“Yes.” He nodded. “I do.”
“I think you’re handsome,” I said with a smile, but instead of grinning back at me or making some smart quip, he just stared back at me intently. “I think you’re fun. I think you’re a good friend to Cody.” I paused, my heart racing as I wondered how honest to be with him. “I think you’re pretty sexy.” My voice almost sounded like a croak, I was so nervous.
“You think I’m sexy,” he said, finally smiling.
“Yeah,” I said and nodded, my face burning. “I think you’re a bit of a jerk, but underneath it all, you’re a really nice guy.”
“What if I’m not a really nice guy underneath it all?” He stepped closer to me. “What if I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
“Are you?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re a good guy,” I said and swallowed hard as he grabbed my hands. “I think you’re the sort of guy I’d like to get to know better.”
“Even better than you got to know me last night?” he asked softly, his voice deep and gruff.
“Yes.” I nodded, staring up into his eyes.
“Show me, then.”
“Show you what?”
“That you want to get to know me better.”
“How?” I said, wondering what he expected me to do. He shrugged in response and we just stood here staring at each other. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to pull me into his arms. I wanted to feel his hands on my skin, his tongue on my tongue, his cock inside of me. I felt feverish as I stood there waiting for what he was going to do next. I could barely breathe, my anticipation was so high.
“Mila,” he said, my name a lullaby on his lips.
“Yes,” I breathed out, ready to say yes. Yes, TJ, I want you. Yes, TJ, you can take me. Yes, I will take my clothes off. Yes, I will let you make love to me. Yes, I will do anything you want me to do in this instant. Yes, yes, yes.
“I’m going to go inside now,” he said softly, and my heart sank. “I’m going to go inside, but tonight I’ll be waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” I breathed out.
“Waiting for you to show me exactly what you think of me and exactly what you want.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine for a few seconds and then stepped back. “The next step is all yours, Mila. The next step is all yours.”
***
I could hear every creek in the floorboards as I made my way to TJ’s room. The house was eerily quiet and I wondered if everyone was ready to leave the next day. I’d not really seen anyone else all day: only Sally and TJ earlier in the morning. Cody, Barbie and even Troy had all been inconspicuous. Not that I really cared. I hadn’t wanted to see any of them. Not Cody, not Barbie and definitely not Troy. I was worried that he really thought he had a chance with me now, and I didn’t want to have to explain that I’d only been flirting with him because TJ had been there. I mean, even I knew that that had been immature, and a part of me was worried that I’d gotten Troy’s hopes up. I didn’t want to be responsible for hurting anyone else’s feelings.
I stopped outside of TJ’s bedroom and my hand froze on his doorknob. I shivered slightly in my negligee as I debated going back to my room and forgetting about going through with my plan. I was about to turn back around and head back to my room when I thought of what TJ had said to me earlier, that the next step was mine. I knew he’d meant it as well. He wasn’t going to make another move unless I showed him I really wanted it. And I did want it. I mean, wasn’t that why I’d bought the negligee in the first place? Wasn’t that why I’d essentially been begging Cody for an advance? I didn’t really know what was going on with Cody and Barbie, I didn’t know what was going on with Troy, I didn’t know what TJ and Barbie were up to, and I also didn’t care. I’d been waiting too many years for this moment. I’d been wanting TJ to be mine for a long time. And even though, this was just a midnight clandestine affair, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t special, in some sort of way. Granted, it wasn’t the flowers and candy moonlight serenade I’d pictured in my dreams, but it was a start. All I really wanted was a start. I knocked on the door and then opened it quickly.
“I thought you were never going to come,” TJ said, his eyes alert as I walked into the room. He was sitting on top of his bed in a pair of long linen white pants and no shirt. His chest was tan and cut with a light sprinkling of hair across his pecs.