Voyeur by Candace Wondrak

Chapter Twelve – Lake

 

 

Was it a stupid thing to admit I didn’t get much sleep that night? Probably, but it was true. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so excited about something. Lately my life had just been about school and work. When Zoey moved in next door, it was like something was struck inside of me, like a bolt of lightning had hit me.

A bolt of pink lightning.

Honestly? I’d been dying to take her out since she moved in. I never wanted to go overboard, so I tried to cool myself off, play it cool, you know, act normal and not all jittery and nervous like I really was around her.

Zoey was gorgeous. She was probably the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. Not many could rock a pink head, but she totally did. Maybe it was her confidence, or maybe it was something else. Either way, I’d been smitten on her since day one, I was not afraid to admit.

Since Zoey was the one who’d technically asked and initiated the date, I didn’t know if she would be planning it out or if she expected me to have stuff all laid out, so just in case, I spent the morning looking up movie times, searching Google for nice restaurants, and all that fun stuff. I knew the area since I’d been going to school here for two years now, but there was always something new and exciting to see or learn about.

If she didn’t have a plan, I had a backup plan.

After I figured out a backup plan, it was time to shower and shave, make sure I was presentable. I did not want to admit to anybody how long it took me to decide what to wear. You’d think I was a girl or something, with how finicky I was being. It was ridiculous, but I wanted to impress her.

Zoey obviously came from money. I didn’t, and frankly I didn’t have much money to begin with now, but I didn’t want her to know that. I wanted to put on my best front, impress her, say all the right things and be the perfect gentleman, show her that there were still some good guys out there in the world, that not every guy with a dick was like her ex.

I still couldn’t believe someone had cheated on her. Who in their right mind would screw up like that when they had her? Zoey was… well, let me just say that if she was my girlfriend, I wouldn’t even look at other girls. I wouldn’t need to. I would have everything I needed right beside me.

Was that too cheesy? It probably was.

I eventually decided on going with a nice, dark blue polo shirt, along with some clean jeans. I’d probably look like a noob, but I figured I’d look like a noob regardless of what I wore anytime I stood beside Zoey. Everyone’s eyes would be on her, not me; I’d be the awkward idiot beside her, the guy everyone wondered how the hell I landed someone as hot as her.

It was true, you know, what they said. Nice guys finished last. The jerks, the overcompensating idiots always seemed to win, to get whoever they wanted whenever they wanted, like they owned the world, or were owed something. That didn’t mean I’d go and change myself, though, and I knew not every girl would fall for a douchebag’s lies. I hoped it was only a matter of time until I found someone.

My mom had already mentioned online dating to me, which I really didn’t want to do. Hopefully this date with Zoey would lead to more dates, and then… then maybe a relationship.

Was I a fool for thinking that far ahead? Probably. I needed to take a chill pill, press on the breaks, do whatever the heck I could do to slow myself down. This was just a date. Just a single date. It wasn’t like I was getting down on my knee and proposing to her—

Not that I’d thought about that, because that would be getting way ahead of myself.

Of course, it was around three in the afternoon when I realized Zoey never told me a time, and since I didn’t have her number, I decided to push aside my nerves and walk to her apartment to ask. It was an abnormally long walk, mostly because I took the tiniest baby steps I could in the hallway. When I arrived before her door, I breathed in, filling my lungs and shaking out my hands before knocking.

“It’s open,” Zoey’s voice came from inside.

I hesitantly poked my head in. Her voice had sounded distant, and since these were tiny studio apartments, I figured she was in the bathroom. Hmm. Maybe I should come back later? “Uh” was all that came out of my mouth.

Wow. Way to go, Lake. Way to sound like a smooth talker.

Why the heck was Zoey even going out with me? She could land anybody. I was just an awkward, sometimes clumsy—

All thoughts vanished, flitting from my mind when Zoey emerged from the bathroom, wearing a very tight and insanely low-cut shirt that showed off her cleavage like no one’s business. Couple that with the short shorts she wore, and I saw a whole lot of her I probably shouldn’t. Or, at least, parts of her I shouldn’t exactly stare at like a lecher.

