I watched as Ross’s car came to a stop in front of my house. Wordlessly, I stepped inside the car, and he drove us back to his place.

My heart pounded hard and fast in my chest, and I couldn’t speak, until we came to a stop in front of his house, and I turned to him before he could get out of the car.

“What about Sophia?” I asked.

Sure, I was just going to make him dinner, I’d insisted after the barbecue. I just wanted to see him without the excuse of school, but I wouldn’t outright say that. It had been a long week, though.

“My mom left town for the weekend,” he answered. His reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. “She took Sophia with her for a little girl time.”

I smiled, wry. “Funny. My mom suddenly needed to be out of town for the weekend, too.”

I was starting to grow a little suspicious of all the coincidences going around. But before I could think too much on it, he released my hand and got out of the car. I followed him out, and we headed for the house. His side brushed against mine, and I gasped. He glanced down at me, making me blush and look away.

Relax, I told myself.

I was just hyperaware of him because I knew we’d be alone this time. Truly alone. No one out in the backyard, no one else in the house that meant we had to be especially quiet.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t have brought anything?” I asked as he opened the door and we walked in.

“I did the shopping yesterday, so we should be fine. Unless you want to make something specific that you don’t think I’ll have the ingredients for.”

“Can I take a look at your kitchen?” I asked.

He nodded. He locked the door behind us and led the way to the kitchen. I let myself get distracted by the task ahead, looking through the fridge and cupboards to catalog what was there. I could think up a few dishes off the top of my head I could make with what was available.

“We should be fine,” I murmured.

I turned around, only to still when I saw Ross sitting at the dining table and staring intently at me. My breath hitched in my throat as my body warmed up, and I was hypersensitive again.

“Do you have to sit there and watch?” I asked, scowling, though I knew my face was warm, so I was probably blushing.

He smirked. “Is there anything wrong with me watching? I could always help out.”

My body shivered as I imagined the two of us standing side-by-side and cooking together. Our sides and hands would brush as we worked. He would stand behind me and reach for something in the cupboard above me, his front pressed against my back. It would be the sweetest torture.

But I wanted it, so I nodded. “Fine. But try not to get in my way,” I said, bluffing.

He just smiled and got up, and we got to work.

It went exactly as I thought it would. We barely talked, save for me giving instructions and Ross acknowledging them. He took advantage, though, and I was pretty sure most of the times we ended up brushing against each other, he did it deliberately. Just as well, because I did it, too.

After, we washed some of the stuff we’d used at the sink. Moments later, I served the food, and we both sat down to eat.

I kept my eyes on him as he took his first bite, but this time with anxiety as I waited for his judgment on what I’d made. Surprise and then amazement showed in his expression, and I sighed in relief, knowing I was in the clear.

“This is good,” he said, the surprise heavy in his voice. “As good as the food in your mom’s diner.”

He gave me a questioning look.

“I don’t cook at my mom’s, if you’re wondering, but I do use all her recipes. It helped me out when I lived on my own.” I smiled. “Though I do feel a little insulted you’re this surprised I’m a good cook.”

He chuckled. “You shouldn’t be. It’s just one more thing you’re good at, I’m sure. You’ve always been amazing, Jessica. You just didn’t let a lot of people see before.”

I blushed and looked down at my plate, taking the first bite of my food. I frowned a little, thinking there wasn’t enough salt, but decided against saying anything. Ross loved it as it was.

“You’re the only one who’s ever said that to me.”

He scoffed. “I’m sure you’ve dated before, Jessica.”

I hesitated, then shrugged. “They never really lasted long, though.”

He didn’t reply, and, when I looked up, his expression was almost pained. He was staring down at the table and had paused eating. I reached across the table for one of his hands and squeezed a little. When he looked up at me, I smiled.

“Ross, you need to stop worrying about all that shit from the past. Yeah, what happened with you probably had something to do with how terrible my relationships went, but it’s not like I was in them by myself.” I shrugged. “I guess I’ve just always had crappy taste in men.”

He grimaced and tried a smile, though it was shaky around the edges. “So, you lump me in with that?”

I snorted. “Of course, Ross.” Then I smiled again. “But you’ve, to a point, redeemed yourself.”

He arched an eyebrow. “To a point?”

“You’ve still got a long way to go.”

