"Nash," she whispers, letting the weight of her head fall back into my hand. I keep hold of it, and lower my mouth to her neck, kissing and gently sucking her soft, delicate skin. My other hand grips her waist as my mouth returns to her lips, parting them with my tongue and kissing her even deeper than before. My hand moves up to her breast, which feels as good it looks. Soft, full, a perfect handful.
She's moaning again and I swear I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose all control if I don't stop this right now.
"Callie," I whisper over her lips.
"Yeah," she whispers back, still kissing me.
"We should stop." My hand moves off her breast, sliding back down to her waist.
She slowly nods, her eyes still shut. "Okay."
"I don't want to but..."
She opens her eyes. "I know."
"I want to continue this. I just—"
"Nash, I know. You don't have to explain." Her hands drop to her sides. "We shouldn't be doing this."
"Callie, I'm not saying I'm not interested. I just think it's a little soon. We just met and I don't want you thinking that's the reason I came over here, or why I keep wanting to spend time with you."
Her eyes lift to mine. "What's the reason?"
"What do you mean?"
"What's the reason you keep wanting to spend time with me?"
My arms circle her waist and I grin. "Because I like fireworks."
Her brows furrow in confusion. "What?"
"I like fireworks, and that's what you remind of. You tend to explode without warning."
She gives me an annoyed look. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"It is. I like that you're unpredictable. And that you stand up to me and say what you think. Most girls won't do that, especially to a guy they like."
She turns her head to the side. "I never said I liked you."
I gently cup her chin, turning her back to me. "If you didn't like me, you wouldn't have kissed me just now."
"I didn't kiss you," she says in an obstinate tone. "You kissed me."
"And you kissed me back." With my hand still holding her chin, I bring my thumb to her lips, running it over them. "You have great lips, by the way."
Her breath quickens and our eyes meet, and I get that feeling again. The feeling to continue what we started. We both want it. I can feel it. The heat, the attraction between us is undeniable. And somewhat unexpected. I knew I felt something for her, but that kiss just confirmed it and made me realize my feelings for her are much stronger than I thought.
She breaks from my gaze and pushes past me. "Do you still want dessert?" She opens the fridge.
"Yeah, let's finish off that pie."
And just like that, we're back to being neighbors. But we both know we're more than that now. We kissed, and it wasn't just any kiss. We felt something for each other. Something we can't deny. So how is this going to work? Where do we go from here? I didn't come here to find a girlfriend. I came here to do a job. That's it. And when that job is done, I'll go back to my old life. So I shouldn't be starting something with Callie. But I tend to do shit I shouldn't do.
As Callie's dishing out the pie, I look down when I feel something against my leg. "Hey, buddy." It's the cat. I pick him up. "Were you coming out to say hello?"
He meows and rubs his head against my chest.
"He really likes you," Callie says, getting two forks from the drawer. "I think he's depressed."
"Why would your cat be depressed?"
She drops one of the forks on the plate, making a loud clinking noise. "No reason. Never mind. He's probably not."
"Maybe you should hold him more. Then maybe he'd like you. He seems to like being held."
"Actually, I think he might be starting to like me. He stayed in the kitchen the whole time I made dinner. He hasn't done that in over a year." She takes the plates and walks over to me. "Can you get the door?"
I open it and she goes out to the deck. "Can Cat come outside with us?"
"No. He's an indoor cat."
I hold him out in front of me. "I'll see you later then. Be nice to Callie."
She laughs. "I don't think that'll work but thanks for trying."
We have our pie and I tell her what I'm planning for the kitchen renovation. She listens, but seems distant. Is it because of the kiss? Is she regretting it now? Or is something else bothering her?
She gets up from the table. "I have some things to do before bed so..."
"Got it. I wore out my welcome," I say, pushing my chair back.
"No. It's not that. I just can't stay out here all night."
"I understand. I need to get back anyway. I need to make a list of supplies to pick up tomorrow. I probably won't make it to Lou's for lunch."
"That's fine. I didn't expect you to."
I walk down the deck stairs. "I'll see you at dinner tomorrow. Same time?"
She hesitates. "I'll have to see. I'll let you know."
"I'm getting two T-bones so you have to come. I've got no fridge to store leftovers."
She nods, but won't look at me. "Bye, Nash." And then she disappears in the house.
That was odd. Callie changed after our kiss. She was definitely more distant. Maybe that means she just wants to be neighbors and nothing else. It's probably for the best, but that doesn't mean I want to stop seeing her.