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Kids' laughter reverberates in the room. Jon is a great motivator. He speaks about his struggles, and how he willed himself to push on. Most of the kids ask him questions. The tricky ones, he answers with his usual humor.
I sit there watching him, eyes full of stars, admiring his every word. My crush and fascination growing stronger fed by his personality and snappy retorts. Invisible currents are passing between us when he steals glances at me or finds excuses to touch me. When he smiles, it lights up my face.
By the time we finish, I am a bar of chocolate melting in his warmth. All my efforts to control my feelings fail. The more I try to push those thoughts away, the more I get pulled towards him. An invisible tug of war is on, with Jon and me on opposing ends and my heart in the middle.
Later, we have dinner at a local diner near the church. We get a lot of stares and the waitress keeps falling over herself. He ignores her, focusing all his attention on me. When we reach my apartment, he rushes to my side of the door.
"Playing the perfect gentleman."
"I told you I am here to seduce a Tigress." He places his hand on his hip inviting me to hold his elbow. He walks me to my floor. I am in a fix, whether to invite him inside. No man has ever entered my home. It is about time someone did.
"Would you like to have a cup of coffee?"
He agrees without hesitation. A little too eager. Once inside, he surveys the rooms. He stops in front of my photo wall. Two five by three feet arched distressed wooden frames hang side by side. Each has twelve different colored stained-glass squares over which in the center I have pasted a photograph each. It is a classic church cathedral design. The pride of my home. He studies each intently.
"Are these from your travel adventures?"
I stand there like a doofus, hands tucked inside the pockets of my coat. Nervous about what he is thinking. Over our coffee meetings, I shared details of my trips and all my stupidity. Remember Humpy. No, I am not telling you about the others. Suffice it to say it ranks at number seven on Ms. Geeky Meeky's most embarrassing moments' index.
Yeah, I told Jon but he is different. Jon was affable. He did not judge me. He listened to all my shenanigans with keen interest, asking for more information every time. Jon continues staring at the photos.
"Which one is from when you ran off to Langkawi?"
Shit, not the trip from Malaysia. He finds the one from the bat caves without my help and picks it from the frame.
"You ran away from me to hang out with bats? You are the only girl I have scared off in my life. Not once but twice. And where do you decide to go? Halfway across the world to end up in these caves. Babe, I am way better than them."
I scowl at him and take the photo back to put it on the wall. "Thank your stars I came back."
Jon goes back to surveying my apartment. His scrutiny makes me nervous. Is he going to judge me for my home?
"The apartment is a little modest for your standards."
His words allay my fears. "Now, Tigress. What makes you think my standards are more than modest? I like your pad. It is warm and inviting. Is the locality safe? I mean, you can afford a safer location?"
"Yes, it is safe. I wouldn't live here if it wasn't. I can get a bigger place, but what will I do with it? No family or friends come to stay over. It helps me save a little extra for the kids." And chip away at my student loans, but he need not know about them.
"What are these for?" Jon picks up the bubble wrap roll near the couch. "Are you moving somewhere?"
Oops. "Its for practice. Orthopedic practice." I take the roll from his hand and shove it inside the cupboard.
"What practice?" Jon is not letting this go.
"Nothing specific, but it comes in handy when you need to work around someone's neck."
Jon rubs his neck. "Should I worry?"
"Only if you do something wrong? I mean with your neck. Like twist it or end up with a sprain." I pray he drops the topic. He may push me up the creepy scale if I tell him the truth. I am hovering between 8 and 9 on a 10 point scale. My luck. He moves and opens the drawer of the study table below the photos. Shit. I push him and try to close the drawer, but I am late.
"Do you own a red dress? When do I get to see it?" Jon turns and dangles the red-framed glasses.
"Are panda's so intrusive?" I take the glasses from him and put them back inside the drawer.
"Hm. They are once you let them inside. By the way how many frames do you own?" Jon raises one eyebrow and gives me a mischievous grin. The cocky custard with a ‘b’.
We stare at each other for a few seconds. I am not answering his question. No one needs to know about my eyeglass fetish. Ms. Geeky-Meeky's only claim to indulgence and luxury. He brings me out of this daze with his trademark humor.
"Is the coffee making itself or do we need to do something?"
I poke my tongue out at him. Gosh, this is becoming a habit around him.
"Wait here, Mr. Snarky-mouth, I will get the coffee. Black without sugar?"
He confirms his preference. I move to the kitchen, leaving him in the room. When I come back, he is sitting on the couch in my small living room, engrossed reading my journal. I keep the coffee on the table near him and tiptoe towards him to snatch the journal. "Invasion of privacy, Mr. Hayes?"
He shifts in a flash. Stands and holds the diary above his head. Where is a ladder when you need one? Ah yes, the couch. I jump on it to gain height, but he moves away. I am no match for a quarterback. I give up and sit on the couch.
"Giving up so fast?" He gloats in his victory.
"You are too fast for a giant panda. Besides, I am not interested in getting crushed under your weight, Po." I play the waiting game with him.