He smiled crookedly at me, his hand turning under mine to squeeze my hand back.

“I guess that means I’ve still got room to impress you, huh,” he joked back.

We shared a smile, then went back to silence as we finished eating. The air between us was warm and comfortable. I relaxed back into my chair as we ate. Once we were done, I got up, picked up the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. Before I could start to wash them, though, strong arms wound around my waist, hands clasping over my stomach. Then I felt Ross pressed up against my back. He pressed a kiss to my temple, then down my cheek, and to my neck.

“Ross,” I whispered, only to gasp when he suddenly latched onto my neck and sucked.

“Leave them for now.”

But I shook my head. Either way, if we were going to have fun, we needed to let the food settle. It was never fun having sex right after food, and I wanted to have fun for a while tonight. The last time in my room had been impulsive, and we’d both had to hold back. I didn’t plan on that for tonight.

“Let’s just wash the dishes first,” I said, my voice coming out as a plea as he continued to kiss, lick, and suck down the side of my neck.

He groaned in disappointment, then sighed against my throat. After a final squeeze around my middle, he released me to stand beside me.

“Fine,” he muttered.

I didn’t miss the look he threw me out the corner of his eye, though.

There was tension between us as we washed the dishes, but it was the good kind of tension. He’d pushed back the sleeves of his shirt, and every time his bare forearm brushed against mine, I shivered.

When we were done, Ross took my arm and rushed us upstairs, and I didn’t fight against him, running right after him. He dragged us to his room and closed the door behind us. Then he pushed me against the wall and pressed his lips to mine.

I moaned as I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I licked along his lower lip until he parted his lips, and I slid my tongue in to map the inside of his mouth. I rolled my tongue over, under, and around his, my fingers digging into his shoulder blades.

He pulled back when we both needed to breathe.

“What’s the rush?” I whispered, pressing against his chest so he would move back a little. He did so reluctantly. “I’m here for the night, remember? For the weekend, actually.”

He chuckled, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. But I’ve wanted this for a while, you know. Having you in my room…”

“Because we did it in my room last time?” I teased.

“No, not that. Although it was fucking awkward getting out of that situation and facing your mother again.”

I snorted. “You don’t know the half of it. You left after that, but my mom and my aunt both seemed to know something happened.”

Even though we’d cleaned up after. It had been an awkward night after my aunt left. My mom and I were both quiet the entire time, and I couldn’t run away fast enough.

“Can you open my dress for me?” I asked, turning around and holding my hair up so he could see. “I don’t want you to rip it by accident.”

There was silence, then Ross chuckled and moved closer. I could feel the warm wash of his breath on my nape as he took the zipper between his fingers and tugged it carefully down.

“Has that happened to you a lot?”

I shrugged as I turned around again. “A lot more than you’d think.”

His eyes met mine as I tipped my head back. He moved closer, so he had me against the door again. His hands reached for the straps of my dress and pulled them down my arms, allowing my dress to slip off. Then he looked down at my body, and I stood still and let him. I’d chosen my underwear hoping for just this situation. I wore one of my few lingerie pieces, a lacy piece in black and red.

“You like?” I asked coyly, even though a part of me was feeling a bit insecure.

I shouldn’t have worried. He smirked at me, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around my waist, tugging my body closer to his.

“Are you kidding? I love it. Though I admit, I’d love to see you out of it even more.”

I breathed a silent sigh of relief and leaned up on my tiptoes to peck his lips for the compliment. Before he could trap me in another kiss again, I pulled away from him. He let me, and I went over to the bed and sat on the edge.

“Strip,” I commanded.

He looked at me in surprise, before he smirked again.

“As you wish,” he said, almost flippantly.

I watched as he stripped. He didn’t try to make a show of it, pulling his clothes off quickly and systematically, tossing them on top of a chest of drawers pressed against the wall. As he did that, I squirmed back on the bed until I could lay my head down on the pillow and waited for him. He was done in no time, and he followed me on the bed, crawling up me.

“Right here,” I murmured, parting my legs as my arms reached for him.

He groaned into my mouth as he slowly lowered his body onto mine. I took one of his hands in mine and brought it to my breast, squeezing around it and gasping at the friction on my nipple. Then Ross pulled away from the kiss, making me whine. But he just kissed down my chin, then down my neck to the space between my breasts. He kneeled above me and glanced up at me as he cupped both my breasts in his palms.

