Kelsey

“Hey, Kel, you gonna do some work or stare out the window all day?” Twilight giggled.

I whipped around to face him. “Oh, what do you care?”

His eyes were bloodshot as usual. I waited for him to break into some speech about chakras and the living spirit or something about my aura being off.

“Been looking out that window a lot is all.” He cocked his head to the side to regard me and attempted to hold back yet another giggle.

I started to say something snarky.

“I’m kinda hungry. You eat yet?” The man was perpetually hungry.

I laughed and glanced to my watch. It read 10:06 A.M. and he’d just devoured a donut in the back. “No, I think I’m good, actually.” I flashed him a motherly stare like you’ve got to be kidding me.

“Hmm, just came over me like a spell or something.” He turned toward the door leading to the stockroom and waved an index finger in the air. “I’ll be back. Don’t wait on me, though.”

I chuckled. Twilight could be frustrating seeing as how he was constantly stoned, but I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world. Any other day I would’ve laughed and joined him for takeout just to be nice. Instead, I turned back to the window.

Three days had passed since the date. I hadn’t heard from Matt—typical.

Was it, though? The guy didn’t even get a good-night kiss. He definitely hadn’t thrown me against the wall and done unspeakable things to me. Unusual willpower especially from what I knew about Matt. All he had to do was say the word and I was probably all in.

I pretended to rearrange some of the records but I really just picked them up and set them back down in the same spot while watching cars rumble by on the street. Why hasn’t he called or something?

I’d been distant at the beginning of the date, but hell, by the end I’d pretty much opened up to him. Maybe he was doing that stupid shit where guys waited three days to call so they didn’t appear desperate.

If Matt was anything, he wasn’t like other guys. He marched to the beat of his own drum like nobody I’d ever seen. And from the bulge I had felt in his pants on the dance floor, he packed quite a drumstick.

Tingles ran up my spine thinking about it.

Three days and nothing, though. Nothing but Matt on the brain. Every conversation since ended without me knowing what’d been said. No man had done that to me before and I couldn’t figure out if I was excited or scared.

Regardless, I was a faker. I’d faked my way through life the past three days with everyone I’d encountered, because of big, beautiful, gorgeous Matt.

I sighed and glanced to the door.

The door Matt had waltzed right through and commandeered a date in all of five minutes. The best damn date of all time. I grinned.

How the hell did he do that?

I pulled out my phone and checked it for the ten thousandth time. No messages.

I grumbled because I both loved and hated myself at the moment. Life was way easier without this full-time distraction, but yet I still squinted my eyes and attempted to will his name to appear on my phone.

It vibrated in my hand and I nearly dropped it on the ground in surprise.

Matt: I know you need space and time to think about what’s going on with us. I’ve tried to give it to you. But I can’t stop thinking about you.

Screw you, Matt! And your perfectly good excuse for not texting or calling before now, you bastard!

Had I told him I needed space? God, my mind was like a dense fog ever since our date.

I squeezed the phone in my hand and then clutched it to my chest. I was acting girly and wanted to throat-punch myself for it. Girly did not belong in my repertoire of feelings and actions. Girly was reserved for girly-girls and I most certainly was not one. They had feelings and believed things that boys told them and read way too much into every little detail. Then when the breakup came they cried all night and gained five pounds in a week from eating ice cream and watching Notting Hill on repeat while the guy went on looking hot and banged every groupie stupid enough to believe his charismatic speeches about a record deal that was just about to happen.

I pulled the phone back out in front of my face and swiped the screen.

Me: Hi.

Hi? Jesus, I was such a bitch. But the more I thought about the trap Matt was luring me into, the more anxiety crept into my chest. I reminded myself of what would happen if I allowed myself to fall for Jenny’s fiancé’s best friend.

Keeping him at arm’s length would be the key.

Matt: You like cheeseburgers?

I shook my head and smiled. He practically ignored my shitty text like it didn’t even happen.

Me: Umm, not really.

A lie. Because I freaking loved cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers were God’s gift to humanity.

Matt: Good, I know a place. Be ready at 5:30.

