Friday
Kelli
How was this even possible?
For months, Kelli hadn’t met a single guy who’d had her even considering going against her no-relationship rule. After the girlfriend she’d met here tonight had left and Kelli agreed to hang out longer with Isaiah, as with every other guy she’d met in recent months, she’d made sure it was clear enough.
Now the madness she was feeling just hours after meeting him had her rethinking her rule. If that weren’t enough, she’d rarely done the one-night thing, and already she was seriously considering the possibility of at least that tonight. He hadn’t actually asked if she did the relationship thing—merely inquired about the status of hers. She’d even followed up with her usual, “In fact, and please don’t be offended, as of late, I haven’t even given my last name or number to any guys I meet at bars.”
Kelli hoped that didn’t sound as slutty as she knew it’d come across. But she’d let the comment stand since at the time—just a few hours ago—she had no idea she’d be feeling all this so soon. She was probably way off, but she could swear from the way he’d been gazing into her eyes since the moment he first introduced himself that he might be feeling the same craziness she was. Only with everything going on in her life, she had to remind herself it wouldn’t be fair to drag any guy into her world right now, especially not one who seemed so genuinely sweet. Even his response to her declaration had been sweet.
“Fair enough. I didn’t come here looking for a relationship. But I’ll wait until the end of the night to let you decide about the phone-number thing.”
Isaiah’s words were as self-assured and silky smooth as his breathtaking smile was. Those lips alone would be the end of her. Not only was it easy to see, even at first glance, that the man was packing impressive muscles under his snug long-sleeved knit shirt, but from the moment he introduced himself, she’d been having a hard time keeping her eyes from wandering to them. Between his lips and his sheath of heavy lashes, there’d been moments she’d struggled to concentrate on the conversation. Those lashes seemed to move in slow motion every time he blinked or even lowered his eyes to her lips.
But it wasn’t just his looks she was drawn to. Unlike any of the few other one-nighters she’d ever had, after only a few hours of chatting, laughing, and flirting with Isaiah, there was so much more than just his appearance she was drawn to.
“Used car salesman.” Isaiah’s words broke Kelli out of her thoughts.
She glanced in the direction he was smirking. A guy with slicked back shoe-polish-black hair in a shirt and awful tie, wearing way too many gold rings, sat down at the end of the bar.
Kelli laughed. “No way. I say pimp or bottom-feeder greaseball.”
“Bottom-feeder greaseball?” Isaiah laughed and those big dark intense eyes stared at her curiously. “I didn’t know that was an occupation.”
They’d been doing this for a while now. In between flirting, they were guessing peoples’ occupations based solely on their looks. It was a good way to break away from any awkward moments, and they had a good rhythm going.
“Sure, it is.” Kelli tried not to tense up as his fingers grazed hers across the bar top. “Even greaseballs, as in the Mafia, have to have entry-level positions. You know the guys that do all the dirty work: stand guard outside the sleazy motel room while one of his superiors, not much higher than him, bangs a hooker or takes a few hits of cocaine. Someone’s gotta get rid of all the dead bodies, right?”
Isaiah’s playful eyes feigned shock. “Should I be worried that you seem to know so much about the Mafia?”
Kelli cleared her throat and was quickly distracted by the thrill of feeling his fingers entwine with hers. Their eyes locked and she smiled, exhaling softly.
“I watch a lot of television,” she explained. Her heart sped up even more as he began to play with her fingers. “And a lot of gangster movies. I know what I’m talking about.”
He appeared to be too caught up in gazing into her eyes in that way that made her knees weak again to respond with much else than a nod. Those lashes lowered in slow motion as his eyes dropped to her lips. He’d been standing next to her at the bar all this time since another open seat near her wasn’t available. She gulped as he closed in on her now; the scent of his cologne and the feel of his body against hers had her heart hammering away. “Kelli?”
“Yes?” Her one word response was almost breathless.
“I heard you loud and clear about the no-relationship thing.” Isaiah licked his beautiful lips, distracting her momentarily. “But I need to kiss you now. I’ve held back too long already. I’ll leave it up to you whether it’s just the one kiss or if you want more.”