"Suit yourself, Tigress." He stands near me, flipping through the pages until he stops at one. I hide my face in my palms. I am in a pickle today.
"Tigress, you write poetry?" He tilts his head with eyebrows raised. "Wow, this is so corny. Who is this for?"
"Which one?" I stand to peep over his shoulder, worried about which page he is reading. I slap my hand on my head. Oh God, why did he have to pick this page? He reads out the poem I wrote two days ago.
Before he turns the page to read the next one, I take my chance and snatch the journal from him.
"Hey, I haven't finished!" His massive arms wrap around me, trying to take the book back. I slide from under his arms and sit on the couch, hiding the journal beneath me. "You should not snoop around people's rooms, Jon," I warn him with a finger.
He collapses next to me. The impact of over 200 lbs. weight bouncing me to land in his arms. He does not make any effort to distance himself. Neither do I. His masculine scent triggering every pheromone in my body. Skin against skin, the light touch of his hairy arm heats my body. Gods of the geeky kingdom help me. He puts a break to my spiraling thoughts.
"Okay, sorry. I shouldn't have, but at least tell me who you wrote this for."
"Jealous, Mr. Hayes?" I taunt him.
"Should I be?" Jon raises his eyebrows.
We keep sitting close, inhaling each other. Is it me or did Jon lean in closer? My eyes trace the curve of his cupid's bow. Ravenous thirst parches my throat. I don't need water. I want him. The devil on my left shoulder whispers, give it a go. What harm can a kiss do? The voice on the right catches my attention. The angel tsks me, don't go looking for trouble.
When I peep at Jon through half-closed eyes, my heart flips. My breaths are slow. One kiss wouldn't be so bad, the voice on the left is not giving up. My lips quiver but the angel swats my lips shut. If it was real, I would smother the angel in her ring. I am so not sure about what to do, and both of them are not helping. Jon has my inner voice in an entangled mess. Not sure who is on my side, the angel or the devil.
"Tigress, why do you keep looking to the sides?" His voice snaps me out of my inner conundrum. Jon taps my chin forcing me to face him. He places my palm on his chest. "Do you hear something?"
I can't stop the shudder when the vibrations of his heart touch my soul. The thump, thump, thumpety thump reverberates through my arm to my heart, making it flutter.
"Do you want this?"
In response to his question, I take his hand and place it on my chest letting go of the rope and setting my heart free.
Jon leans and smothers me before I change my mind. It's two against one. The ringed crusader has no chance now and gives the devil a walkover. To hell with that inner voice. I will the angel away and live the moment, locking my arms around Jon. He pulls me closer, tightening his grip. He runs his fingers in the mesh of my curls down to my back. Crushing me against himself. I love the sensations trickling through my body as his lips devour me.
In a moment, he is all over me. Will I come undone today? This is the nearest any man has come to me physically. With him, I am powerless, my defenses collapse.
He breaks the kiss. "I know the person for whom you wrote those lines."
No, I am not confessing. "Your coffee is getting cold." The distraction does not work.
His grip on my arm tightens.
"Are you running away? You can't run faster than me."
"You are mistaken, Po. I will be off by the time you get your panda butt off the couch."
He pouts, a face I can't resist anymore. This time I move closer and kiss him. He launches on to me. The intensity of his kiss has me breathless. Now there is no holding back. He gets up and picks me in his arms carrying me to the bed with our lips locked and tongues fighting for control. Once on the bed, he studies me, "Tigress now is the time to tell me if you want me to stop." The hunger in his eyes betrays him.
I keep my eyes locked on him. The time to say no was over the moment we kissed again. The line is left far behind—I only want what lies ahead now. I grab his hand and pull him towards me. He collapses on me, bracing himself with both his arms on the sides of my face.
When he kisses me, I lose myself in his sky-blue eyes. This time, with a ferocity filled with desire, he sets every nerve in my body on fire. With his entire weight on me, the heat courses through my skin. Cooled for only a fleeting moment by his breath and the wetness of his kisses, as his lips move to my neck and shoulders.
He moves his hands fast, undressing me. I don't realize when his clothes come off and our skins savor each other's lust. The bed creaks as we tackle each other until I am lying over him. He reaches up and takes my earlobe in between his teeth sending ripples to my core. I trace a wavy path with my fingers from his neck to his chest. The tattoo on his left pectoral catches my eye.
"Wait, is that what I think it is? This is new." I can't help the smile from breaking out.
He presses my hand over the tattoo of a tiger on his chest. "Yep, this is someone close to my heart."
I raise my head and wrap my hands around his head planting kisses all over his face. His hands pull my hips tighter grinding his hardness against my abdomen.
I dig my fingers into his arms and moan. For the next hour, we let our animal instincts take over. After we explore every inch of our bodies together, we have the most mind-blowing sex. The attraction I held back for so long culminates in an earth-shattering orgasm.
I memorize his scent amidst the serene calmness of our breaths as we lie in each other's arms. When I drift off to sleep with my head on his chest, soft words float to my ears, "Sharon, I love you." Or is it a voice in my head?