Despite the late night, I drag myself out of bed and into my office with coffee before seven the next morning. For whatever reason, the perfume company has pushed up the deadline to Monday rather than two weeks. I send a short email to Noelle and Caroline to set up a meeting to discuss my findings before returning my attention to the boards for the perfume ad. Ideally, I can finish these today, only leaving a cursory review before submitting them over the weekend. Working on the weekends is not something I do often, in fact never, but given the timeline change, I need to.
About an hour later, my doorbell rings. I check the peephole and find my gorgeous man standing there. I love that—my.
I open the door. “Hi.”
“Good morning, sweetheart.” He slides his hand around my neck and kisses me boneless. His mouth makes me gooey inside, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
The little taste of him is merely a tease, but I’ll take whatever I can get.
He pulls away and hands me the tray in his other hand. “I wanted to kiss you and make sure you eat breakfast. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Thank you,” I reply and steal another before he rushes away.
He flashes me his signature grin, and then he’s gone. I watch him hurry to his SUV where Roxie is sitting in the front seat, her eyes trained on Lachlan.
I sigh at the first sip of the latte and hustle back into the office. Each bite of the brie and raspberry scone pushes me to work harder. Not really, but it helps. I’m focused and diligent until my phone rings near noon.
“Hi, Mom.”
“How are you? How’s the new place? Your promotion?”
“The cottage is gorgeous. The ocean outside my back door is a wonderful way to start each day. The job is the same, just a different title and a little more money. How are you and Dad?”
“We’re fine. How are you doing outside of work? Have you been able to spend time with your brother?”
“Yes, I have. To answer the question you truly want to ask, I have a date tonight.”
“Good for you, getting back out there. I won’t keep you. Please let me know how it goes.”
“I will. Love you, Mom.” I won’t, but it’ll end this call.
“Love you, too, Eva.”
After the call with my mom, I work hard, and by three, I feel confident in the boards and the accompanying memorandum with deeper details. My phone chimes as I pad to the kitchen for water.
Jo: Can you talk?
Rather than respond, I call her.
“Hey, girl. Everything okay?”
“No, not at all.”
“Please share with me,” I implore.
“I overheard a bunch of the executives, including Shirley, talking while I was outside for lunch. They were discussing massive layoffs by the end of the month.”
“Oh no! That’s terrible. Thank you for the warning. I’ll worry about it tomorrow. I have bigger things to handle first.”
“Your date is tonight, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called today.”
“Don’t worry, lovely. I’m excited for tonight and won’t let the rumors mess it up.”
“Good for you. What are you wearing?”
“I’m torn between the emerald dress he’s already seen and the blue one with the slit.”
“Go with the blue. Show off those legs of yours. I’m crazy happy for you, E.”
“Thanks, Jo. Let me know if you hear anything else.”
“Will do. Have a great time tonight. You deserve a good man.”
“Love you, girl.”
“I expect details, exceptionally dirty and sexy ones, later in the weekend.”
“I’ll consider it. Bye.”
I resolve not to worry about work until tomorrow. I take my time in the shower and make sure everything is buffed and shaved. Inwardly, I laugh. It doesn’t matter in the slightest bit. I may not have had sex with Lachlan yet, but he’s seen every inch of me.
I dry my hair while waiting for my skin to absorb the massive amounts of lotion I used. To quell some of my nerves, which surprise me, I grab a few crackers and cheese before applying my makeup. I slither into my dress, loop my fingers into my shoes, and descend the stairs.
At quarter past six, the doorbell rings. I don’t check the peephole this time.
“Hey. Come in,” I greet him again. This morning he was wearing his uniform. Now, though, he looks hot as hell, clad in charcoal dress pants and a crisp white shirt rolled to expose his muscled forearms. It wasn’t until him that I realized arm porn is attractive. Then again, my exes weren’t even close to as fit as Lachlan.
“Hi,” he replies, handing me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Interestingly, it includes many of my favorites, though I’m sure I never shared what they are. The grouping includes red roses, cremon, pink ranunculus, eggplant Calla lilies, limonium, and hypericum.
“Thank you. These are gorgeous.” I attempt to put them in water in the kitchen, but he draws me into his arms.
His kiss is mind-bending. I’ve never felt so much from kissing alone. Each swipe of his tongue makes me more pliant in his arms. I drop the flowers and start to work the buttons of his shirt and increase the intensity of our kisses. When his shirt is open but still tucked into his pants, he pulls back.
“You can’t kiss me like that before our date.”
“If I recall, you kissed me first.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. Why not?”
“Sultry kisses are for when we have time to be naked. We won’t make our reservation. You look hot as fuck, you smell amazing, and I want to see the lacy lingerie you’re hiding beneath this sexy dress after dinner.”
“You’re assuming I have lacy lingerie beneath this dress.”
His jaw ticks before he manages, “Do you?”
I raise an eyebrow but don’t answer his question. “We can go out another time.”
“No. You deserve a perfect first date, and tonight you’re getting one.”
I tap my index finger on my lips.
“What are you thinking?”
“Can you change our reservation? You can find out the answer to your question before dinner.”