My legs began to quiver no matter how hard I attempted to keep them steady. Something about him commanding things—his confidence and insistence—heated me up downstairs. Traitorous vagina; it was a thing.

Me: You think you can ignore me for three days and then take me to eat something I don’t like whenever you want?

Matt: Yeah.

I chewed my bottom lip. Jesus, how did he make being a cocky asshole so hot and endearing? I caught myself twirling my hair and yanked my hand down to my side.

Me: What makes you think I won’t leave you standing in front of my door?

Matt: Because you like me. And you like cheeseburgers.

Me: How can you possibly know that?

Matt: I wouldn’t like someone who didn’t like cheeseburgers. See you at 5:30.

Yep, I was done for.

“Stay strong. Must stay strong.” I stared at my reflection in my hallway mirror like it would talk some sense into me.

It was 5:28 P.M. and my stomach was already stirring. I told myself it was because I’d eaten three bananas in my kitchen.

Lie.

Then I told myself I ate them so that I’d eat less food at dinner to help show Matt I wasn’t all that interested in him.

Another lie.

I ate them because I didn’t want to pound an entire cheeseburger and look like a glutton in front of him, which I never would’ve cared about prior to four days ago. My mirror image refused to give any meaningful advice so I called her a bitch and walked off, not before noticing how much extra time I’d spent on my makeup. Usually it was a few quick pats, some eyeliner, and done. Suddenly I’d become the Matisse of MAC when Stallworth was involved.

The doorbell rang.

Damn him and his punctuality!

I walked over to the door. Déjà vu kicked in like a glitch in The Matrix.

“Who is it?” I stalled.

“Knew you wouldn’t stand me up.”

“Don’t know anyone by that name.” I grinned at the door. “I don’t open the door for strangers or solicitors.”

“Wouldn’t a solicitor be a stranger?”

My eyebrows rose. “Huh?”

“If all solicitors are strangers there’s no need to say strangers. It’s redundant.”

I yanked the door open and glared. “Are you correcting my English?”

Matt’s beautiful smile appeared in front of me. I’d never seen anyone fill out an Aerosmith T-shirt the way he did. God, I wanted to bite into one of his biceps the way they stretched the sleeves.

“Knew you’d answer the door if I did that.” He smirked.

“Excuse—”

Matt grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out to him. My heart raced and a jolt of adrenaline rushed through me. He reached through the door and into my bag that sat on a table just inside the apartment.

What in the hell?

He rummaged around for a second until a jingling sound rattled around and his eyes lit up. He snatched the keys from my bag and shut the door.

“Told you, I’m hungry. Let’s go.”

He tugged my hand and we took off toward his car. His mouth curled up in a boyish grin the entire way.

“But—I need my bag.” I waved my free hand back at the apartment door with my fingers grasping at the air.

“It’ll be fine. I won’t keep you long. I eat fast.”

He opened the door for me as my mind attempted to catch up to the current events. I stopped a few feet away and crossed my arms over my chest.

“My phone is in my bag.”

“No cellphones.”

I dropped my mouth open and gasped, the sarcasm obvious and intentional. “Well, umm, my wallet? My wallet is in there, as well.”

“I appreciate your offer to pay, but I truly insist on treating you to this meal.”

I cocked my hip to the side and tapped my foot. “Mom would kick your ass for that, too?”

He winked. “You’re a quick learner.”

He walked over and put a hand on my lower back and guided me toward the passenger-side door. I pretended to fight against him, but I’m pretty sure he could’ve steered me off a cliff with that hand and I wouldn’t have noticed.

“But, but—what if we’re in an accident and burn to death and the authorities need to identify me?”

He politely helped me down into the seat and grabbed the top of the door. “That won’t really be our problem, will it?”

I smiled and shook my head. “This is kidnapping, Stallworth!”

He shut my door midsentence and laughed on his way around the front of the car.

He sat down in the passenger seat and fired up the noiseless engine. I pretended to struggle against the seatbelt I’d willingly put on seconds before.

“Don’t you worry. Once you get a mouthful of this meat you’ll forgive me.”

I snorted at his deadpan delivery.

He backed out into the parking lot and put the car into drive. Without looking at me he channeled the eeriest rendition of a Hannibal Lecter impersonation I’d ever borne witness to. “Tell me, Kelsey. Have the lambs stopped screaming yet?”