I averted my eyes, spinning around like I’d just walked in on her naked or something. Don’t get me wrong—if she was naked, I’d have a whole different flurry of thoughts racing through my head right now—but she wasn’t.

And I was acting like an idiot.

Zoey laughed. “You can look at me, Lake. It isn’t like this is our wedding and you’re seeing me in the wedding dress before the ceremony.”

Right. Because that would be a whole lot of bad luck. This was just me being stupid.

I was measured in turning around, meeting her eyes. Their light blue hue was done up in eyeliner with perfectly-blended shadow, making their color pop even more. Her lips were painted red, her eyelashes looking extra long and thick. Her pink hair was wavy; not its usual straight.

“You look…” A lump formed in my throat, and for whatever reason, I could not finish the sentence: beautiful.

Because she did. She looked so beautiful it hurt. Like, what the hell was I doing, thinking I was good enough to go on a date with her, let alone multiple possible dates in the future? I must be on crack or something to think I could hold a torch against her.

“I’m going to take your silence as a compliment,” she paused, adding, “I think.” The only thing she didn’t have on was shoes, but she remedied that soon enough, sliding on bright pink sneakers that matched her hair. I’d seen her wear those same shoes countless of times now.

“Yes,” I sputtered out, wishing I could be not me for once, someone who knew exactly what to say and when to say it. “I was just coming over here to ask when you want me ready by. I mean, I’m ready now, but if you’d rather we wait, that’s fine, too.” I flicked my thumb over my shoulder. “I could go back to my place and wait…”

That probably wasn’t something good to say. The image of me sitting on my small couch and waiting for her made me look lame in her eyes, I bet.

Zoey tilted her head, studying me. She took a step closer to me, a smile growing on her face. “We can go whenever you want, Lake.” She practically purred out my name, and I did my best not to let the timbre of her voice affect me.

It was hard, damn near impossible. Just being around her drove me crazy, let alone being around her when she was all dressed up for me, saying my name like it was the most precious word to ever touch that tongue.

I felt heat touch my cheeks, and I hoped I wasn’t blushing. How embarrassing would that be? At this rate, Zoey probably thought I’d never gone on a date before, with the way I was acting. “When do you want to go?” Thank God, I didn’t trip over those words.

She must’ve sensed we could go round and round with this and never leave her apartment tonight, for she took charge and said, “We can go now.” She grabbed the keys resting on the kitchen counter, tossing me a smirk. “I still don’t have a car, by the way, so I’m afraid we’ll have to take yours.”

“You can ride me anytime.” The words were out of my mouth before my brain could register that they weren’t quite right, and when I realized what I said, I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide for a year or two. “I mean, my car. You can—”

Zoey giggled, biting her bottom lip as she led me to the door to the main hallway. “I’ll keep that in mind, Lake.”

Oh, dear God. I really hoped I stopped saying stupid things sooner rather than later. At this rate, I’d dig myself in a hole even I couldn’t get out of.

As she locked her apartment, I said, “Let me grab my keys.” I hurried to get my car keys and my apartment keys, locking my own door before meeting her in front of the elevator. I tried my best not to constantly check her out, but it was difficult. So very difficult, because she was, again, the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

I was not exaggerating there. Like, as much of a wussy thing it was to admit, I only had eyes for her.

I really hoped I didn’t screw this date up.

 

Turned out, Zoey had our entire night planned. A simple, quiet night that involved going to dinner, getting ice cream from somewhere else as a desert, and ending it with a movie. A horror movie, which was so not my thing, but I nodded and smiled anyway, because I didn’t care what the hell I saw, as long as I sat beside her.

During dinner, I found she had a healthy appetite. She could shovel in food like no one else’s business; just because she was on a date with me didn’t mean she’d be all quiet and shy, apparently. Not that I didn’t want her to feel comfortable with me. I did. I totally did. I just wasn’t expecting her to wolf down fifteen chicken wings that were slathered in hot sauce while at the same time still looking just as gorgeous as ever.

She asked me about myself, so much during dinner that I hardly had the chance to ask her any questions about her life. She wanted to know the usual first date questions, the same thing everyone always did: what are you majoring in? What do you want to do after graduation? Do you have your life figured out already?

