mouth connects with mine. His lips are softer than I thought they would be. Everything else about him is so damn hard.
He licks the seam of my lips, and I part them for him. His tongue slips right in. I moan into his mouth. His fingers dig into my hair, pulling my head back to deepen the kiss even more. I press myself against him. This feels so natural, his mouth on mine as he takes control of the kiss. I start to rub myself against him. Both my hands are now clinging to him.