CALDER

I’m so out of my fucking element right now.

It’s been five years since I’ve truly tried to impress a girl, truly cared enough to want to make her like me, and it’s showing right now, because it’s taken me a good portion of the movie to make my first move.

Hell, I’ve been all talk up to this point. Does she even know how nervous I am right now? How apprehensive I am about every move I make? I thought about taking her hand at the beginning of the movie but chickened out. I haven’t paid attention to one second of this damn movie because I can’t stop chastising myself for being a giant pussy where this woman is concerned.

Fuck, she’s so cool, and witty, and funny. I’ve never met another woman like her, and the more I get to know her, the more I like her, making me fumble and act like a fucking teenage boy, hence the delay in hand holding. I might as well have yawned and stretched my arm over the back of her chair at the same time. That’s the kind of “game” I have at this point. Completely pathetic.

When we had Shea and I became a single dad, the thought of jumping back into the dating scene never crossed my mind, not until I met Rachel, and now I’m kind of wishing I had a little bit of practice before meeting her, at least two other dates so I could fumble over someone other than Rachel.

Biting the side of my mouth, I try to decide what do to next. This hand holding thing is nice, but I feel like I need to step up my game, especially after seeing from the corner of my eye how much my little palm tracing affected her breath. It became slightly labored as her mouth parted open in an “O” shape.

Feeling the warmth of her thigh, I figure I should just go for it, jump right into stage two of whatever the hell you call this pre-pubescent perusal I’m doing. The back of my hand is against her leg, so I casually slip my fingers away from hers and turn my hand over, placing my palm over her skinny-jean-covered leg. I hold my breath, waiting for her reaction, waiting to see if she’s going to slap me away, but she doesn’t. Instead, she places her hand on top of mine, giving me reassurance that what I’m doing is okay.

Loving the way her hand is eclipsing mine, I start rubbing the inside of her thigh with my pinky and ring finger. Her hand grips mine tightly so I immediately stop, thinking I might have pushed too far, that’s until her hand wanders over to my thigh—my upper thigh—where she rubs her palm up and down my jeans, just a few inches, but enough to have me squirming in my damn seat.

There are a few other couples in the theater, but they’re all sitting in front of us, giving us all the privacy we need. Well, not all the privacy, but enough so they don’t see the dance of wandering hands being conducted in the back row of the theater.

With every pass of her hand, it climbs higher and higher and closer to my crotch without actually touching me inappropriately, just enough to make me harder than a fucking stack of nails.

Fuck, I can’t remember the last time a woman made me this hard in a matter of seconds, like fucking seconds. One pass up my thigh and my dick is knocking against the zipper of my jeans, looking for more attention.

I clear my throat and adjust myself in my seat, pushing down on my jeans because I’m really unsure of how to react. She adjusts as well, crossing her legs in my direction, her perfume wafting towards me, making me hazy with lust as John McClane shoots off his gun, acting like a total badass. It’s a weird combination, being turned on while Bruce Willis does his thing, I just hope this doesn’t turn into some Pavlov mind trick. If I start getting hard when I see Bruce Willis, I’m going to have a huge issue with that . . . no pun intended.

Hand still on my thigh, Rachel leans closer toward me so I take the opportunity to lift my arm up and around her shoulders. At first, I miss the contact of her thigh, but once she snuggles into my side, I couldn’t care less about where my hand once was.

She feels so small up against me, so petite, and fragile, the complete opposite of her personality. She’s bold and almost larger than life when you talk to her. I love the stark contradiction, it makes her that much more special.

And fuck does she smell good. Like honey and fresh mint, it’s an addicting combination that has me taking deeper breaths to soak her all in.

She continues to rub her hand along my thigh and I continue to get harder and harder with each passing second. I’m biting my bottom lip to keep myself under control when she pulls on my shirt and looks up at me. I glance her way just in time to hear her say, “Thank you for taking me out tonight.”

Smiling, I say, “Thank you for saying yes.”

Her eyes go to my lips, just as her tongue peaks out and wets her mouth.

That’s the universal sign, the open invitation for kissing, the one and only way besides saying it out loud to tell someone to kiss you.

I’m not so out of touch that I don’t understand what she’s asking, or the moves she’s making. Does she sense my hesitation, my nerves? Can she tell I’m trying to figure this all out as I go? That I’m not as suave as I wished I was?

I sure as hell hope not.

Her eyes trained on me, the movie barely even noticed by both of us, I decide to take it to the next step, and if she wants to stop me she can, but from her signals, I’m thinking this is where this night is going.

