With the coffee shop closed, I had all day to stare at the ceiling and refresh my email for Delvin’s message.

The earlier interaction with Forest was strange but exciting. I felt conflicted about it. I mean, I hardly knew him! And there I was one second away from kissing him.

Why the hell would I do that?!

Well…

He was pretty hot. Charismatic. Sarcastic in a tolerable way. Certainly, I could get use to him.

Did he feel the same way though?

All of the walls in my tiny box of an apartment closed in on me at the thought. I stared into each tiny crack of gravel and replayed the previous night in my head. Gina would definitely call me an idiot for not kissing him.

But he was damaged. He said so himself.

It wouldn’t be smart to fall for a man like that. Keeping the distance would do us both good.

I peered out into the kitchen window. The cold breeze ran through my hair. I closed my eyes at the feeling of its brisk caress.

Think about the portfolio Jamie…

Why was every other thought that came to my mind Forest?

Dangerous…

He was way too dangerous.

I decided that some painting would take my mind off of him.

Grabbing a damp brush from my easel, I placed careful strokes on a blank canvas before me. The colors would be my feelings, my emotions. They would be the words of confusion that I was too afraid to speak out loud. And maybe they would blind my conscious from thinking about Forest. The bustle from the streets outside also worked to muffle my thoughts as I worked to shove Forest in the back of my mind.

“This is bad. How could I possibly be falling for him?”

My phone rung, rattling my heart out of my chest.

It was Forest.

“Hello?” I almost whispered the word as if I was afraid to talk to him all of the sudden.

“Hey Jamie. Your car is fixed. I’m driving it to the apartment now. I’ll park it in your garage.” The tone of his deep voice oddly comforted my apprehension.

“Come to my apartment when you’re done.”

“Huh?”

“I said, come to my apartment when you get here.”

I had to see him again. I could see this very quickly turning into an addiction.

“Sure, if you want me to.”

“Okay then.”

I hung up the phone before he had any reasonable chance to respond to me.

The truth was, I was going to kiss him back at the Mountain Loop. Stain my lips with the hue of his darkness. Almost like her drew me in. A beautiful animal with a deadly nature. I was compelled to experience it.

I fastened the tie on the white dress I was wearing, and for the first time in forever, wondered if a man would think I looked sexy.

The last boyfriend of mine was quiet, and too into his work. He didn’t care about my artwork and cared even less about me. He was your typical “good boy”, but he was also a drag. Part of a monotonous routine like the peppermint frappes I found myself making endlessly at the Java Mug.

The sex was bland and almost non-exist.

Suddenly, my body craved. Just the simple thought of Forest had that effect on me. I was a woman with needs.

Would it be so bad to have those fulfilled?

A knock on the door jerked me from my privacy.

Racing to the door, I opened it with a quickness.

“Woah, slow down there. Someone chasing you inside your house?” My face turned blood red at his comment.

“No, you just startled me is all. My car is in the garage?”

“Good as new. Well, as new as I could manage.”

It doesn’t matter what he said. The words coming from his mouth seeped into my eardrums like sweet poison.

Forest Lock, what kind of spell are you putting on me?

“Don’t stand out there, come inside!” I grabbed his arm and dragged him into my apartment.

“Well well, someone’s in a hurry to get me in here.”

“Listen to me Forest. I wanted to talk to you about last night.” My thoughts were moving faster than my mouth could keep up, but I felt emboldened.

“Wait, what happened last night aside from us getting stuck in a freezing cold forest?”

“I-I umm…”

Pull it together Jamie! Spit it out!

His quizzical expression wasn’t making it any easier.

“You wanted to kiss me didn’t you.”

My heart stop.

My eyes widened.

“You don’t have to admit it. I mean, you were so close to my face you could nearly bite it off. It was pretty obvious.”

He walked closer to me. The warming scent of sandalwood that radiated out from his body swirled its way into my nasal cavity. The aroma was a drug. I placed my hands on his firm chest.

“Would you have liked it?” I asked him, digging my nails lightly into his chest. I dragged my hand up behind his neck. Small raised goosebumps made their presence known.

