I nervously ran my hand through my hair as I stared down at my phone.

Be there in 20! xx

I shouldn't be nervous. I shouldn't be pacing my kitchen, making sure I had Dani's favorite beer stalked in my fridge or that I had her favorite pub mix in a bowl waiting for her to devour. I shouldn't have gone out of my way to make sure I have these things for when she came over tonight, but yet I do and I don't even know why. I never cared before so I don't understand why I am now?

I honestly don't even know what I'm doing.

I've been avoiding Dani since our kiss. I was afraid that if and when I saw her again, things would be different between us. Thankfully, Dani never called me out for this and gave me the space that I needed. Which is one of the things that I like about her. We can go weeks without seeing each other and then the moment we do, we act like no time was lost at all.

Truth be told, she shouldn't come to my place when my girlfriend is out of town for work. I mean, she has before and it was nothing, but now? I'm honestly a glutton for punishment because deep down, I'm hoping something will happen, when in fact, they shouldn't.

Headlights flashed through my patio doors and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I honestly need to stop this train of thought before it takes full steam and the train gets out of control.

I shook my head of any wrongful thoughts and focused on the matter at hand. Dani was coming over to catch up on the last two Star Wars movies. This has been planned for months now and I promised I wouldn't see the new movie without her, so here we are.

Just, the moment she walked through my door, all those thoughts I was pushing away came back full force.

I watched as she took off her jacket to reveal a tight jumper dress I see my sister Erin wear all the time and she fucking wore thigh high stockings with boots.

Was she trying to kill me? Or was she doing this on purpose to get my attention?

"Someone's a little dressed up," I noted as I watched her expression. She blushed, pushing back a strand of her short hair and gave me a little smile and that's when I noticed her ruby red lips.

Fuck me.

"That's because I just came from a date." I blinked at her as my heart stopped.
"A date?"
"Yup!" She said with a pop of her lips. I didn't like how she wasn't elaborating and I certainly didn't like the fact she bent over right in front of me as she began to take off her boots.

I had to remind myself that this was just Dani. I should not be looking at her through new eyes and I certainly should not be reacting like this because she went on a date. I never cared before. But that was before you kissed her. I growled at the voice in my head and pushed it into a dark corner of my mind to never revisit again.

"Do I know him?" My eyes went to her bottom lip as she bit it and it took all I had to not cross the room and bite it for myself. But she was doing this to hide her smile and that reaction to my question right there told me I was right.
"Oh God, not you too," I groaned, knowing full well that she was dating a driver. "Which one is it?" I deadpanned, wanting to know to get this over with. You mean so you can beat the living shit out of him if he hurts your girl.

I took a long swig of my beer, praying it would cut off my inner monologue. Now was not the time to face those facts.

"What do you mean, 'not you, too'?"
"It's bad enough I have to watch Erin and William, and now you and? I really hope it's someone I like."
"When did I have to get approval from you about the men I date?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave me an annoyed look. "Last I checked I was a grown woman, Ryan." I ran my hand through my hair and pulled as hard as I could take it. Why was I getting like this?
"I'm sorry, Dani," I sighed walking over to my couch and falling onto it. "I just want what's best for you, that's all."
"I know," she said, following me to the couch. She sat only a few feet away from me and the sudden desire for her to be closer overwhelmed me. I picked up a pillow and placed it between us in hopes I wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Did you at least have a good night?" I watched as she looked at me in surprise like she didn't expect me to ask her.
"It was just a first date, so it was a bit awkward, but he already texted me asking to meet for breakfast this weekend. So that's good, right?"
"Does he know about us, at least? I don't want him to get mad or anything if he sees you with me at the track or somewhere else hanging out." I wasn't looking at her when I asked her, but her silence made me turn in her direction. "Dani?"
"Are we ever going to talk about that kiss? Because I don't think first kisses are meant to be like that."

I wanted to ask her how they were supposed to be, but she was right. First kisses aren't like that, this one was something I've never experienced before and she was smart enough to realize this was something more.

I couldn't answer her, I honestly didn't have an answer. Just, something overwhelmed me and I needed to kiss her like my life depended on it.

"Is that why you've been so distant? You regret it don't you?" She said softly.
"What? No, gosh, Dani, no, I don't regret that. Please don't think that."
"If you don't regret kissing me, then why haven't you been around, Ry?" I sighed loudly as I started to fidget it. I should have known better than to kiss her because even though we promised each other that nothing would change, it did.
"So it was a mistake then, got it. I'm sorry for making you do something you didn't want to in the first place." She laughed dryly when I didn't respond to her right away. "Okay then, I'm going to go. I knew better than to bring up this kiss. Honestly, I shouldn't have come here tonight." Dani muttered to herself the whole time she got up and started to put on her boots again. When she grabbed her jacket, I knew I had to stop her.