“It’s a front clasp,” I gasped out. “Take it off.”

He chuckled again. “Someone’s assertive,” he teased.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s fucking sexy,” he growled, nipping the side of my breast and making me jump a little.

Ross undid the clasp of my bra, the cups falling aside to reveal my breasts. Ross moaned, cupping one in his palm as he kissed the other, licking on the underside as he made his way up to my nipple. He took one in his mouth and sucked on it, as he rubbed his palm against my other nipple. I gasped and arched my back at the twin assault. He lightly tugged my nipple between his teeth, then smoothed it over with a flick of his tongue. Then he switched the attention of his mouth to the other nipple.

“Fuck,” I hissed. “Ross…”

I struggled to push myself up a bit, just far enough to slide off my bra straps and toss my bra to the floor. When I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed lightly, he got the hint immediately, giving one last, hard suck on my nipple before releasing it.

“Impatient, too,” he rumbled. “We’ve got all night.”

“I know,” I moaned. “But this is mostly your fault. I’ve been turned on since you picked me up.”

He looked up at me, and when I met his eyes, he gave me a wink. “You’re not the only one, you know. But I want to do this right this time.”

I wasn’t sure how long I could last before it became too much, though. The whole afternoon suddenly felt like foreplay, the lead-up to this. So I wasn’t interested in more, at least not for the moment. But, before I could protest, Ross’s hands skimmed down my sides, and he licked a line down between my breasts to the line of my panties. His hands on my hips took hold of either side of the lace and tugged down.

I lifted my legs for him as he slid them off my legs and tossed them aside. Then he placed his hands on my knees to spread my legs to either side of his kneeling body. He slid his hands down the inside of my thighs, and my body shuddered when he fingered my sex.

“Fuck, Jessica,” he whispered, eyes between my thighs.

I could feel my face flush at his intent gaze. I was almost tempted to cover up with my hands and close my legs. But he was moving before I could try to.

Ross pressed a kiss on my knee, then his lips slid to the inside of my thighs, licking, sucking, and nipping his way down. All the while, his fingers rubbed my clit and teased at my entrance. He latched onto the skin at the top of my thigh and sucked. I cried out as I arched my back, rolling my hips for more.

Instead, he moved up to my other knee, and repeated the whole process, making me groan in part disappointment, part pleasure.

His lips slid all the way down my thigh, and I held my breath as he licked at the soft skin, going lower and lower, and I sucked in a sharp breath when I felt the tip of his tongue press against my clit.

“There,” I moaned, shifting my legs. “Right there, Ross.”

His chest rumbled, and I could feel the vibration as he pressed his mouth against my sex, and kissed there like he’d kissed my mouth just moments before, with lips and tongue and teeth.

My body writhed in pleasure, my knees tensing around his shoulders as my hands clenched in his hair to press him harder against me. Pants and moans slipped out of my mouth as I rolled my hips against his mouth. He sucked gently on my clit, and then licked down until he was at my entrance.

When he thrust his tongue inside me, my back arched sharply as I cried out, my legs tightening around him. He did it again, thrusting in and out, mimicking what I hoped he would be doing with his cock soon. Then one of his hands slid up my hip, over my waist, and up my ribs to cup my breast. His thumb rubbed my nipple in circles, and I pulled one of my hands from his hair to play with my other nipple.

“Ross!” I cried out his name.

He pulled his tongue out of me, making me moan, but then he was wrapping his lips around my clit and sucking hard, at the same time pinching my nipple between his pointer finger and thumb. I cried out again as I came, my body shuddering as waves of pleasure washed over me. I slumped against the bed as my body calmed down. I shuddered once more when Ross licked my clit, before pulling back and looking up at me.

Ross watched me, smirking, as I panted to catch my breath.

“I’m not done with you yet, you know,” he growled, and there was a smugness to his voice I would have scoffed at if I wasn’t so breathless.

“I would be disappointed if you were,” I admitted.

His smirk softened into a smile, and he leaned over my body to press his lips against mine. I parted my mouth for him, and I shivered as he shared my taste with me. My arms wrapped around his neck, still weak but gaining strength as my body slowly grew aroused once again.

“Get a condom,” I commanded, not willing to wait for more.