Was I getting to him?

“Tell me if you like this.”

He grabbed my waist to him and kissed me.

I would’ve passed out if I wasn’t holding on to his neck so tight.

His heated lips burning mine, it felt too hot to stop. But the kiss lasted only for a minute longer before he broke it. As if he was fearful that somehow kissing me would reduce him to weakness.

We stared at each other for a short while.

“Don’t think anything of it. It’s just a kiss.” I swore I could see redness in the apples of his cheek.

Just a kiss? I think not.

“Well I liked it. Something wrong with that?” I asked him firmly. He faced his back to me and walked around my apartment, taking time to look at the unfinished work laid throughout.

“Don’t like it. In fact. Don’t even think about me when I leave from here.”

“You realize you can’t make me do that right? You fixed my car, and guess what? I’m not a charity case. I intend on paying you back. I want to work at your shop with you.”

Turning around to look at me, he raised an eyebrow.

“What? You wanna work in my shop?”

“As a thank you. I could schedule your appointments for you. How does that sound? No strings attached.”

“I don’t understand for the life of me, why a dainty lass like you would want to be around cars all day.”

It baffled me that he couldn’t see the only thing I found myself wanting to be around all day was him.

“It’s a favor okay? Just look at it like that.”

“No. I don’t want you in my shop. I want you staying here, painting er…something like that. I’ll come see you every once in a while. Deal?” He reached his hand out to me and tilted his head meagerly to the side.

Maybe that would be a better idea. Besides, I would have to break it to Gina that my paintings would finally start paying my bills and my stint at the coffee shop was over.

I met his hand and we shook on it.

“I don’t know what your intentions are Jamie, but I told you once and I’ll tell you again. Don’t make the mistake of getting too close to me. I’m not a safe guy.” He spoke in parts, like he was carefully thinking out his words.

“That’s for me to decide.” A look of surprise came over his face when I uttered the words.

“Getting a little rambunctious huh? I like that bug eyes. Just don’t get too confident. I don’t want anyone else liking it the way I do.”

I parted my lips and pouted at him. “What do you mean by that??”

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?!”

“Stop doing things that make me want to kiss you again.” Oh how I wish he knew how much I wanted him to kiss me again.

I was ready to make this an addiction.

“I’m going to get going. There’s some stuff at the shop that needs my attention.”

I grabbed his fleeting arm before he could make his exit. “You’ll be back right?”

“Yeah. I will.”

He left me alone in my apartment to be a slave to my thoughts of him again. But they were disrupted almost immediately with another firm knock to my door.

I was surprised to see Gina when I opened it.

“Gina? Hey, what’s up? Come in!”

She wasted no time waltzing in and throwing her purse to the wood floor beneath our feet.

“That was Forest Lock, wasn’t it Jamie.” Her tone was serious and interrogating. I gulped loudly and covered my face as if that would conceal the sound.

“Yeah, I think so. Can you believe I just found out he lives next door to me?? I mean, how outrageous is that haha?!”

“You are in trouble missy! I know you two were talking! When were you going to tell me that you were flirting about with the enigmatic loner from high school? I feel so out of the loop!” She sped walk to my sofa, pulling my arm gently behind her. “Spill it all out chick!”

“Listen Gina, there’s nothing there. Really. We were just catching up is all. I mean, we literally just found out that we live next to each other. Nothing more.”

“You’re expectin’ me to believe that malarkey? Pshhh…I’ll let you off the hook for now.” Gina lowered her eyes and glared at me. I was just glad she wouldn’t probe me any further about Forest.

“Anyway, I’ve got something much more interesting to talk about than Forest. Gina, the Vox Museum is drafting paperwork. They want to host some of my paintings!” To think, I was so wrapped up in thinking about Forest, that I totally forgot about it!

“Oh. My. God. Girl, that’s amazing!! So you’re like, a paid artist now right?” She placed her arm on my shoulder briefly to confirm.

Her enthusiasm made me laugh.

“Pretty much Gina!”