Before she could even begin to think of how to respond to that, she closed her eyes, tilting her head back in reaction to his lips and glorious tongue devouring her mouth.
Saturday
Isaiah
It wasn’t too unusual for Isaiah to wake in bed with a girl he’d just met the night before. But it was unusual for him to not be anxious to get the awkward morning-after over with. It was also a bit atypical that they’d both been completely sober when they decided to leave the bar and get a room. Most notable—not to mention a bit alarming—was that he was lying there staring at her beautiful sleeping face, hoping she’d sleep a lot longer because he wasn’t ready to say good-bye yet.
It wasn’t alarming because he was one of those commitment-phobic guys afraid of getting sucked into any girl this fast. It was alarming because, aside from making it clear she didn’t usually get rooms with guys she just met, she’d made it clear she didn’t do relationships.
Isaiah should not have been making more of this than he did any of his other one-nighters. Kelli couldn’t have made it clearer that this was all it was to her. And his ass couldn’t be pissed at her either if this was all it turned out to be. Already he’d forced himself to bite his tongue when he’d been woken by the lit screen of her phone with a silent call she got early this morning from someone named Gilbert. For all he knew, Gilbert could be family. Even at Isaiah’s age, his own siblings would likely be calling soon if he didn’t at least check in. So he would not give further thought to what he had no business getting worked up over. But there was nothing wrong with maybe hoping for a little more, right?
Already Kelli had gone against something else she’d said she wasn’t doing—spending the night. Yet here she was looking perfectly comfortable even as the sun began to light up the early morning. Deciding he’d enjoy this a little longer, he wrapped his arms tighter around her warm naked body and kissed her neck and shoulder softly over and over until he dozed off again.
~~~
Isaiah couldn’t be sure how much later he’d slept once he’d dozed off, but he woke to see Kelli’s beautiful eyes staring at him and to the smell of coffee.
“Morning, sleepy head,” she whispered with a smile and kissed him softly. Her minty fresh breath meant she’d been up already.
“What time is it?”
“Almost ten.” She kissed him again and this time he pulled her to him. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d be out, so I called downstairs for a late checkout just in case. We have until noon to get out of here now.”
“Did you?” He trailed kisses down her chin to her neck. “So we have two more hours of this?”
“Yes.” Kelli giggled, squirming out of his hold. “But first we eat. I ordered room service.” Watching her crinkle her nose as she winced had him instantly smiling. “I’ll pay you for it. I was just starving.”
She was sitting now, and he could see she was wearing the hotel’s bathrobe. Isaiah pulled himself up onto his elbow, taking in the covered trays of food on the small table off to the side of the bed. “Don’t worry about the money. I’m hungry too. What’d you get?”
Scurrying off the bed, she walked over to the tray and brought it to the bed. “Breakfast in bed, dear.” She set the tray down in front of him with a giggle. “We can pretend we’re on our honeymoon.”
Normally hearing something like that from a chick he’d just met the night before might have had him running out of there. Instead, he peered at her, grinning because he never expected her to be so into this after her firm assertion last night.
“But you said you don’t do the relationship thing,” he teased.
Instantly, he saw the smile wane and the unease in her eyes. “I said we could pretend.”
Note taken.
Isaiah wouldn’t be making those kinds of comments anymore. Clearly, despite the night they’d had and her playfulness now, she was still serious about her disclaimer last night. He might still be able to convince her to give him her number or an email at the very least if he didn’t push.
Picking up the top to one of the covered trays before things got weird, he smiled again. “Chorizo and eggs. Beans and rice. My favorites.”
She picked up the top to one of the others. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted Mexican or traditional, so there’s this too.”
The one she uncovered had fried eggs, bacon and sausage, and a slab of hash browns. “That looks good too.” He glanced at the third covered tray. “What’s in that one?”
“The sides”—she chewed on her bottom lip with a coy smile—“and a little something else.”
The third tray had tortillas rolled up in foil, a plate of toast, another plate with biscuits and gravy, and yet a third with waffles. Suddenly, she was back to giggling.
“I’m a bit of a breakfast nut, and I couldn’t make up my mind. I told you I was starving.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip as if to refrain from laughing. “So I may’ve gone a little overboard.”