With my hand that’s not wrapped around her, I cup her cheek and inch her forward.

“Are you going to kiss me?” Her eyes search mine.

Wanting to be assertive, I don’t answer her. Instead, I lower my lips and gently caress my mouth against hers. It’s the lightest of touches, nothing overly sexual, just a general getting to know each other, gathering the lay of the land.

Soft and smooth, just what I thought she was going to be like, with a slight hint of urgency in the return of her kiss.

I pull away just as there is a huge explosion on the screen. I glance to see what’s happening when Rachel turns my head back toward hers and presses her mouth against mine, taking me slightly by surprise, but I’m quickly put at ease once her lips start exploring mine.

Demanding but sweet.

She nibbles on my lower lip, parting my mouth open just enough for her tongue to touch mine. Fuck yes.

Wanting more, I turn in my chair so I’m facing her and grip her cheeks, locking her in place, giving her no wiggle room to retreat from me, and from the way she’s leaning her entire body into mine, I’m going to assume she doesn’t want wiggle room.

The way her eyes sparkle up at me, the way her lips part ever so slightly, and the tight grip she has on my shirt is a lethal combination that has me propelling forward, diving my lips into hers.

Instinctively, her lips part and my tongue finds hers, causing us both to quietly moan to ourselves. Mouths locked, tongues tangling, hands gripping, ready to wander, this is the old-school date I was hoping for.

There is something about making out with a girl, something so innocent about it, that has my balls tightening, begging for more.

I grab one of her thighs and drag my hand around her side to her ass, where I grip it tightly. Clad in jeans, and tight as fuck, I love the feel of her ass in my palm, how firm it is, but also soft. I squeeze tightly, sending her up and off her chair for a brief second.

I can feel her smile against my mouth, the humor a total turn on for me. She inches closer and I help her until she’s straddling my lap.

Rachel is straddling my lap . . . in a movie theater, with Bruce Willis in the background.

Anyone could turn around and see the compromising position we’re in, even possibly take pictures, but I couldn’t care less at this moment. I can’t remember the last time I did anything like this in public, and it’s igniting an old flame inside of me, an adventurous flame, a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of flame, a flame I would have kept burnt out, until Rachel came and set it on fire.

Her hands fall to my shoulders, my hands find her waist, and our lips meet in the middle as her core presses against my very aroused lap. Either she can’t tell, or she doesn’t care, because instead of making it known that she can feel just how turned on I am, her lips go back to work.

When I said I wanted a make-out session, I was hopeful at best, I didn’t think it would actually happen, but now that it is happening, I tune everything around us out and focus on one thing and one thing alone: how perfect this feels, to have Rachel pressed against me, her lips branding mine.

I’m not sure this night can get any better.

* * *

Rachel tosses the Styrofoam “belly” in the back seat and buckles up before turning toward me. When the movie ended and the lights came on, Rachel quickly scurried off my lap, leaving me harder than stone, and so damn turned on that I made her sit with me until I could calm myself enough to make the walk back to the car.

We haven’t spoken a word to each other since we left the theater and now that we’re in the car, it feels incredibly awkward that we haven’t said anything to each other.

I grip the back of my neck and say, “So . . . you’re a good kisser.”

See that ladies and gentlemen? That’s something someone who hasn’t been on the dating scene for a while would say.

It seems so lame, so immature.

Chuckling, Rachel squeezes my arm. “You’re pretty good yourself, and feeling how hard you were underneath me was a welcome little treat.”

Oh fuck, she could feel me.

Swallowing as if my throat has compressed, I ask, “Yeah, you could feel that?”

“Hard not to when it was turning me on to no end.” She bites her bottom lip. “You’re big.”

Cue the blush.

Fuck, guys should not blush, but for some reason, I fucking do. Thankfully it’s dark enough in the car that she can’t see how red I just got. I know I have a big cock and I’ve had women tell me I have a big cock before, but it was in the middle of fucking, so hearing the words spoken from someone else never truly affected me, not until now.

Awkwardly, I answer, “Uh, thank you.”

“Like . . . really big, Calder.”

I chuckle awkwardly. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“It might be, but that’s not something we have to worry about just yet.”

Damn, I wish it was.

Clearing my throat, I put my hands on the steering wheel and ask, “Are you hungry?”

“After our little make-out session back there, I would say so. What do you have in mind?”

“I have the perfect thing.”

It doesn’t take us very long to drive through the city—surprisingly—and the dating gods must love me, because I pull up to the restaurant and find a parking spot on the side of the street, only a block away. I was convinced we would be driving around for a bit, looking for a place to park.