His head slowly rotated toward me and he had a psychotic-looking smile plastered across his face. Then he hit the accelerator and we rocketed down the road.

Matt shook his head while he sat across from me in a booth.

“What?”

“You call yourself a burger lover and you’ve never been to Fred’s Jumbo Burgers.” He regarded me with skepticism.

“Are you questioning my burger integrity? And if I recall, I told you I didn’t like cheeseburgers, sir.”

“Yes. Yes, I am. And we both know your feeble attempt at lying was total bullshit.”

I laughed and looked around the place. Fred’s was about twenty minutes from the record store, just on the outskirts of the city. My eyes roamed the walls where pictures of celebrities and politicians hung. They all smiled with a giant burger on a plate in front of them.

Large, slanted glass windows ran floor to ceiling around three of the walls with a bank of booths attached to them except for where the door opened and closed.

“Order up!” A man’s voice boomed from a narrow window back behind the waist-level bar top that ran along the back wall.

I stared down at the menu. It read FRED’S JUMBO BURGERS and underneath in a smaller font it said ESTABLISHED 1947.

“Wow, they’ve been around for a while. I’m surprised I didn’t know about this place.”

“Not many people do. They don’t spend any money on advertising.”

I glanced up from the menu and stared at Matt like he was from outer space. “What? Why?”

Matt’s eyes rolled up from the menu to meet mine. “I’ve known the owner since I was a kid. He’s cooked every single burger that’s been served here. I asked him the same thing one day.”

Seriously, he’s going to tease this out of me? Does he think he’s J. K. Rowling?

“And?” I rolled my hand forward like get on with it and tell me what he said.

“He told me that if you’re good at something you don’t need to tell people about it. That people will do it for you.”

I thought about the words for a moment. Twilight handled all of that stuff at the record store, so I was by no means an expert. “I mean, I get it. I’m no business guru and word of mouth is always good advertising. But shouldn’t he pay for advertising, too?”

Matt smiled. “I told him the same thing. But—”

He paused and looked around at the place.

I thought about tickling him if he didn’t tell me the damn story.

His shoulders started to bounce and his face turned pink like he was holding back a laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, Mr. MVP, spit it out.”

Matt’s smile faded and his face paled. He turned his gaze toward the window. “Someone’s been Googling.”

Weird, why did he stop smiling at that? “No Googling. Jenny told me about it. But thank you for assuming I’d Google you.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

Matt’s grin returned, but not fully. Something was going on in his head. I wished I could read his mind the way he read mine constantly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

I faked a glare at him that must’ve been pretty convincing, because for the first time he actually appeared a little apprehensive. “Pretty sure you Googled me, though.”

Matt laughed, hard. A strange sensation coursed through my body—not the kind of sensation that made me want to hump Matt’s leg or see him naked, but something I hadn’t felt in a while. It was hard to pinpoint what it was, but I just felt like I was walking in the sun and breathing in everything around me without a care in the world. Hakuna Matata was what it was. I was Timon and Pumbaa, completely carefree and oblivious to the rest of the world.

I reached over and grabbed Matt by the wrist. “Everybody Googles me, Stallworth. Everybody. I bet you read the hell out of my Wikipedia page.”

We both laughed like little children sitting at their own booth away from their parents. Making Matt happy like that surprised me, and it did nothing to alleviate the feelings that were flaring up again. Could I give in to them? I knew deep inside what was about to happen.

A train wreck.

And I was waving my ticket as it rushed into the station with a ton of luggage on the platform waiting to hop on with me.

“Order up!”

Matt rubbed his hands together. “I hope I haven’t built up the suspense too much on this burger. You know, set the bar too high, so that it’s impossible to measure up?”

“Did you order for us? When?”

“Yeah, when I walked in I held up two fingers.”

Someone walked our way with two baskets of food and I eyed Matt ferociously. “You ordered for me?”

The corners of his mouth curled up like my expression meant nothing and he nodded. “Should I be worried that your opinion of this burger will be tarnished by that fact?”

A teenage kid set them down on the table and walked away.

