I paced my room waiting for her to answer my calls or respond to my texts. It was ten o’clock at night when I finally heard from her.

Hey.

Where are you?

I demanded to know, but a text couldn’t really emphasize my concern. I needed to know she was all right.

If I tell you, will you promise not to rush over here?

I sighed in exasperation.

Promise, with my fingers crossed behind my back.

Your hands are tied behind your back?

I laughed. Was she trying to be funny? I’d like to tie your hands behind your back. X

There was a pause and I thought I might have gone too far.

I’m in your living room.

I smiled as I raced from my room.

“Guinie?” She was so beautiful. My voice broke to see her standing there.

“I thought I should talk to you in person. Here. First.”

I stepped toward her, but something told me to stop.

“First? Before what? Are you breaking up with me?”

“Are we dating?”

“I thought…What do you think, Guinie?”

“I want to date you.” She smiled slyly and bit her lip.

“Okay.” My shoulders relaxed. I took another step toward her. “What does dating mean to you? Are there rules? A code? Because truthfully, I don’t know how to do it.”

“I don’t either,” she laughed, “but I’d like to try. With you.”

I closed the distance between us and wrapped her in my arms. I might have crushed her in my grasp, unable to get her close enough to me. I needed to be inside of her, to connect us in order to show her I would give her anything she asked for. Anything.

“I think we need to slow down,” she began.

I pulled back, but didn’t release her. Narrowing my eyes at her, I asked her what she meant.

“I just mean, I think we should spend time together in the city. It isn’t going to be like it was upstate.”

“It could be.” I smiled mischievously.

She laughed and the tension broke.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Anything. I love you.”

She didn’t say it back to me, and I was beginning to panic.

“Can we just see where it goes?” Her voice was quiet.

“Yes.” I waited a beat, still hoping she would say she loved me in return.

Nothing.

“What does this mean?” I questioned.

“I’m going to stay at Lace’s for a while. I can’t be around my father right now, and I don’t think I should stay here.”

I somehow understood why she needed time. I was ready to beg her to live with me, but I asked her another question instead. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, and my mouth invaded hers. I was a starving man. I could not get enough of her. I needed her sweet flavor. I sucked her lips, nibbled them gently, and devoured them heartily. My tongue caressed the inside of her mouth, licking the inner walls and lapping her tongue. I thirsted and hungered for her to fill me. She was my survival.

“Don’t leave me, Guinie. I love you,” I repeated again between kisses. We were both panting when she made that throaty sigh of satisfaction that I loved. I bent my knees slightly to grasp her under her ass and pick her up. She immediately wrapped her legs around me as I walked us to the couch. I fell back onto it, taking her with me, and she straddled my lap.

“Promise me, Guinie.”

“I promise. I love you too,” she whispered in my ear before trailing down my jaw to my neck. Her words were my undoing. I claimed her mouth. I kissed her with all the vengeance of my desire to have her as my love, as my wife. She was my life.

I wasn’t going to question her commitment to slow down, but we seemed far from slowing down. Before I knew it, she had pushed up my T-shirt and was licking a path to my abs that quivered with excitement at the direction she traveled. My hands slid into her hair and I knew I needed to be the voice of reason.

“I thought you said slow?”

She was forcefully unbuckling my belt and it suddenly felt like she was trying to prove she loved me. I was so full that my zipper was too snug against me. My excitement was obvious and she had the zipper down before she answered.

“I said slow. Not stop.”

She slid off my lap and stood before me. I was loosened, but not freed, and I wanted to let her lead. She removed her shirt in a tortuously slow display, exposing only her stomach for a few moments before releasing the shirt over her head. Before me was a beautiful hot-pink silk bra, and I swallowed hard in anticipation of tasting the delicacy contained inside each cup. She slid her hands down her stomach and unbuttoned her own jeans. I sprang to life further, if that was even possible, and had to adjust a little to make room for my growing girth. She moved her hips from side to side to slide the denim down her long legs. Hot-pink panties matched the bra and I clenched my fists to prevent me from grabbing her.

“Guinie, I’m enjoying the show, but there better be a grand finale, or I’m going to explode.”

She only smiled slowly and slid her hands around to her back to unhook her bra. Her hands did a slow dance over each shoulder, but she didn’t release herself. She slid her delicate fingers across her belly again to the sides of her panties and slid them downward. As they cleared her hips, they continued on their own to the floor and she let go of the bra. She was exposed to me in one drop.

As she stood before me in her naked glory, I wanted to reach for her, but I could still sense that she needed to be in control. She needed to feel in charge and I was willing to let her take it. My shirt was already off, so she reached for my jeans and pulled them down with my briefs. I stood at full attention before her and she slid her hands up my thighs. She came to the edge of me and pulled back. I shivered. I needed her to grab me.

“Guinie?”

Her eyes were closed and she climbed over my thighs, spreading her legs and sliding up me. I could feel her wetness cascade over each ridge of me. She was tormenting me, and I was thrilled by it. I reached for my jeans for a condom. We’d already had two slip-ups without one: when I took her by the couch and in the tub. I didn’t want her to worry about getting pregnant. As I leaned forward with her on my lap, she positioned my head at her entrance and shoved down.

I let out a grunt as I entered her. I didn’t want to say forget safe sex, but I also didn’t plan on being with anyone else. Ever again.

She slid to the tip of me, circled her hips, and slammed back down to the base of me. In this position, I filled her to the hilt and groaned again at the sensation. She was warm and slippery, and the torturous pleasure continued for several minutes, until she found a spot that seemed to please her. She stayed in that position, rubbing and sliding. Her hands gripped my shoulders hard as her eyes rolled closed and she arched her back, forcing her breasts to meet my mouth. I sucked on her hard and she screamed in her release. She rocked back and forth on me, and I looked up at her glorious expression to see she was still in ecstasy.

“Are you still going, Guinie Girl?” I said slyly, as I felt her clenching me.

“Again,” she growled from the back of her throat and groaned loudly as she came a second time. Watching her take her pleasure with me set me off and I shot into her, forcing myself as deep as I could go. I felt like we both clutched each other, pressing together at our cores, to join us as one permanently.

On the last of my pulsing, she collapsed forward on me and slipped her arms around my neck.

“Guinie. That was incredible.”

She kissed my neck and giggled.

“I don’t suppose you’ll stay the night? I don’t think I can sleep without you.”

She pulled back and giggled again. “Nope, dating. That means I leave. You’ll be okay.”

I didn’t agree with her. I just took her mouth with mine again.