Unable to help himself, Isaiah leaned over and kissed her softly. “I’ll let you choose first.” He stared into a pair of beautiful eyes, which suddenly appeared as startled as his heart was feeling.
It wasn’t the first time it’d happened, but they were caught in each other’s eyes for a few breathless moments before she took a deep breath and glanced down at the trays. Kelli chose the traditional breakfast, and like last night, their breakfast conversation flowed easily as if they’d been doing this forever. He was still a little perplexed by her lack of urgency to get out of there, when she’d specifically told him she couldn’t stay the night. But he wasn’t about to mention it and have her get weird again.
Done with his breakfast long before she was, Isaiah walked out of the room to brush his teeth. On his way back in, he saw her tapping away on her phone as she sat, legs crossed, on the bed, still in no hurry at all to leave. She glanced up when she saw him walking to the bed and smiled. How was it possible that the smile got sweeter every time he saw it?
Nearly letting out a groan, he crawled onto the bed, pushing her back softly and bringing his hand under the robe to touch the warmth of her soft naked flesh underneath. Even as he indulged running his hands up and down her body, it was bittersweet. Here he had the whole fucking weekend off, and his time with Kelli was nearly over.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth again,” she said as he licked her bottom lip then kissed her deeply.
“That’s fine,” he whispered, pulling away to gaze in those beautiful eyes again. “You taste like syrup and whipped cream”—he pecked her softly—“and you, the perfect combination.” He started trailing kisses down her chin again. “Besides, we have less than an hour now before we have to check out. I’d much rather we spend our time doing this.” Her body trembling in reaction to his touch made him smile.
“I was able to cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day.” Her whispered words made him freeze, just as he was getting ready to suck her neck.
Almost afraid to suggest it, but there was no way he wouldn’t now, he didn’t pull away from her neck. “I have the weekend off, Kel. I could call downstairs and get another night or just another half day if you want. Up to you.”
Her response was to bring his mouth to hers, kiss him deeply, and reach down and wrap her hand around his throbbing cock. Smiling, he groaned against her mouth. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Sunday
Kelli
What was it about him? Spending even one night with a guy she’d just met was so unlike her. She hadn’t even planned on spending the entire night. Now here it was Sunday afternoon, and not only would she be spending yet another night with him, she’d also agreed to go downstairs and stroll the waterfront shopping and restaurant complex—again.
Yesterday, after ordering takeout for breakfast and lunch, Isaiah had convinced her to go out to the ocean-side restaurant with what he called the most spectacular views of the area. For the same reason she agreed to meet her friend Eve in Seaport Village for drinks on Friday—because it was dark and more than a half hour away from La Jolla—she agreed to last night.
She hated to admit it, but it had been, hands down, one of the most romantic evenings she’d ever had. They’d strolled the boardwalk hand in hand, stopping often to kiss or just stare at each other under the light of the stars, like a real couple hopelessly in love. One thing she wasn’t sure she should be grateful for or annoyed about was Isaiah’s complete acceptance that she didn’t want anything more than what had turned out to be a onetime entire weekend. Not that it’d been further discussed, but it was obvious he was avoiding discussing the topic of what would happen once this was over.
They still didn’t know each other’s last names or occupations. Mostly their conversations had consisted of playful stuff: favorite movies, songs, quirks, and best trips they’d ever taken. Kelli thought she’d been to a lot of places, but it seemed as if Isaiah had been in every major city in the U.S.
The stories about the messes her competitive streak had gotten her in had them both in stitches. Their hushed discussion over drinks about their favorite sexual positions, on the other hand, had resulted in their evening out ending quickly. They were back in the room, and Isaiah had her on all fours first thing—one of her favorite positions.
The weekend up till now had felt far more profound than she’d ever imagined it would feel when she first agreed to extend it. Today, when he suggested they go out and enjoy Seaport Village in the daytime, he’d convinced her pretty easily—mostly because she couldn’t tell him what her hesitation was, but also because she had no excuse now. Isaiah had purchased outfits for them from the boutiques in the shopping area. It was his answer to her protest of why she couldn’t stay another day today. She was still wearing what she’d worn Friday night.