“Oh, I’ll be objective, Stallworth. Don’t worry. I don’t expect much when it comes to being an authority on burgers from a guy that looks like you.”

His mouth dropped open like he couldn’t believe his ears.

I laughed. “Teasing. But for real, look at yourself. There’s not an ounce of fat on your body. Why the hell would you be considered a true connoisseur?”

“That’s umm, some kind of ‘ism.’ I’m not sure which, but it’s discrimination.”

“Really? Playing the cheeseburgerism card?”

Matt laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I am, damn it.”

I lifted the fully loaded double cheeseburger in front of my face and tried to hold back the foodgasm that was about to occur. I promised Matt I’d remain objective but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t tease him a bit first. I bit into it and an explosion of flavor went off in my mouth. My eyes closed while I took it all in.

God, this is like heaven. Why’d I eat those effing bananas?

I lowered the burger to my plate and caught Matt staring intently. “And?”

I snapped out of food paradise and shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Heresy! Tell me what I want to hear, Martin.” He leaned in and grinned.

I laughed so hard I nearly choked.

“Fine, Stallworth. Fine! Okay?” I took a deep breath and swallowed my pride. “How the hell have I never been here before?” I shook my head.

“Exactly.” Matt snatched his burger from the basket and took a bite roughly twice as big as mine.

“Do you even taste it when you inhale your food like that? Maybe we should have gotten you two.”

“Or three.” He waggled his eyebrows at me and swallowed.

I took another bite and gave a quick nod to the food gods for creating such a delectable combination of meat and cheese. “Seriously, though, this is a work of art. Now finish the story about paying for advertising.”

“Oh, right. When I told him he said he’d rather focus money on the product. Better ingredients, paying his staff more, stuff like that. I’ve always liked his mindset on things.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah, he’s a great guy. Like a second dad to me.”

A sharp pain slammed me in the chest. I had one of those once, a second dad.

Matt must’ve noticed something change in my demeanor.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t think before I said that.”

I couldn’t tell if I enjoyed how observant Matt was or if it scared me. “It’s okay. Really.”

“You were really close to Jenny’s dad, weren’t you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I miss him, a lot.”

“I’m sure it was rough on both of you.”

I looked out the window and nodded again. I missed taking care of him. Usually, I would’ve been at his house while he watched football and cursed the television for it not being baseball season. A smile crept over my face briefly and then disappeared.

Fuck cancer.

Matt’s hand wrapped around mine and I glanced down to it then up at him.

“I know you spent a lot of time taking care of Jenny after, but did you take some time for you, too?”

I wanted to dodge the question and go back to having fun, but something about Matt set me at ease a little. He was so easy to talk to.

I shook my head and awaited judgment that never came.

“Well, you should think about it. But don’t let anyone pressure you into it. It won’t help unless you’re the one who makes that decision.”

Wow, this guy was full of surprises. Most guys I’d been around would laugh at talking about feelings, like it somehow made them less of a man. Not Matt Stallworth, though. He somehow made it manly and attractive.

“I’ll think about it.” I paused. “You sound like you have experience with this.” It was more of a question than a statement.

“We have therapists and things with the team. I know people think professional athletes live in a fantasy world, and to an extent we do. But guys on the team are married and travel away from their families a lot. And when you get paid the kind of money we do it comes with expectations. It can cause a lot of stress and anxiety.” He took another giant bite out of his burger.

“I hadn’t thought about that before. It makes sense.”

“You have to keep your mind as healthy as your body. It’s just as important.” He took another gigantic bite of food.

“Is that what the burger is for? Your mind instead of your body?” I grinned.

Matt stared at me over the top of the bun. “You really do catch on quick. This counts as a workout.”

I threw in the towel on the cheeseburger after a couple bites.

Damn bananas.

Matt glanced at me but didn’t mention anything about not finishing.

Matt pulled down my street and I couldn’t stop smiling at him like an idiot. The more we hung out the more I liked him, and in the back of my mind disaster still loomed. Nobody was this perfect.

A few weeks ago this was all just a fantasy. Now, when I looked around, it seemed to just work. My chest pinched when he parked in front of my apartment building. When he opened the door my legs weighed a thousand pounds each. I didn’t want to leave his car and I didn’t want the date to be over.