Everyone always expected kids right out of high school to know what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. I was twenty years old, out of high school for two years now, and I still had no idea. I was majoring in computer science, but that didn’t really mean anything. It wasn’t like I had a passion for computers and stuff; plus, I still had to take all of the generic courses everyone else had to, too.

I worked at a local retail store, so nothing too huge there. I did tell her if she ever wanted to use my discount to buy anything, she could totally hit me up.

Somehow, I didn’t think that impressed her too much.

The waitress came to take our plates away, leaving us with a bill—of which I lunged to grab first. No way in hell was I going to let Zoey try to pay for our first date. I might not be loaded like her parents, but I still wanted to pay. Some stupid, ingrained notion of masculinity or something.

“What about your family?” Zoey asked, weaving her fingers together and then resting her chin atop them. “Are you close to them?”

I knew Zoey wasn’t particularly close to her family, not after what happened, so I wasn’t sure I should tell her. Of course, I wasn’t a liar, so I had to tell her the truth. “Yeah. My, uh… my mom didn’t want me moving out. I think if it was up to her, I’d live in her house until I was thirty.”

Eh, either thirty or I got married.

Zoey’s eyebrows lifted, as if she couldn’t believe that.

“She means well,” I said, shrugging it off. I would not tell Zoey about the fact that my mom had been trying to sign me up on online dating websites. Like, I was only twenty years old. Give me at least a few more years until I got that desperate, okay?

“Do you have any siblings?” Zoey tiptoed around the word, and I could tell she wished she was an only child. But then, if that was the case, if she didn’t have a sister who’d slept with her ex-boyfriend, what was to stop that same ex from finding someone else to hook up with behind her back? No, she dodged a bullet when she found her ex and her sister together. It might hurt now, but the future Zoey would be thankful.

I shook my head, handing the waitress my debit card as she walked by. I’d have to leave a tip on the card too, since I didn’t make it a habit of carrying around cash. “No, it was just me and my mom. My dad died when I was ten.”

She looked like she wanted to reach over the table and hug me. “I’m sorry, Lake,” she whispered, frowning.

“It’s okay,” I said, wanting to get that frown off her face immediately. Don’t get me wrong, when I was younger, I was absolutely devastated that my dad passed away, but ten years was a long time to get used to something like that. Half of you moved on, while the other half thought it was just yesterday your dad was giving you a roasted marshmallow right off the fire, even though your mom hated how messy you were with them.

Zoey pursed her lips. “Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like to grow up in a different family. Having money is… sometimes I swear it’s like a curse.”

That, I could believe. You saw it in politics all the time. Money was the root of all evil, all greed. Men always wanted more, even when they already had more than their fair share. I never wanted to be super rich; I only wanted to get a job that could pay the bills and let me save up enough to go on a vacation every other year or something. Just enough to be happy.

I liked to think I was a simple guy.

A simple, insanely awkward guy, but a simple guy all the same.

We stopped at a small mom and pop ice cream shop before our movie. I got a milkshake, while Zoey got a huge vanilla cone dipped in sprinkles. We sat outside, on the small patio in front of the ice cream shop, as we ate. Or, rather, as she ate her cone and I drank my shake, all the while watching her.

Did Zoey realize she was so gorgeous? Did she wake up every day knowing she could get whatever guy she wanted, whenever she wanted? And, the most important question ringing in my head: what the heck was she doing here with me?

It was after one particularly sprinkle-filled lick that Zoey tucked some of her hair behind an ear, giving me a look that said more than words could. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said, probably too quickly. My eyes fell away from her face, dropping to my chocolate milkshake, staring at the melting contents inside the plastic container. Way to be obvious, I chided myself.

“You were thinking about something,” she said. “I can tell. What?” It seemed Zoey would not let it go.

I wondered if I should say it, or if I should come up with something else to tell her so I didn’t sound so lame. It wasn’t like I wanted to advertise how out of my league she was, how much she made me tongue-tied, but at this point, I didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s…” I was going to say it’s stupid, but then, when Zoey was in the picture, could anything really be stupid? I bit the inside of my cheek when I met her stare. The blue in her eyes was a light, delicate color, the hue of the sky just after sunrise, after the oranges and pinks faded away, the lightest blue imaginable.

