all I have room for at the moment.” She fumbled for her front door key as she climbed the stairs, not looking over her shoulder to see his reaction or if he was following her. He certainly was.
They were both at the top of the stairs now, her keys in hand and her forehead pressed against the door in frustration. He turned her around to face him and pulled her chin up so he could look into her eyes.
“I’m going to kiss you right now unless you explicitly tell me not to.” He paused, and Piper was frantically searching for the words to tell him to stop, but none came.
Bobby leaned in and kissed her, hesitating slightly as if he were afraid to scare her off. After a moment of passively fighting it, Piper parted her lips, inviting him to kiss her passionately. Bobby’s warm hand was resting softly on her cheek. His tongue danced lightly across her lips. He used his free hand to pull her body up against his and she felt herself shake with passion. It didn’t matter how many times she had touched him over the last few weeks she was always surprised by the tightness of his muscles and the width of his shoulders.
Time seemed to cease, until the sound of a honking car somewhere in the distance freed them both from the trance. As their lips moved away from each other’s, their foreheads came together, and Bobby looked into Piper’s eyes, searching for a reaction.
Her face read only stunned. She was surprised at how magical the moment felt, how she had made it all the way into her twenties without ever feeling anything like that before. She was even more surprised that she had let it happen. Bobby kissed her cheek, tucked her frazzled brown hair behind her ear and leaned in to whisper to her, “That was no Grandma kiss.” He took the keys from her hand, unlocked her door, and swung it open. Piper, who was still reeling from the kiss, felt his hand on the small of her back as he nudged her in. For a moment she thought he’d be joining her and the kiss would be only a gateway to a night of passion. But in true gentlemanly fashion, he nodded and winked as he turned back toward the street, pulling the door closed between them.
It took another long minute before she could will herself to move toward the window to watch his taillights as he pulled away. She had kissed and been kissed by men in the past, but none had ever felt so breathtaking. She could still taste the mint of his gum on her lips and smell his fresh, soapy skin. She knew now that she felt something for Bobby that she had never experienced before, and it meant one of two things. Either she’d have to let him in or push him away. Both options seemed suffocating.
Chapter Ten
Piper opened her eyes wide as she brushed mascara across her lashes. It had been so long since she had gone through the entire process of getting herself made-up. She had to dig deep into her closet to find something edgy enough to wear on a date with Sean. This method of preparation even required a trip to the store for additional makeup supplies and perfume, two things she had almost completely stopped buying years ago. As the picture of her primped self started to come together in the mirror, Piper began feeling warm with excitement. The thought of a date with Sean was repulsive, but the act of getting ready for an evening that didn’t include sweatpants or flip-flops was a little enticing.
The problem was, as hard as she tried to force the memory of her kiss with Bobby out of her head, it continued to creep its way back in again and again. She spread her ruby red gloss across her lips and all she could think about was how nice it would have been for this date to be with Bobby tonight. How he would come to her door with flowers and be floored by how beautiful she looked. She wouldn’t need to wear this black cocktail dress, just something simple. She would feel his eyes on the curve of her hips and his hand on the small of her back as he walked her to his truck and opened the door. They’d have a romantic picnic under the stars somewhere so quiet it teetered