“I can, but you may have to come with me to pick up Lilah.”
“Okay. I sense a hint of dislike in your voice.”
“I may not be able to properly kiss you good night.”
“Hmmm. I’ll survive.”
Without further hesitation, he pulls his phone from his pocket and calls Morgan’s, pushing our reservation back an hour. “Thank you,” he manages before ending the call.
While he’s talking, I unbuckle his belt, untuck his shirt, and set my mouth on his chest.
“Eva.” My name comes out strangled.
I add space between us and meet his gaze.
“Are you bare beneath this dress?”
“Do you want me to answer you, or are you going to take it off?”
He threads his fingers with mine and leads me upstairs. In the middle of the room, he raises my arms overhead and commands me to keep them there. Squatting, he skims his fingers from my ankles up my calves. When he reaches the hem of my dress, he gathers it as he continues to climb. “You’re stunning,” he murmurs after tossing my dress to the floor. “Why no panties?”
“You know why.”
“Remind me,” he urges.
“Panties are pointless when you’re close enough to touch me. Time to lose the rest of your clothes, Lachlan.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I laugh softly and am immediately silenced when he stands before me naked as the day he was born with his eager length reaching skyward. Yes! Without another thought, I take a step forward and stroke him with both hands. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he guides me to the edge of the bed. His hands caress my sides and curl around to knead my breasts. The sensations he causes with his hands are beyond comprehension. Each sensual touch sends spikes of increased need through me, as if how much I need him could grow more.
Lachlan lowers his head and takes one taut nipple into his mouth while his fingers descend southward. When he plunges two fingers into my core, I slow my strokes. His thumb circles my swollen clit, and a needy sound falls from my lips. The beginning of an explosive orgasm builds in my low belly.
“Condoms?”
“Plural?”
“Hopefully,” he replies.
I exhale slowly. “In the drawer.” I point to the bedside table.
“I like how you were prepared for tonight.”
“Didn’t want to miss another chance to feel you deep inside me.”
He pauses at my words.
I slow my strokes. “Lachlan. Did I say something wrong?”
He grabs the strip before replying, “No. You continue to surprise me each day.”
“You do too.”
He sears my mouth with his. I could survive on his kisses alone, but I don’t want to. He pulls my lower lip between his teeth. The sting of his teeth is amazing.
“You like it, too, huh?”
“Guess so.”
Hoisting me to the middle of the bed, he then climbs over me. I widen my thighs in invitation.
“You’re perfect, Eva.”
“Maybe for you. Despite my outward urgency and statement earlier, it’s been—”
“Same for me. We’ll go slow.”
He tears a packet from the strip and rolls it on. Nudging my thighs wider, he settles between them and rests on his forearms. Our eyes are locked on each other as he pushes forward inch by glorious, torturous inch. My fingernails score his shoulder blades as I adjust to him.
“You good?” he whispers while closing in to kiss me.
“I need a minute before you move.”
He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me as if he’s never been in this moment before, which I know isn’t true. He adds a sliver of space between us, and I drop my head. Sealing his mouth over mine, he withdraws slowly, then buries himself to the hilt again in slow increments. Each time he thrusts forward, he masterfully heightens my release to glorious levels.
I surrender to the demanding pressure and careen over the edge into unmatched bliss. “Lachlan,” I scream his name as my inner walls pulse around him.
His chest muscles tighten and strain before he empties into me with deep, hard thrusts. Lachlan lowers his forehead to my shoulder while we catch our breath.
A few minutes later, he pads to the en suite bathroom to dispose of the condom. I follow and clean up as well. When we return to the bed, he gathers me close and rolls us onto our sides. His eyes meet mine. They look different than before. The emotions he’s been keeping under lock and key are obvious and transparent. I’m sure mine are as well.
Narrowing the gap, I set my lips to his and kiss him deeply. Otherwise, I might spill the thoughts in my head, including how neither of my other partners connected with me like Lachlan inside the bedroom. Clearly, I’ve been missing out.
“Care to share what you’re thinking?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I will if you will.”
“While I admit it’s been too long for me, that was incredible and far exceeds every experience before it,” he shares.
“I would go further than incredible and say exceptional.” I crane my neck. “We should clean up and get moving.”
“Promise to save the rest of the thoughts for another time?” he asks.
“Hell yes!”
With a tender kiss, he pushes to standing and helps me up from the bed. He turns on the water for the shower and motions for me to step inside.
“Can you keep your hands to yourself while we rinse off, or should I wait until you’re done?”
“No promises, but you aren’t waiting. Get in there,” he demands.
I twist my hair up in a clip and join him in the steamy enclosure. Lachlan follows immediately. Aside from some kissing and touching, we manage to clean up and get out of the shower moderately quickly.
“This towel is warm,” he states.
“I know. It’s amazing, right?”
“Yes. It needs to be added to my bathroom as soon as possible.”
I laugh and locate my dress on the floor. It doesn’t take me long to slip back into it or for Lachlan to put on his clothes either. Once we’re ready, we put the flowers in water and leave for our first official date.
With a sweet kiss to my forehead, he links our hands and leads me to the passenger door of his SUV.