Eyes like that made you lose your train of thought quite easily, apparently.

Zoey reached over the table, laying a hand on my arm. “What?” This time, her voice was softer, gentler, the kind of voice I could close my eyes and listen to all day and night. She had me trapped, wrapped around her finger, and I bet she didn’t even realize it.

“You,” I whispered, feeling the hand on my arm loosen. “I honestly don’t know why you’d want to go on a date with me, Zoey. You’re… you’re you and I’m me.” Well, if ever you needed someone to explain something using ineloquent words, I was your guy. Keep my number memorized.

She took a lick of her cone, mostly free of sprinkles now, narrowing her gaze at me a bit. “And what’s wrong with that?”

I let out an incredulous chuckle. “Look at me. I’m not really the kind of guy who you see standing next to models.”

Zoey frowned somewhat. “I’m not a model.”

“No, but you could be. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and I’m just a boy from a small town, trying to get his life together.” I realized then I’d just given her a compliment that was so not first date material, but it was too late to take it back now. “Sorry. I hope you don’t think that’s weird, or anything—”

“I don’t think you have a good opinion of yourself,” she cut in. “I think you’re perfect, Lake.” Just like that, she’d spoken something so seriously, so quietly and sincerely that I could do nothing but swallow and fight the heat creeping up my cheeks.

If anyone else would’ve said that, I wouldn’t have believed them, but hearing it from Zoey’s mouth… I wanted to believe her. I wanted her to think I was perfect. After all, if she thought I was perfect, why would she ever let me go? I sure as hell didn’t want to let her go, and this was only our first date. Who knew where life would take us after this, what would happen a week from now, a month from now, a year from now—but I didn’t care. I wanted Zoey.

I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone else before, so badly it was like no other girl existed in my life.

When we finished up at the ice cream shop, I went to hold her hand as we walked to the car. Zoey let me, which I took as a good sign. We even held hands in the car on the way to the movie theater. Her small, warm hand felt so snug, so soft, like it fit perfectly with mine, and if I had my way, I’d never let it go all night.

But, you know, once I bought us our tickets, she had to go to the restroom, so I had to let go of her hand for that.

I decided to order us some popcorn and a ridiculously oversized drink while I waited for her to come out. She’d chosen a horror movie that had been out for a few weeks, so I was hoping the movie theater room wouldn’t be jam-packed with other people.

Not that I was hoping for an empty theater… I knew what people sometimes did in empty theaters, and I would not want Zoey to get the wrong idea.

I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to do things with her if given the chance…

Oh, God. I need to stop that train of thought right now, before she comes back, I told myself. Suddenly getting a grip had never been harder. Zoey really did make me go nuts, rambling on and on about the stupidest of things. No one else ever had that power before; I hoped she’d use it for good and not for evil.

Zoey returned from the restroom, looking as stunning as ever, giving me a wide smile when she saw the popcorn in my hand. We found our theater room and chose seats in the highest back row. There were a few other small groups already in the room, but it was nowhere near as packed as the room holding the newest superhero movie was.

Well, if Zoey liked horror, surely I could learn to love it too, right?

The previews were already playing, and Zoey reached over to grab some popcorn. She gave me a thumbs-up and a wink when she tossed the popcorn into her mouth, grinning wickedly. “Super buttery. It’s good.”

I did my best not to watch her, not to stare at her like a man seeing the love of his life for the first time in years, but it was hard. While I tried to keep my mind occupied with something else, I wondered if she often went to the movies before, if she’d gone with her cheater of an ex. Did rich people go to the movies?

She seemed to be having fun, so I was going to take that as a win. Plus, you know, she was the one who chose what we were doing on the date, so it wasn’t like I was the one making the decisions here. It was all Zoey, and I was just along for the ride, happy to finally spend more time with her.

For a while there, I thought she’d decided I didn’t exist, which hurt. And then that guy, who kept coming over—what was his name? Baxter? Carter? Whatever. An agent of her parents or something, trying to get her to come back home. I hoped I was enough for her.