But this was daytime now. Kelli knew it was a risk. The longer she was around Isaiah, the more she feared getting him involved in her messy life. It just wasn’t fair to him. Of course, like last night, he’d had a way of convincing her, and now here they were, sitting on a grassy knoll and sharing ice cream in the village shopping area again. “We look like total tourists” She giggled, touching his Seaport Village ball cap.
“We are tourists.” Isaiah shrugged, leaning back onto his elbow. “We’re touring the place, right?”
Kelli wore a matching visor along with matching flip-flops. Like last night and most of today while they’d been out there, she tried in vain to take a selfie of them together that she liked. Isaiah, of course, looked perfect in every single one she’d taken so far. It was maddening. Kelli examined her latest one with a frown.
“What’s wrong with that one now?” Isaiah leaned in to take a peek at the screen on her phone.
“I hate my smile,” she said, crinkling her nose.
“What?” He sat up. “You have a beautiful smile, Kel.”
She glanced up at him, feeling that strangeness only he could make her feel when he gazed at her in that way he’d done from the very beginning. It left her breathless.
“You’re beautiful,” he added then kissed her softly, but like most of his kisses, it got deeper fast.
Jesus! What he did to her. How could she possibly already be falling so hard for someone she’d known less than a full weekend? Oh, but she was. With every gaze, every kiss, every sweet word out of his mouth, she was falling fast. This was no line. Kelli had already given Isaiah everything he could possibly want, and he knew she expected nothing in return. Men like Isaiah didn’t need lines.
“Thank you,” she said when he finally pulled away.
She glanced down at her screen again. “What can you possibly not like about your smile?” he asked, staring down at her phone.
Kelli tilted her head, trying to put her finger on it. She glanced up and, without thinking, started to say it. “Do I really look that insanely—?” She caught herself, her eyes going wide before blurting the rest out, and she saw the confusion in his eyes.
“Insanely what?”
Kelli’s face heated. That’s what it was, but she couldn’t say it; he’d think her nuts. The expression on Isaiah’s face became even more curious as he took her face in. Obviously, she was blushing like an idiot now. Oh God. How could she say it? She looked the same in every single one of them. This was mortifying.
“Insanely what?” he asked again.
“Nothing. Forget it.” She shook her head, taking the ice cream from him.
“Oh, hell no!” he said with a laugh and reached for her phone, but she held it behind her back, and he pushed her back gently.
“You’re gonna make me drop the ice cream!”
“I’ll buy you another one.” He laughed, the curiosity still dancing in his eyes. “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”
“Okay, okay!” she said as her giggling began getting out of control.
The last time someone tickled her and she laughed this hard something even more mortifying happened. That wasn’t happening today. She’d die.
“I just,” she started to say, feeling embarrassed again, but she couldn’t risk the possible alternative if he continued to tickle her. So she put up her hand before he could again. “I look so stupidly happy in all these pictures. I mean . . .”She glanced down, wincing because there was something else that smile could be interpreted as aside from happy—lovesick.“Gads! Look at that smile. My crazy bright eyes.”
He took the phone from her to examine the photos closer. Kelli licked her ice cream, brushing a strand of hair away from her face when something caught her eye. A guy she’d seen earlier, who appeared to be shopping the boutiques like all the other tourists, for some reason had given her the creeps. They’d been in a woman’s clothing boutique, and he appeared to be utterly consumed with the scarves when she’d glanced at him. He wasn’t wearing summer clothes or even anything you’d wear to stroll a touristy place like this. He was in jeans, a polo shirt, and some kind of work boots—completely out of place.
Their eyes had nearly met again later, but he turned away quickly and appeared quite taken by the kite selection at the vendor booth nearest to him.
“Someone you know?”
Isaiah’s words nearly startled her, but she managed not to jump. Glancing back at him, she saw how he peered at the guy. “No.” She shook her head. “I was just admiring the kites.”
Now Isaiah peered at her for a moment then back at the guy again. Thankfully, the guy bought a kite and rushed off.
“Let’s go make you even happier then.”
Kelli turned to Isaiah, not understanding. He lifted her phone. “I like how happy you look in these. My smile in all of these is no less bright than yours.” He showed her one of the two of them earlier that day. “I think this one’s my favorite.”