Truth was I liked Matt, a lot. I couldn’t lie to myself. He held my hand as I labored up each step on the way to the door.

“Big plans for tonight?” He turned to me and smiled.

“Not really. You?”

“Yeah.”

Damn it, Matt. We have to work on finishing your sentences.

I didn’t want to be a clinger and ask him what he was doing. I mean, I guess we were dating, but did he have to tell me where he was going? I’d never really cared with anyone I’d dated before.

“Cool.” We arrived in front of my door. “Well, thank you for the burger. And have fun, okay?” My words rushed out of me, short and snappy. I took a step toward the door.

Hand.

On my wrist.

It pulled me back to him and before I knew what happened I had two palms on the sides of my face and a pair of bright blue eyes locked in on me.

“You’re beautiful.”

As if the air hadn’t rushed from my body at his words, he pressed his lips to mine. My entire body sparked at his touch and quickly went up in flames. Matt held his lips to mine for a brief second, strong and firm, yet he waited for me to give in before he took what he wanted.

Fuck!

I melted into him and parted my lips. One hand snaked into the back of my hair. Our tongues danced and my heart started to gallop. I reached up and wrapped both arms around his neck, then ran my nails lightly up the nape of his neck and into his hair.

Every nerve in my body fired simultaneously, straight between my legs, and he pulled me tight against him. When he finally released me I thought I might pass out. Or just float away into the sky. Jesus. Nobody had ever kissed me like that before. Ever. I finally willed the courage to turn my eyes up to his, and his smile warmed me up once more.

“I’m having dinner with my family tonight. It’s something we do.”

Relief washed over me. I wasn’t sure why. Matt was free to do whatever he wanted.

“Oh, well, that’s nice.”

“So was that kiss.”

I nodded. “Mmm.”

Wait. He was going to eat? Again? “Didn’t we just have dinner?”

Matt smiled. “I have to eat all the time. For the job.”

I shook my head. “Sounds awful.”

“It is. Trust me.”

Matt’s hands both fell to the curves of my hips and he pulled me closer to him. “I don’t like watching you go through that door.” He nodded to my apartment and his words were a growl, like he wasn’t ready to give up what was his for the day.

It sent goosebumps pebbling up my arms and a tingling up my spine. I couldn’t remember being the center of anyone’s attention or affection the way I was with Matt.

He bent down and pressed his forehead against mine. “This is me restraining myself and respecting your wishes. I hope you know how much self-control it’s taking.”

My stomach twisted in a good way. “I really appreciate that. And I do notice. I promise.”

“Thank you.” His hands moved up to my ribs and he backed me up to my door.

Holy.

Shit.

My breathing shallowed and my heart pumped even harder than before. Matt could be so sweet, but at the moment he looked like he wanted to rip my clothes off and own me. Shit, I would’ve let him. Totally would have. But at the same time I hadn’t ever felt so protected in my life, because somehow I just knew he wouldn’t.

My back slammed into the door and I stopped breathing altogether. He took both of my wrists and pinned them against the door over my head. I stayed there for a second, but it was like it all played out in slow motion. His wicked eyes roved my body down to my hips and then up to my breasts.

I may have let out one of those excited whimpers at the way his hungry stare seared into me. His half-hooded eyes finally rolled up to meet mine. “Fuck, you’re hot.” He went in for the collarbone, and when his lips met my neck my mind went to shit.

If Matt hadn’t been holding my wrists against the door I might’ve fallen straight into a crumpled pile of Kelsey on the ground. He worked his way up to my ear and I squeezed my thighs together and focused everything I had on not having a big O just from having my neck sucked on by a gorgeous, hot, bastard baseball player.

“God, you taste incredible.”

His words.

Hot in my ear.

My whole body quaked under his hold and he planted one last kiss on my lips.

His tongue is magic.

I moaned into his mouth and he swallowed every sound without missing a beat. Jesus, he could probably get me off in less than a second with his head between my legs. When he pulled away I started to lunge back out at him and caught myself. Matt grinned at the gesture and moved my hands down from the door before letting go of my wrists.