The movie started, and let’s just say I didn’t know whether I’d ever be a fan of horror. The blood. The guts. The torture. Even though I knew it was all fake, that the blood onscreen was nothing more than starch and red food coloring, it still made me a little sick in the stomach. Zoey, though, was rapt, her attention never wavering from the giant screen in front of us.

Never would’ve guessed she liked horror this much, but I guess everyone was different. That’s what made the world a fun place.

We were the last ones in the theater when the movie finished rolling. Everyone else got up the moment the credits began to roll, but Zoey didn’t. She remained in her seat, and so I stayed in mine, turning my head toward her, smiling as I watched her. For the first time ever, I think, she looked happy. Truly happy, content here, with me, and that’s all I ever wanted. To help her adjust, to help her forget all the crap she’d run from.

Zoey was slow to look at me, meeting my smile with one of her own. “I kind of wish we could watch it again. Did you like it?”

Did I enjoy watching a family get lost in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, losing their lives and their limbs—not exactly in that order—to a family of inbred hillbillies? “It was definitely something else,” I said, not quite able to say I loved the movie. What I did love was spending time with her. I didn’t care what the heck we did, as long as I could be with her.

Man, listen to me. Our first date, and it already sounded like I was in love with her, didn’t it?

I mean, I’d thought about her a lot, tried to go out of my way often to see her or talk to her, but that was going a little too far, too fast. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in her; I didn’t want to scare her off.

She sighed as she got up. “You hated it.”

I followed her down the steps, tossing the mostly empty popcorn bag and cup in the trash bin before leaving the theater room. “No, I didn’t.” I didn’t sound very believable, though.

Her hand found mine, her fingers weaving through mine as we walked out. “Next time, I’ll let you pick the movie,” Zoey said, shooting me a smile. “How about that?”

My feet abruptly stopped, and I whipped my head in her direction, unable to hide how stunned I was at her suggestion. “You… you want to go out again?” I couldn’t say why, but that seemed like such a far-fetched scenario, I could scarcely believe my own ears.

A giggle escaped her, and she gave me a quizzical look. “Yes?” Zoey paused, letting her laughter die down as her hand squeezed mine. “Do you not want to? Was it really that bad of a date? I know it’s been a while since I’ve gone on one, but—”

“No,” I quickly said. “No, that’s not… that’s not it. Of course, I want to see you again, and not just as my neighbor.” Now it was my turn to squeeze her hand, to reassure her that this was not, in fact, a horrible date I never wanted to repeat again. “I really like spending time with you, Zoey.”

The look she gave me right then and there made me feel something else, like, something deep within me told me I’d found a girl I had to fight to keep. I felt great, standing there with her, her hand in mine, no worries at all.

The look she gave me made me bend my head down toward her and press my lips on hers, right in the middle of the theater’s lobby.

I pulled my mouth off hers, aware that I’d basically just kissed her without knowing whether or not she was even feeling it, so I started to ramble, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t mean to—” My inane rambling halted the moment Zoey gave me the biggest grin I’d ever seen on her face before, the type of grin that instantly told me how much of an idiot I was.

“I like spending time with you too, Lake,” she whispered, using her free hand to grip the back of my neck and pull me back down, crashing her lips against mine a lot harder, a lot rougher than I’d been mere moments ago.

Every single thought in my head vanished the moment those soft lips pressed against mine, my whole body heating up when she started to kiss me with a passion that threatened to drown me.

This girl… God, I really liked this girl. I wanted to have more dates with her, countless of dates. I wanted to do everything with her, to have her at my side every night. Was that too much, too fast? Probably, but I didn’t care. I felt what I felt, and right now I felt absolutely enamored with Zoey.

The kiss ended both far too soon and not quickly enough. Firstly, I might’ve forgotten to breathe during it, so I was practically gasping for breath the moment it ended. Second, it meant we were one step closer to the end of tonight’s date, and that was something to be sad about, certainly.

We headed out of the theater, to my car. I opened her door for her before slowly making my way around the vehicle, my heart racing in my chest after that kiss. Her lips were even softer than they looked, and they looked insanely soft. The softest thing I’d ever felt, I think.

I got in the car and drove us home.