“Is it weird that watching you parallel park is a turn on?” Rachel asks just as I turn off the vehicle.

“Um, maybe? That’s the first someone has ever said that to me. Why is it a turn on?”

She gestures to my hands. “I don’t know, but there’s something about watching your forearms flex as you turn and reverse the car. You handle big machinery very well.”

I’m tempted to give her a cheesy joke like, “I’ve been handling big machinery my entire life,” but I refrain and hop out of the car. When I help Rachel out on her side, I catch another whiff of her scent, which just about knocks me back on the sidewalk of Philadelphia.

So fucking sweet.

So fucking addicting.

“I hope you like mac and cheese.”

Rachel links her hand with mine, the gesture calming my racing heart. Why does it feel like she was made for me? Is that weird to think so early? There’s just something about how she fits me so well, how when she was snuggled up against me in the theater, she was the perfect fit. And right now, holding her hand, it just feels so right it’s almost startling.

“Mac and cheese is one of my top-five favorite meals, along with tacos, beef stroganoff, pot stickers, and burgers.”

“Wow, you rattled those off pretty quickly.”

Leaning into me, she says, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret, I like food and I’m not afraid to admit it. My dream job would be to travel the world and eat all the food while someone records all my yummy noises. Who wouldn’t want to be paid to do that?”

“Someone with IBS?” I ask, no clue as to why. Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure IBS is on the list of things you don’t talk about on a first date.

Standing tall, Rachel thinks about my suggestion. “I don’t think you could be any more correct with that response. You’re so right, IBS would ruin that job. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that. Next time I send in an audition tape for a traveling television show on Food Network, I will be sure to heavily emphasize that I do not have IBS. I’m sure that’s a plus for them, not having someone run to the bathroom all the time, especially when filming.”

Confused, I ask, “Have you auditioned before?”

“Just once,” she answers, her fingers squeezing around mine. “I sent in an audition tape for Top Chef.”

“Oh shit, really? You must be a really good cook.”

“I’m not,” she answers, “but I thought it would be fun to apply because if you never try, you’ll never know what you can do.”

“So that means you have at least some skills.”

“Not even in the slightest. In my audition tape, I cut a potato with a butter knife. Not my finest moment, but oh hell, did I tear open that potato. By the end of my night in the kitchen, that potato was asking me what it could do to make my job easier.”

I study her. “You really love exaggerating, don’t you?”

“One of my favorite pastimes.”

“Good to know.” I chuckle and open the door for her, the smell of melted cheese consuming us. Damn that smells good. Not as good as Rachel, but pretty damn close. “Have you been here before?”

“Never, and now I’m hating myself for it because from what I can tell, this is my new Mecca.” She releases my hand and goes straight to the counter, where she starts chatting with one of the employees. She’s animated with her hand gestures and speaks with such enthusiasm . . . about mac and cheese. It’s adorable.

Walking up behind her, I put my hand on her hip and listen to their conversation.

“Are we talking crispy bacon? It’s got to be crispy if it’s on top of mac and cheese.”

“It’s the crispiest, ma’am. I agree with you, soggy bacon is a travesty, especially when mixed with noodles and cheese.”

“Amen.” Rachel waves her hands in the air. “I’ll take the BBQ Bacon Bowl then.” Leaning her head back, she asks, “And what would you like, big guy?”

Big guy? Jesus.

“I would like the Crabby Mac Bowl please and two drinks.” I pull out my wallet and hand the guy some money while Rachel snuggles in close to me.

“We’re on our first date.” Rachel coos up at me. “Can you tell?”

The cashier smiles up at us and when he looks me in the eyes, his mouth drops open and he starts to point. “You’re . . . you’re Calder Weiss. Oh man, your game last night, when you slammed Declan into the wall, stole the puck, and shot it down to Holmes for that goal, dude, I re-watched that at least five times in a row. He had no idea you were coming for him.” He reaches his hand out. “Can I just shake your hand? Would that be alright? Just give me a sturdy shake.”

Chuckling, I reach out and take the guy’s hand. “Thanks for watching the games, man.”

“I never miss one. Even when I’m working here at The Mart. We have the game going on in the back.” He looks at me in disbelief, still holding onto my hand. “Man, this made my night. I’m so glad I work here now. Shit, I might start crying.”

Casually slipping my hand from his and placing it on Rachel’s lower back, I say, “No need to shed tears man. Hey, how about you give me your information on the receipt and I’ll be sure to send you over some tickets.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Rachel giggles next to me. “No, it would be my pleasure.”