"Dani, wait, don't go." I reached out to her before she got to my door and thankfully she stopped and turned around. "I don't regret kissing you," I said carefully, "but you are right, I have been distant."
"Why, Ryan? You're my bestfriend. You're apart of my daily life and just suddenly, you're not. I can't help but think the worst."
"Danielle, it's not like that."
"Then what is it, Ryan? Please enlighten me because you have me thinking the fucking worst and I..." I didn't give Dani a chance to finish her sentence, how could I when her red lips were taunting me? How could I even let her think for one minute that I regret our kiss?

Because I didn't.

That kiss meant everything to me and even though I wasn't ready to tell her that, she needed to know that it wasn't a mistake.

My lips slotted against hers so perfectly as she melted in my arms. "Ryan, what are you doing?" She asked, breaking the kiss and looking up at me.
"This is why I've been distant, Dani," I slipped my arms inside of her jacket and wrapped them around her waist as I pulled her into me. "Because if I had another chance to kiss you, I was going to take it and I shouldn't want that." I closed my eyes in anguish as a wave of desire shot through me. When I opened them I was met with lustful eyes and I fucking lost it.

I grabbed Dani's face, smashing my lips to hers in a frenzy kiss. She gasped in surprise and I used that opening to lick into her mouth. I moaned the moment I tasted her. I don't know what she was drinking tonight but it was something I was suddenly craving and when all of that faded away, I was tasting her for the second time and fuck.

I broke the kiss and pushed myself away from her. "I feel like I can't control myself when I'm around you now. I don't know what changed, but I'm starting to crave you in a way I never thought possible."
"And what way is that?" Dani was breathless as she asked me that question, her ruby lips smeared from kissing her roughly. I had to force myself to look away as my eyes began to trail down her small, curvy body that was suddenly a fucking tease. "Ryan, I need to know. How do you crave me?" Her fingers grazed my arm, her feather light touch setting my skin on fire.
"In every possible way," I confessed, turning back to her and pushed her up against the door.

Dani let out a gasp as I leaned in. I don't know if it was from my confession or the fact that I pushed her against my door but she didn't stop me when I leaned into her. Her soft body molded to mine as I softly ran my hand from her thigh, up her side and then to the apex of her neck.

When I tilted her head up to look in her eyes, I saw a million questions flash in them, but they all faded away when she looked down at my lips.

"Did he kiss you tonight?" I shouldn't be asking her this, especially since she won't tell me which driver she had a date with.
"No."
"Good."

I crashed my lips to hers once more, licking my way into her mouth. She let out a soft moan that went straight to my groin and I knew I was in trouble if I didn't stop this.

I didn't.

I pressed myself against her as she moaned again. I knew she felt my hardness, but at this point, I didn't fucking care.

I broke the kiss, trailing down her neck, back up to her jaw and then nibbled on her ear. I licked back into her mouth as she began to run her fingers through my hair, eliciting a moan from the back of my throat.

I slipped her jacket off of her as my hands started to roam her body; her soft curves teased me as I gently touched them. Dani's skin broke out in goosebumps as I brushed against the top of her thigh high stockings, and then I found myself pushing up her skirt as my hand slipped underneath the fabric.

Right as I was searching her eyes for permission to go further, headlights flooded my living room.

Just as fast as I was on her, I pushed myself as far as away as possible. "Fuck!" I groaned, pulling my hair out of frustration. I had no idea who was here but I was cursing their name to heaven right now.

"It's Chase," she whispered, looking out the door.
"Shit, I forgot he was in town." I looked at Dani as she picked up her jacket. Her hair was a mess, her lipstick was smeared and where I was playing with the top of her stocking just a minute ago was beginning to roll down into her boot.

She looked thoroughly fucked and I barely even touched her.

Dani moved from the door just as Chase was walking in. He took one look at Dani and then at me and raised his eyebrow in question. "I can come back later if you two are in the middle of something?"

"No, Chase, that's okay, I was just, um, leaving. I'll talk to you later, Ryan. Have a good night." Dani didn't even look at me as she ran out the door. As it slammed shut, Chase just stared at me.

"You got a little something..." He pointed to his lips indicating I had something on mine. I went to wipe them off and when I pulled my hand back, I saw red.

Fuck.