We didn’t hold hands when we arrived back at the apartment building, but I figured that was because our date was over and she didn’t want things to be weird. Like, I was trying to be realistic here. Just because we’d kissed didn’t mean anything. She might’ve said she enjoyed spending time with me, that she wanted to see me more, but she could just be being nice—

When we got onto the elevator, I tried to shut my mind off. There was no room for such negative thoughts, not after tonight. Tonight was a date I’d remember forever, even if, in the end, Zoey decided she didn’t want to pursue anything with me.

Zoey’s eyes were on me during the ride to our floor, and I couldn’t say what was on her mind just by reading her expression. She looked like she wanted to say something, but I had no idea what that something was.

And then, of course, it came to me. We’d just had a date. We were neighbors. Surely she didn’t think I expected anything right now, did she? I wasn’t one of those guys who offered to pay for everything on the date in order to cash it in later that night—that wasn’t who I was, and I always thought those guys were douches.

“You know,” Zoey broke the silence as the elevator doors opened. She was the first one to step out, spinning to stare at me with those big baby blues. “Tonight doesn’t have to end just yet. You could come over.” It was amazing how innocent she sounded, even though she had to know that inviting me over would lead me to think about other things.

Other naked things, which I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about. Nope. Not at all.

Crap. I needed to be the gentleman here. I needed to show her that I was perfectly fine with ending tonight on a chaste note, maybe another kiss. I didn’t need to go to her place and have a nightcap, or whatever the heck people called it.

Clearly, I was not part of the hookup culture, because I had no idea about any of this.

“I…” Even though I knew I should respond in the negative, tell her that I had a nice time but there was no need to rush things, my mouth would not cooperate. No other words came from me as I stared down at her.

Zoey’s mouth quirked into a smirk, and I felt her hand reach for mine. “Come on,” she purred out, dragging me away from the elevator, towards her room.

I knew if I didn’t stop us now, I might not be able to later, so I threw out a last-ditch effort: “I’m fine with taking things slow.” Did that sound dorky? Probably, but then again, half the things that came out of my mouth sounded dorky, so it was something she should be used to by now.

She released my hand to grab the keys out of her pocket, unlocking her door as she tossed me a look. “And if I want to do the opposite?” she posed the question, startling me by her blatant response.

How the hell was I supposed to deny her when she put it like that?

It might be something I’d come to regret, but what could I say? If there was one person around I was weak to, it was clearly Zoey.

When I said nothing to that, she hummed as she pushed her door open, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. Once I was in, she shut and locked the door behind us, and I gazed at her apartment, at the furniture her parents had sent her. Even though it wasn’t the first time I was seeing all this, it was like I was seeing it anew, like I was aware that tonight everything was going to change between me and this girl.

She had me hooked. She had me hooked so deeply I couldn’t even say a word as she grabbed my wrist and led me to the sofa. Zoey pushed me down, straddling me. Her hands found their way to my face, cupping my cheeks, and I gazed into her eyes, needing to see that she wanted me. That this wasn’t about what she was running from, her stupid, cheating ex and her lying sister.

That what we were about to do would be about us and no one else.

Honestly? I wasn’t sure what I saw in her eyes. A desperation, a lust, a deeply rooted desire that made my body react accordingly… but even then, I knew we probably shouldn’t.

I reached up, gripping her tiny wrists and pulling those soft, tempting hands off my face. “Zoey,” I spoke her name gently, tenderly, willing her to realize that I meant well, that I’d never want to hurt her or take advantage of her. “We don’t have to do this.”

She leaned into me, pressing her forehead against mine as her eyelids fell. I could feel her hot breath on my face. Zoey did not yank her wrists from my hands; I held them off to the side, feeling her pulse through her wrists. “I want to,” she murmured. Her eyes peeked open, nothing but slits as she asked, “Do you?”

How the hell could she ask me that? What man in their right mind would tell her that they didn’t want to be with her? I might be awkward sometimes, but I was a guy. I had a dick, and if I was completely honest here, there were a few nights when I’d thought about being with Zoey intimately while jerking off.

I would never admit that out loud. Felt weird thinking it to myself just now, but it was true.