The thought of how photogenic he was nearly had her eyes rolling. “Even in all the ones where you didn’t smile, like the one where you have that heart-stopping gleam in your eyes, you look unbelievably sexy. It’s so not fair.”
He was about to say something when he glanced down at her phone. She’d silenced her calls earlier for good reason, but the name on the screen now popped up, and Isaiah read it then turned to her, handing her the phone.
Her heart sped up every time she saw the name. He’d already texted her several times since that weekend had started. Each time she’d sent the auto-response message she’d set up just for him specifically a while back: that she was too busy to take his call but for him to respond to her text with specifics if it was an emergency. He knew what that was code for and he hadn’t all weekend, so she didn’t think it was anything important. It was probably just throwing him for a loop that she hadn’t responded to him yet as she normally would’ve.
Once again she sent it to voicemail along with the auto-response text. When she glanced up at Isaiah, he was staring at her blankly. “Anything important?”
She shook her head. “Nothing I can’t deal with later.”
That profound gaze she’d seen plenty of all weekend hardened. He took the tiny piece left of her ice cream stuffed it in his mouth. Then he inched closer to her, moving her back onto the grass, his gaze going even harder—darker somehow.
Kelli almost expected him to ask her more, despite how much he’d avoided asking her anything personal up until now. Instead, he kissed her.
Hard.
Just as she thought she’d imagined him trying to say more to her with his lovemaking a few times that weekend, his kiss practically spoke to her; then he did. “You’re not married, are you?” he asked against her mouth then nipped her bottom lip again hard, but it turned her on.
“Of course not,” she said, trying to sound insulted, even if she felt more aroused than anything.
“I don’t know anything about you, Kel, except that you’ve made one thing very clear: that you’re okay being here with me this weekend doing this.” He sucked her bottom lip then kissed her hard again. He stopped suddenly, pulling away to eye her. “But once this weekend is over, you can’t even give me your number. So don’t be insulted if I jump to conclusions.”
“I never said I can’t—”
“This guy’s called more than once this weekend: Saturday morning and again last night while you were sleeping. Gilbert your boyfriend, Kel?”
“No.” This time she shoved him a little. “I wouldn’t be here if I were married or had a boyfriend.”
He stared at her for a moment searching her eyes, before those beautiful lips stretched into a sinful smile. “That’s all I need to know. Let’s go get you a kite.”
Monday
Isaiah
Isaiah had never been so grateful for his firefighter schedule than this weekend. He was counting on his four days off to have been enough to convince Kelli to at least give him her number, and it worked. It only made sense. You didn’t spend a four-day weekend with someone you just met if you hadn’t felt something. Who did that unless they were feeling the same insanity he was feeling already, right? It’s why he hadn’t been surprised when she’d taken his phone at the last second and texted herself something.
“You have to understand this weekend is an absolute first for me,” she said, handing him back his phone then tapping away at hers.
Taking his phone back, Isaiah tried to play down the thrill it gave him to feel his phone buzz and know it was her. He glanced down at his phone casually. Seeing the photo she’d sent him—his favorite of them from yesterday—he couldn’t hide his smile. He leaned in, pressing his once again throbbing dick against her.
“Isaiah!” Her eyes grew wide, but she smiled, nervously glancing around the parking structure. “No way. Not here.”
“I have your number now.” He leaned in and kissed her again and again until he forced himself to stop. “I guess, after the weekend we had, it’ll hold me over until I see you again.”
He reminded himself not to push. She’d changed her mind about not spending the night and ended up spending more than just a weekend with him. Now she’d given him her number, but she still hadn’t mentioned changing her mind about the no-relationships thing.
Searching her eyes and feeling her body happily melt against his, he was certain he could change her mind about that now, too, if he just eased into it. While he didn’t want to call too much attention to how happy this made him, he did want her to know something.
“I haven’t even left your side yet, and I can hardly wait to see you again.”
For a moment, he’d begun to think maybe that last comment was a mistake. Maybe he should’ve just let her go before she changed her mind about giving him her number. Her smile seemed to wane. Then it was as if something came to her and her eyes brightened.
“Chemistry.”