Matt was like a drug and I already needed my next fix.

“I’ve gotta go or I won’t stop kissing you.”

Please stay, then!

“Okay, you better go, then.” I giggled. A giggle. The worst part was that I didn’t even care anymore.

“Okay, I’m gonna—” He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder but his eyes stayed glued to me.

“Go! Before you change your mind.” I should’ve made it easier on him but I didn’t want to, because I needed his mouth on other parts of me. My nipples were harder than they’d ever been in my life and he’d left goosebumps pretty much everywhere. I pushed my breasts out and wrapped my arms around myself underneath them, pressing them up higher.

Matt’s eyes dropped down to them. Even the saints had their weaknesses, it seemed. I glanced down at them, nipples definitely clear and defined through the fabric, and then back up to him. I raised my eyebrows.

“You’re an evil woman.” He stalked toward me with a hint of devil in his stare.

His lips slammed into mine as one of his hands cupped a breast and he rolled my nipple between his fingers. God, I wanted him to fuck me so damn bad. No, I wanted him to lick every inch of me and then fuck me, hard. His other hand twisted through my hair and then he gripped it in his fist.

His mouth moved to my ear and he panted. I ground my hips against him then reached down and palmed his cock over his jeans, trying to grind myself against his leg at just the right angle. I was so damn hot and wet for him he could probably feel the heat through both layers of denim.

“Keep this up and you’re going to get fucked.”

Shit!

His filthy mouth almost had me undone, before he’d even undone my pants. I should’ve pushed him away, because I knew I was rushing into things. I also didn’t want to be a tease and get him all riled up and then send him on his way, either, even though it was probably too late for that. I just couldn’t help myself. It probably wasn’t a good idea to dry hump a professional athlete—well, anyone, for that matter—out in public.

“Okay, okay.” I took in a deep breath. “Yeah, slow. We should take it slow.”

“Yeah, we should.”

Matt started to back away from my ear.

“I don’t think you could handle this yet. You’re not ready.”

His grip tightened in my hair, and my head tilted up slightly. My body buzzed like it might explode at any second and I snickered. Secretly, I felt a little bad about not letting him move away. He’d tried twice already.

He pinched my nipple even harder and then ran his hand between my legs. His fingertips were like magnets because he found my clit without a search and ran his fingers back and forth over it. I moaned and bucked my hips against his palm, searching for a release.

“Yeah, I bet. Since I’m the one who’s about to get off right now.”

“Oh my God.”

His fingers sped up on me, and his mouth went to the sweet spot halfway between my shoulder and my ear. His tongue swirled and he sucked on my neck like he wanted to have me for a meal.

He alternated between making lazy circles around my clit to full-on stroking it with rapid-fire quickness.

“Don’t stop. Shit. Please, Matt.”

“I knew you’d be dirty. Getting off on my hand out here where anyone could see.”

Oh my God.

I teetered on the edge of release, about to take a nosedive off the cliff when Matt’s phone rang out from his pocket.

“No cellphones!” I growled.

Matt smirked and his hand slowed.

“No. Keep going!”

He reached for his phone with an evil grin on his face. I tried to pull his hand back to me, but I laughed at the same time. “You are not doing this to me right now, Stallworth!”

“You started the teasing.”

He answered the phone as I sat there, disheveled and playfully glaring.

“Yeah, Mom. I won’t be late. I promise.” He paused. “Yeah, I just got done”—he glanced at me—“doing some cardio.”

I glared laser beams at him.

He shrugged off my stare with a grin. “I’m always on time and you always call. Uh-huh. Okay. I love you, too.”

“Mama’s boy!” I stared at him, trying to look frustrated, but with a smile still on my face.

Matt walked over and kissed me once more, but in a different way. It was not an I want to fuck your brains out kiss. This one said, I don’t want to leave, but I need to.

“You’re so wrong for that, you know?”

He leaned to my ear and reached down to my pussy. “Next time I’ll put my mouth down here to make it up to you.”

I smacked him on the shoulder and laughed through gritted teeth. “Go!”

He kissed me on the forehead and walked toward the stairs. Every two steps he glanced back and grinned like a fool.