Of course I wanted to sleep with Zoey, wanted to see her without her clothes on and get to know every smooth curve of her body. I wanted to know what she felt like, the sounds she made while lost in ecstasy. I wanted all that and more, but the one thing I didn’t want was for this to become something we’d both forget in the morning.

With a deliberate slowness, I released her wrists, moving to sweep my fingers through the hair on her forehead, tucking the wavy pink strands behind her ears. Those blue eyes were zeroed in on me, and I had to lean my head back to get a clearer view of her. She was literally the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen; I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that, not at all. No man in his right mind would hesitate, not when she was ready to throw all caution to the wind.

Hmm. Maybe I wasn’t in my right mind, then. Maybe it was stupid of me for wanting more, for trying to put a damper on the flames between us. Maybe I was just crazy, and this might be my only chance to have her.

But, even if that was the case, I’d take my chance.

“Of course I do,” I whispered. “And I might be crazy for stopping you now, but… I don’t want this to be a one-and-done kind of thing. I don’t do that, Zoey. I’m the kind of guy that wants more, someone who needs to know that this isn’t just you trying to make up for the time you lost when you were with your ex.”

Bringing him up was a bad idea, a surefire way to get her out of the mood, but it had to be said. I wasn’t stupid. A girl like her didn’t just instantly decide she wanted to sleep with me. It didn’t work that way.

Zoey didn’t shake my hands off, but she did shake her head softly. She set her hands on my chest, gripping my shirt gently as she spoke, “This isn’t about what happened. For once, this is about me. It’s not about me trying to impress someone else, not about me trying to prove myself to anyone. This is what I want to do, Lake.” One of the hands on my chest rose up, lightly running fingernails along my neck. “I want you. I want to be with you. I want to go on more dates and see you turn red more—”

“I don’t turn red,” I muttered, causing her to chuckle.

“You do,” she said, nodding. The hands I had holding her face fell to her sides, gripping her waist as tamely as I could. “You turn so red, especially when you’re babbling. It’s adorable.” She bit her bottom lip, reaching up to poke my cheeks near the corners of my mouth. “And your dimples. I love them so much.”

That was news to me, and a new thought suddenly occurred to me right then: had Zoey been thinking of me as much as I’d thought of her these past few weeks? She’d been kind of standoffish in the beginning, but I never let that deter me, not really. Had I somehow broken through her walls, made her face the fact that she had developed feelings for her new next-door neighbor?

Or was that too much to hope for?

Zoey leaned in, her nose grazing mine as she murmured, “So if you’re worried about this being a mistake, if you think this is just me trying to hook up with you… you’re wrong. You’re so wrong, Lake. I like you.” Her lips brushed against mine as she added, “Let me show you just how much I like you.”

My entire lower gut burned with the words, and I knew right then and there that there was no way I could deny her now. Not after that, not after everything she’d told me.

She kissed me, softly at first, but then the kiss turned into something else. Something far hungrier, faster and harder as her hips dug down, reminding me that she currently straddled me on the couch. Her fingers fell, hands dragging down my chest and stomach, stopping when they touched the bottom hem of my shirt—which she then pulled up and over my head, breaking our kiss just enough to get it out of the way.

This was probably a bad idea. It was, wasn’t it? I mean, I’d never just said screw it and slept with someone else before. Then again, I’d never felt this way with anyone else, either. I wanted to be with Zoey, and I wanted her to desire me back in the same way. Wasn’t this naturally the next step, timeframe aside?

Zoey ran those hands up my bare chest, and I could feel the muscles tingling in her wake. I wasn’t an overly-muscled guy, but I liked to think I was okay. You know, I might not have abs, but I did have a flat stomach.

She bit my bottom lip before pulling her head away from mine, a glint in her eyes that drew me in. Zoey rolled off my lap, placing a hand between my legs and feeling me up through my jeans. If I wasn’t already rock-hard, I would be now.

But I was. Rock-hard, I mean. Impossible not to be when faced with the fact that I was moments away from being with the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

This was nuts. This was absolutely crazy, and yet I was here for it.

