Brendon walked into Dean’s, heading to the hostess stand. Following the directions Crystal gave him, he told the hostess his name and was immediately taken to his table.
As he neared the table, his steps faltered, and a feeling of familiarity came over him as he watched the lone figure in a red dress, seated with her back to him. The lady’s hair was loosely curled and swept over one shoulder, a long dangling earring brushing her bare honey shoulder.
“Crystal?” he asked, eyes bulging as he rounded the table and faced her.
A smile graced her full lips and she glanced at him with those hazel eyes that never failed to draw his attention to her beautiful face.
“Surprise!” she said, her husky voice drifting over his body and igniting an inferno.
He sat down, dumbfounded. “Wha…”
“March thirtieth…Crystal walked into my gym in a coral sports bra and legging workout set, and my eyes damn near bugged out. She looked good as hell. Ass plump, breasts sitting high…my fantasy come to life. I had to restrain myself from choking the shit out of my assistant manager because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her ass, but who could blame him? Her ass was a thing of beauty. My attraction to her—”
“Is becoming a problem,” he finished. She’d read an entry from his private journal.
“All this time, why haven’t you said anything?” she asked him quietly.
Brendon sat, taking in the picture she made with the soft lighting from the restaurant giving her skin a beautiful glow. One thought was in his mind…
It’s now or never.
“How do you tell your best friend that you no longer see her as just a friend? I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. Why are you here?” he asked, eyes glued to Crystal’s face, needing to see her as she responded to his question.
“I’ve had feelings for you since high school, B. All these years I thought you saw me as your buddy. Lately, I thought you might have seen me as more, but I wasn’t positive and didn’t want to rock the boat…then I saw your journal, which was an accident by the way. I was looking for—”
“You don’t owe me an apology, especially since the end result is us finally being honest with each other,” he said.
As Crystal had talked, his heart rate had increased steadily. He knew she had a crush on him in high school, but he thought she’d gotten over it once he left for college.
She nodded her head at him and fidgeted in her seat, clasping and unclasping her hands on the table. He reached over and placed one of his hands over hers, and lightning raced through his body. Her gasp and dazed eyes confirmed that she felt the spark between them too.
“What do you say we get out of here and go somewhere more private to talk,” he said quietly, caressing her hands.
“We just got here…” she said.
He raised an eyebrow. “And? Can you honestly say that you’re hungry and will be able to have the conversation that we need to have here?”
Crystal swallowed and he traced the movement with his eyes. “N-no. I just thought that I—us getting away—would help us have an honest discussion.”
It was his turn to nod his head. “I appreciate that, but there are some things that I need to say, that we need privacy for. I’m assuming you read more than just that entry in my journal?” he queried.
“Yes, I must say I was surprised…and aroused,” she said, taking a sip of the water in front of her.
Brendon shifted in his seat, his erection taking shape listening to her talk about getting aroused. “And you’ll be drenched by the time I’m done with what I have to say. Trust me, we need privacy for what I need to say…and do.”
“Okay,” she whispered, and he was relieved.
He’d order some food and have it delivered by the time they reached his home.
Standing, he pulled her chair backwards, allowing her to stand. He waited while she grabbed her purse and put her phone inside. Placing his hand low on her back, he guided her to the entrance of the restaurant, smiling inwardly as she shivered when he caressed the small of her back just above where her ass was sitting high and nice in that clingy dress.
“We won’t be staying, an emergency has come up,” he told the hostess, pulling out his wallet and handing her a Benjamin. “Sorry for your troubles.”
He ushered Crystal out of the restaurant and towards the valet stand. They handed the attendant their tickets and waited patiently while their vehicles were retrieved. As they waited, Brendon pulled Crystal to stand in front of him, moving her until her backside brushed against his erection. He muffled a groan in her hair, sliding his arms up and down hers as goosebumps broke over her flesh.
He kissed her bare shoulder as she entwined their hands and he wrapped them around her. Swaying slightly from side to side, they were lost in their own little world, neither saying anything. He gently nipped her earlobe, which caused her to gasp and shudder. Now that he knew she felt the same way that he did, he found it difficult to keep his mouth and hands to himself. Only when Crystal released another moan, drawing the attention of the valet attendant, did he remove his mouth from her body.
Once their cars pulled up, he turned her to face him, dropping a too brief kiss on her lips. “Follow me back to my house and drive safely,” he told her, patting her on her ass.
After she got inside her vehicle, he strode hurriedly to his, quickly putting his seatbelt on and pulling in front of her Escalade. He looked in his rearview mirror to see her following him and nodded. A smile eclipsed his lips until a full-bodied laugh escaped. The freedom he felt from finally confessing how he felt and knowing she felt the same was indescribable.
Brendon used his Bluetooth to call Crystal’s favorite restaurant and ordered them meals to be delivered to his house. They assured him the food would be delivered in thirty minutes, which was just enough time for them to get back into town and to his home. He then called the security booth at the entrance to his subdivision to let them know he was expecting a delivery, and gave the officer the name of the restaurant that was delivering. He didn’t want to have to make any stops, but he needed them both to be well fed.
For what he had planned, they’d need the energy.