He leaned his forehead against hers, beyond relieved that she wasn’t taking anything back and a little alarmed about what she did to him this fast. But he had to ask. “What about it?”
“You can’t force chemistry to exist where it doesn’t.”
Pulling away, he searched her eyes again. She lifted a brow, and he continued to search, confused by this. Was she saying it hadn’t existed for them? That was bullshit. He’d never felt a chemistry like theirs in his life. Hadn’t even known it was possible to feel so much for someone as fast and as insanely as he had. His smile began to flatten; then her eyes brightened and she added more.
“Can’t force it in the same way you can’t deny it when it does.” She chewed the corner of her lip and smiled even sweeter. “It’s something my mom said to me once. It stuck with me mostly because I never really understood it—until now. The chemistry between us is undeniable.”
Isaiah had to squelch the urge to groan. Instead, he kissed her softly. “Can’t argue with that,” he whispered against her lips.
For a moment, he stopped and gazed in her eyes as he had so much all weekend. He brought his fingers up to touch her long dark tresses. The night he’d met her, her hair was straightened sleek and sexy. After their first shower together, she hadn’t done anything to it and he’d fallen in love with her soft natural curls.
Even now, she appeared fresh-faced and pure because she hadn’t reapplied her makeup all weekend or that morning. Isaiah sighed. He’d already seen something in Kelli it’d normally take weeks maybe months to see in other girls: her vulnerable side. Unlike the sexy siren he’d locked eyes with that first night at the bar, he’d since been treated to her sweet and timid smiles. The genuine excitement he’d seen in her eyes more than once that weekend held such innocence each time he’d made his pitch to her about staying yet another night.
As much as he’d tried to not come on too strong—too pushy—he couldn’t help searching in her eyes. All weekend he’d felt as if she’d been trying to convey something to him through her profoundly enraptured eyes. Maybe she was feeling the same thing he was, each time they fell into a trance like the one they were in now.
“What is it about you, Kel?” he whispered, and her sweet little brow lifted. “What is it about you that made this weekend feel like I was spending it with someone I’ve known for so much longer? Not someone I just met on Friday?”
Her eyes widened a bit and she shook her head. “I don’t know, but it’s why I made that stupid remark that first morning with you about us pretending to be on our honeymoon. Who says that to a guy she just met the night before?” Her exasperated expression made him laugh. “I’m serious,” she insisted, even as the humor danced in her beautiful eyes. “That’s like rule number one in the women’s dating bible. It’s grounds for getting your woman card revoked! I felt like an idiot the moment the words slipped out.”
Continuing to laugh, Isaiah kissed her softly on her forehead. “You get a pass this time,” he said, once again getting caught in her mystifying eyes, “only because I actually get why something like that would slip. It makes me feel less crazy about what I was feeling all weekend—like I was spending a romantic weekend with my girl.” Her eyes widened as he shook his head. “It’s the damnedest thing. Okay, maybe my bride would be pushing it, but I’d go as far as to say this is what it feels like for couples who’ve been together for years.” He raised a playful brow because her face had tinged with color when he said his bride was pushing it, so he added, “Fiancée wouldn’t be unheard of. Couples who are together long enough to feel as unusually comfortable as we did this weekend are usually engaged, right?”
To his relief, she nodded and didn’t appear to be spooked, so he kissed her again. Forcing himself to let her go after a few more lingering kisses and to not be so pathetically obvious about how much he hated to say good-bye, he finally did. Another thing he’d also forced himself to do was not ask her when he’d see her again. But he did want at least a clue about how she was feeling in terms of getting together again because already he could hardly wait.
“I gotta catch up with life today,” he said with a smirk. “Kind of neglected a few things this weekend.”
She nodded with one of those timid smiles he loved so much now. “Trust me. I did too.”
“I work tomorrow,” he said, unable to keep from pecking her sweet lips one last time. “So is Wednesday too soon to check in with you again?”
A strange gleam flickered in her eyes for a fleeting moment before she nodded. “Wednesday’s fine.”
Already he was smiling in relief. Though he would’ve happily called her tonight and again tomorrow from the station, he didn’t want to overwhelm her too fast, so he’d wait at least until then to contact her—but not a day longer.