The kid rips paper from the receipt printer, pulls the cap off a pen, and starts writing frantically. “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. Calder Weiss is going to give me tickets. I can’t fucking believe this.” Holding out the paper, he hands it to me then oddly bows, clasping his hands together. “Thank you. Holy shit, thank you. This made my year.”

“It’s no problem. I put the receipt in my wallet and give him a small salute. “I’m going to try to woo my date now, but have a good night.”

“You too.” The kid has tears welling up in his eyes and before he can set them free, I guide Rachel to a table and chairs, away from the potential crier. I like fans, I really enjoy them actually, but when they cry, that just makes me feel weird. I don’t think anyone should be crying over me.

I pull out her chair for her but before she sits down, she places her hand on my arm and says, “That was super sweet of you, to send that guy tickets. You truly made his day.”

“It was nothing.” I try to shake off the compliment, because I just did what any other professional athlete would have done, or at least should have done.

“No, it was everything.” Standing on her toes, she presses a kiss on my cheek and takes her seat.

Heat billows at the base of my stomach as I take a seat next to her, spreading my arm over the back of her chair, not really sure what to say. Thankfully, Rachel is talkative.

“So, since you’re handing out tickets and everything . . .”

I laugh. “Would you like to go to a game?”

“I would love to. I’ve never been to a game before, so it would be really exciting.”

“We have a home game tomorrow; do you want to go?” I hold my breath, wondering if that’s too presumptuous, too quick, but when she smiles brightly and claps her hands in excitement, I think differently. She is genuinely excited.

“Oh I would love to. That would be so much fun.”

“Do you want me to get a ticket for your dad, since he knew who I was?”

“Are you serious?” She presses her hand on my thigh and right about now, I would do anything she wanted just to keep it there.

“Yeah, of course. I’m assuming he would want to go.”

“Are you kidding me? He would die. Oh my God, look at me, I’m being just like that guy back there.”

“Nah, I think that guy was ready to kiss—”

Rachel leans over and presses her lips against mine, her hands gripping my shirt, her tongue pressing into my mouth. I grip the back of her neck, my fingers tangling with her hair while her tongue dances with mine in the most intimate way. Just like in the movie theater, I start to get hard, but before I can get comfortable with the way her mouth is moving across mine, she puts unwanted distance between us, her hand cupping my cheek, her eyes incredibly sincere as she says, “Thank you, Calder.”

Clearing my throat, I twirl a piece of her blonde hair with my finger. “Of course. Hell, I’ll get you all the tickets if that’s the kind of thank you I get.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

I hold my hands up. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Chewing on the side of my cheek, I think for a second before saying, “You know, if you want, after the game we can go out, maybe grab a drink with my buddy, Hayden.”

She raises a fucking cute eyebrow at me. “Are you asking me out on a second date, Calder Weiss?”

“I think I am. What would you say to that?”

She leans back in her chair, assessing me. “Let’s see, you’ve been a gentleman all night, aside from the blatant ass grabs in the movie theater. You make me laugh, and are very handsome. You are a safe driver, which is important since you have a daughter, and you have a huge cock. Hmm . . .” she scratches her chin. “I think I’m going to say yes.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “It’s the big cock that got you, wasn’t it?”

“Nope, it wasn’t the big cock, that’s just the cherry on top of the cake.”

“Then what was it?”

She presses her lips together, giving my question some serious thought. “Honestly? It’s the way you treat people. Your daughter, you dress up for her. The guy at the theater, you asked him how his night was going. The boy at the register back there, you’re giving him free tickets. You’re a genuinely sweet, kind, and giving man. It’s a very attractive quality.”

“Thank you.” I look down at my hands.

“And that right there.” She pokes my cheek. “The way you blush, it’s hot. You’re this confident, attractive man, but you can blush as red as a tomato in seconds. Some women like a cocky son of a bitch, not me, I like my men sensitive, sweet, and animals in bed. I know the first two are true, waiting to find out about the third.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

This woman, she has me by the fucking balls, and quickly. It’s scary how much I like her, and it’s not just because she’s smart, funny, and keeps me on my toes. It’s the way she can easily pick out my best qualities, the qualities I take great pride in.

Leaning closer, I bring my hand to her hip and whisper in her ear while squeezing her. “I’ll tell you right now, you will be more than pleasantly surprised by the third quality you’re looking for.” I bite down on her earlobe. “You can count on it.”

“Oh sweet heavenly mother . . .”