That same hand went to undo my button, then my zipper, and I held back a breath as I watched her drop to the floor before the couch, helping me out of my shoes, my socks, and lastly my pants. I sat there in nothing but boxers, the fabric tented with an obvious boner, and I saw it twitch when Zoey got to her feet and began to strip off her clothes.

First off were her bright shoes. The second thing was her shirt. Third thing that came off was her shorts, and for a moment, she stood there before me in nothing but her matching underwear set. Black and lacy, my eyes could not get enough.

Zoey’s gaze locked with mine, and I sat back, watching as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, her breasts spilling out immediately. Her nipples were already hard little points, her breasts large and round. When she dropped her panties, fully exposed before me, she was everything I imagined she’d be and more. So, so much more.

She walked closer to me, bending over me, gravity pulling down her breasts as she snaked her fingers around my boxers and tugged them down, exposing the rest of me to her. My dick stood straight, ready for action, ready to be of service, as every single part of me was, too.

If she’d let me, I’d worship her, but I had the feeling she would rather take the reins on this particular encounter. I’d let her. I’d let this girl do anything and everything to me.

Her hands spread my knees, and she sunk down between them, licking her lips as she flicked those pretty eyes up at me. Was she going to— I couldn’t even finish the thought, because the moment one of her hands wrapped around my length, I forgot what the hell I was thinking.

Having her touch me, feeling her soft skin run up and down my shaft… damn, it felt better than good.

I watched her head bend down, her lips parting, and then I felt what must’ve been the best thing ever: her mouth around my dick, her tongue, running around the tip. My head fell back; I couldn’t even watch. Watching would only lead me to come sooner, and right now I wanted to last. The very last thing I wanted to do was erupt and embarrass myself because I couldn’t keep it in for more than fifteen seconds.

The feeling of her mouth wrapped around my length was something I couldn’t describe. More than words, so much more. Zoey knew exactly what to do to make me feel like losing it. She knew how to suck, how to quicken her pace—and when she went to cup my balls while bobbing her head along me, I squeezed my hands on the sofa’s cushions.

Damn. She was good.

My hips began to jerk of their own accord, and luckily Zoey knew what that meant—that I was close to coming. She pulled her mouth off my dick, licking her lips as she stood, climbing over me, back to straddling me on the couch.

Our gazes locked the moment she reached for my length, guiding it to her entrance, and neither one of us blinked as she sunk down on me, taking me in inch after inch. Zoey let out a flushed sigh, while my chest could only breathe raggedly. When I was fully inside her, she began to rock her hips, riding me on her couch.

I held onto her hips again, this time digging my fingers into her sides, feeling her bounce along my dick with what had to be wild abandon, a deep, carnal hunger. Zoey was wild as she rode me, her body taking charge, taking the lead like it was always meant to, and I was a slave to her, a willing participant in anything she might want me to do.

How could I possibly say no to her? How could I look her in the eye and deny her anything? I’d been a fool to try. Zoey had me, and she had me good.

Her pace picked up, and I tried to hold myself off, tried to think of burning babies or whatever the hell else my health teacher in high school had advised the guys in the class to think about when trying to hold off an orgasm.

Needless to say, it didn’t really work out. My mind was too caught up in Zoey and the feeling of her tight, wet cunt milking me.

I came, and I came hard. I came so hard my entire body spasmed, a low groan escaping my throat as I trembled beneath her. My head fell back after the orgasm faded, my entire body on fire, the best feeling in the world.

Zoey’s pace began to slow, and soon enough her grinding hips stopped. She placed her head on my shoulder, breathing just as hard as I was, her skin literally burning up from what we just did.

Sex. We just had sex.

I just had sex with Zoey. It was going to take me a while to let it really sink in.

“So,” she spoke, her breath hitting the side of my neck as she nuzzled against me, my dick still inside her, “when do you want to go out again?” Zoey grinned up at me, and as I angled my head down to stare at her, to meet those vibrant, beautiful blue eyes, I could feel everything changing.

I liked this girl a lot. I wanted to do more than take her out on another date. I wanted to call her more than just my too-pretty-to-be-real neighbor. If I had my way, Zoey would be all mine. My girlfriend.

But that was probably getting ahead of myself, so I had to play it cool.