“Okay, where’s that bottle of Hennessey that you were storing in your cabinet for the zombie apocalypse? We’re cracking that thing open right now!” Shuffling through the cabinets in my kitchen, she let out a big “ah-hah!” at the sight of the bottle inside. She brought two glasses to the coffee table in front of us.

“I’m so happy for you Jamie, but I already know what this means.” Her pitch decreased a bit. “You’ll have to quit working at the Java right?”

Through all the commotion, I didn’t have time to think about it. I didn’t want to offend Gina by being excited that I wouldn’t have to deal with the dreadful morning coffee rush anymore, but damn, I was.

“Yeah, I will have to. But I promise I’ll help out every once and a while! Don’t worry, I won’t leave you high and dry.”

“Well that makes me feel a little better. Anyway, a toast to your amazing accomplishment. Seems odd that things are falling into place and then Forest Lock appears out of nowhere huh?” She laughed obliviously, but I thought deeply about her words.

The smooth burn of the liquor stung my palette.

* * *

One drink turned to two…

And two to three…

And this is why I didn’t drink with Gina Acosta.

“Ooh Jamie, it’s 9:30 already. I’m going to called a cab and head home. Congrats again love.” She gave me a peck to the cheek.

“I appreciate it Gina. Get home safe okay?”

“I will!”

She opened the door and the way out was blocked by Forest. Gina jumped at the sight of him, dropping her purse to the floor. She let out a quiet gasp in reflex.

“Excuse me. Here’s your purse.” He picked the bag up from the floor and handed it to her.

“Th-Thank you?? You’re Forest Lock right?”

“I am.”

“It’s been years! Hope you’ve been well!”

“Thanks.”

Turning around to wave at me awkwardly, she squeezed through the doorway, by Forest and left the building.

Forest walked in after she’d left.

“Was I supposed to know who the hell that was?” He took off his leather jacket and placed it on the rack in the doorway.

“That’s my best friend Gina. And uh, no, you weren’t.”

“Seems like I’m a bit more famous than I care to be.” There was an empty spot on the couch next to me, and he sat there. Filling my empty glass up with a bit of Hennessey for himself, he took a short swig.

My heart starting racing again. He made all of my senses heighten.

“You nervous or something princess?”

He read my mind. Or was it that obvious?

“No, I’m not. Just didn’t expect you to be here so soon.” My words slurred a bit from the liquor, but I tried to keep my head on my neck.

“So soon? I was gone for six hours. It’s almost ten.”

“Oh.” I said plainly.

His smoldering eyes melted my skin yet again.

“I really didn’t have any intention on coming. Since you said it was your way of saying thanks, I figured it wouldn’t do any harm.”

“Well I’m glad you came. And I’m glad you helped yourself to my bottle.”

He glanced awkwardly at the bottle and laughed a bit.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

“Since we seem to be friends now, don’t you think I should get to know you better?” It was a dumb question, but I didn’t even know the man’s birthday.

“What do you want to know?”

“So forward?”

“What reason do I have not to be?” He swirled the liquor in the glass as he held it up to his face.

“Tell me something about yourself I can’t tell by just looking at you.”

He laughed so hard I though he nearly spat out his drink.

“Did I say something funny?” I was genuinely asking!

“You really are a buttercup huh? I’ll tell you this: I don’t waste my time with a lot of people, but I make an exception for you. You’re alright.”

“Do you prefer to be private?”

“I don’t want you getting sucked it. It’s a mistake.”

I didn’t understand how he could say that while he sat on my couch arching his spellbinding body. There was no way that he was that unmindful of my reaction to him. My leg touched his as I moved closer to him on the couch.

“You keep saying that but I don’t see what’s dangerous about you.”

“That’s because you haven’t seen it yet.”

“Why don’t you show me then? Humor me Forest.”

The muscles on his body flexed when he turned his body to me. I was immediately drawn into him. His body towered over me, leaning sideways on the sofa.

There was that maddening aroma of sandalwood again.

I closed my eyes nearly losing myself when I felt his large hand probe my thighs.

“You alright?”

“Yeah…”

It took so much energy to force the response out of my mouth.

He reached in closer for a kiss. It was just as hot and captivating as the first, but much less innocent.

Parting my lips with a gentle push from his tongue, they danced wildly against each other. The sweet sting of Hennessy coating the hungry flesh. He stopped again and looked into my eyes.

“What do you want to know bug eyes.” Smooth, silky, and deep was the sound of his voice against my eardrums. And I shivered against him.

“Have you fallen for me?”

“That’s a secret.” He whispered into my ears carefully, as if safeguarding me with his darkest secret that didn’t really tell me anything. He straddled my waist with his firm hips. Forcefully moving my cheek to one side, he placed a series of fire laden kisses across the surface of my skin, branding me with his steaming touch.

“The moment I laid eyes on you, I had to make you mine. Even if just for a night.”

His hand traveled across my body to more intimate places and I arched my waist up, beckoning him further. I had nothing to lose and I know he wanted this just as much as I did.

“If I make love to you, will you be gone in the morning?”

He silenced me with another kiss, reaching his right arm behind my neck to lower the zipper on my dress.

Forest was my poison. My secret dark oasis. And he became that seemingly overnight. Emotions that I felt for him admiring him from a distance in high school, smothered me. And somehow, I knew he had the same feeling.

He worked quickly to pull the red lace dress from my skin, leaving small kisses in the wake of the absence of fabric. Each breath against my bare shoulder produced a heart-stopping jolt into my chest.

He suffocated me and filled me with unimaginable life all in one.

Once my body was released from the constriction of the dress, I was hardly guarded by the concealment of flimsy lingerie beneath.

Figuring it was his turn to rid himself his own meddlesome constrictions, I pulled his black shirt from over his head in one fell swoop.

I’d finally gotten to marvel at his chiseled body.

Curves, arches, and dips that made up the whole of his finely sculpted abs. I was in heaven.

I kissed his chest and he winced awkwardly.

“Is something wrong?”

“Just a little ticklish.”

Ticklish? Surprise, surprise.

Leaning on my arm, I rose up from my narrow position underneath him and dragged my hand along his chest, committing each bit of his firm skin to my memory. If he really was going to leave before I woke up in the morning, he could at least leave me with the memory of his touch…

The lower I got to his navel, the deeper the pitch of his quiet moans. I worked my hands gently to the buckle of his belt. He caressed me possessively, putting my hand awkwardly between our two bodies.

“Can I?”

He hesitated at my question.

“Are you sure?” His voice was barely audible

I nodded my head gently.

Easing his grip on my body, he allowed me to loosen the final bastion of his tepid defense. He kicked the jeans off of his legs and to the floor.

I was drunk with the lust of longing, and so was he.

I thought we would share our bodies for hours, but he played with me. Toyed with my body. Teased me until every inch of me was sore with need.

I wanted him so badly, but I knew what that would mean. So I enjoyed the muted touches of his bare skin for the rest of the night, keeping my true desire to myself.

* * *

I woke up to the irritating sound of my alarm, and I shut it off as fast as I could find it under my pillow.

“Forest?” I reached for him on the other side of my bed while I adjust my eyes to the morning sunlight.

He was gone.

My hand crumbled a small piece of paper that was left on the other side of the bed.

“Sorry I had to leave so soon. The shop can be pretty demanding. I made you breakfast. It’s in the microwave. Heat it up will ya? See you soon bug eyes.”

He’d gone and left a gaping ache in my heart in his wake. Grumpily, I rose out of bed and dragged my feet and bare body to the bathroom.

“Goodness I look a mess!” I tied my hair into a ponytail and brushed my teeth.

I ran a hot shower.

The gentle stream of water flowed over my body. For a minute, it felt like light touches from Forest.

“I wish he stayed…” I mumbled to myself over the bathroom echoes.

I got out of the shower, dragging my dry body to the closet to get dressed.

It was the same routine every day.

Check mail, refresh page ten times, freak-out.

But this time I was freaking out for an entirely different reason.

“Delvin’s email is finally here!!” I opened the mail faster than I could blink, and opened the contract document.

I didn’t think this could ever happen to me in my natural life, but it was happening. And it was real.