Chapter 4 – Temptation to max

I need to calm myself down before I step outside from the cab; counting always helps. Close your eyes. One. Take a deep breath. Two. Exhale. Three. Inhale. Four. Exhale. Five. I open my eyes and I see Lauren.

'Bo, you coming?' Lauren says frowning and waiting on me outside of the cab.

I open my mouth but nothing comes out, so I just nod and try to crawl out from the cab without hitting my head in the door frame; again. Like it isn't embarrassing enough already, dumb clumsiness. At least the dizziness is less but my head still hurts. I place my foot outside on the pavement, making sure I can stand before I actually stand up. I breathe out; wouldn't it be perfect if I just checked off everything on the list of "what-not-do-to" today by face planting the ground too? Glad I didn't do that, but at the same time maybe it would have been the best given the thought that the day isn't over yet. I push that thought away, do not think about that now I tell myself.

Lauren grabs me around my waist again, oh my – her fingers sends chills through my spine and makes me lean in a little closer to her just to feel her touch even more.

'You okay?' Lauren asks and meets my eyes.

'Yeah, I'm okay. You can let me go you know.' I say with a teasing smile.

'Are you sure? You almost scratched that beautiful face of yours in the ground an hour ago. Sure I should let you go?' She says jokingly and with a sly smile.

I laugh at her comment and lean closer to her, I could get used to this. Her holding me and taking care of me. I shake my head; I must have hit it hard – what is wrong with me? I would never have thought about this a year ago, me with someone – permanent.

'Maybe you should hold on to me, I could end up falling you know, with my condition and all.' I say half joking and half serious.

She just gives me a smile from one ear to the other and looks down a bit. How can I have missed that smile? I have to shake my head once more to get the thought out of my head. Somehow I really don't trust myself or my temptation to keep my hands off of her. Because my brain is painting really vivid pictures of us doing things that involves a bed.. Or better yet, the table or the floor or even the stairs. I clear my throat, so not the right time thinking of this.

Lauren frowns a little and looks worried when she hears me; I reassure her I'm fine and that I just need some water. She leads me inside of her apartment, which is flawless and neat just as I imagined it. Everything have its place, her paintings are perfectly hung making a straight line on top and the bottom. The atmosphere is airy and light; she has chosen the colors white, grey, brown and some black details. If you look around there isn't much of furniture or much of anything, she have all that she needs. A sofa with a glass table and a flat screen, a music area, dinner table with six chairs, a kitchen area, a movable island near the kitchen and an upper floor.

Lauren stands beside me and gives me a glass of water and I thank her. The glass is empty in seconds; I didn't realize how thirsty I was.

'I like your place, it's spotless.' I say looking at her as I walk in her living room.

'You're not the first one telling me that.' She says and chuckles.

'No, I like how you've done it to your own trademark – neat and flawless just like yourself.' I say with a genuine tone.

'Thank you, but I'm far from perfect.' She says smiling and looking down at the floor.

'In my eyes you are…' Did I say that out aloud? She is going to think I'm a creep or worse with that cheesy line.

'Sorry if that came out wrong.' I say quickly to save the situation from becoming even worse than it already is.

She gives me a smile.

'Bo, it's okay. I didn't take it the wrong way; it's sweet of you so thank you.'

I scratch my head and wince a little, I forgot about the gash in the back of my head.

Lauren seats me down on a chair beside the kitchen island and I sit still. She opens a drawer on the other side of me and places a medical kit on the island.

'Well, you never know when you need it. It's handy to have.' She says with a smile.

She places the chair beside me and starts to prep with gloves, needles, thread and everything else she needs. She radiates such calmness and she looks really professional with her doktory things and can't keep myself from smiling.

'So do you always take home strangers to patch them up after they've gotten into a fight?' I ask jokingly.

Lauren chuckles to the question.

'Ahem, only the beautiful ones and the ones that interests me.' She says with a wink and we laugh together.

'Honestly?'

'Honestly; no. I don't take home that many women.' She says if with a genuine tone.

Lauren starts to examine the gash in my back head; I feel her fingers inspect my scalp with tentativeness. I wince a little when she carefully pokes at the wound. Even when she is really careful, it hurts because it is an open wound.

'Sorry, would you like me to anesthetize?' She asks with concern.

'No worries, I've been through worse pain than a gash in the back head – I promise' I answer with a little laugh and a smile.

She looks puzzled at me.

'Why's that?'

'That's another long story, think we've had enough of stories about me for this time, or?'

'But I like stories..' She pouts jokingly.

That face! How can you resist? She's so cute and adorable, when she makes that under lip a little bigger.

'Then you owe me two stories about you, key?'

'Deal.' She says with a big grin on her face. She looks rather satisfied or should I say really satisfied; like she have won the lottery.

My phone starts ringing and I sigh. I grab my phone to see who it is, the display says Kenzi. I totally forgot to call and tell her I met someone and everything that happened tonight. I'm such a bad friend but she is interrupting something really interesting right now.

'Sorry, gotta take this.' I say with an apologetically smile.

She smiles and gives me a forgiving smile.

'Kenzi.'

'Bo, I've been so worried – are you okay, where you at? Still at the bar or are you home with someone handsome, doing some workout - you know?' She almost purrs out the last sentence in one of her more sexy voices.

'Kenzi! I'm fine now and I'm with someone. No, I'm not in the bar and not gonna be there for a long time. Thanks for that.' I say informatively and shake my head. It is a miracle I haven't turn into a second Kenzi with zero social skills or having a hunch about what to ask and not to ask.

'Daaamn sis'! I'm proud of you, you learn from the best! The bar nights did something to you.' She says with an excitement in her voice. I can hear her giggling and smiling so big that it covers her whole face.

'Well the bar nights didn't exactly help me. I got into a fight, Lauren saved me but I need stitches and I got a small concussion.' I say rambling out everything without giving it much thought.

'WHAAAAAT?!' She yells and I have to hold the phone away from my ear.

'I'll tell you everything later, it would take too long. I don't know when I'll be home so don't wait up.'

'Wait, you can't just give me a summary and then think I have to wait to get all the juicy little details of your night? Not fair!' She says annoyed and pouting on the other side, even if I can't see her I can hear that. I know her all too well.

'You didn't answer the last question either!' She says with a higher pitch on her tone than usual.

'Kenzi, that's because I don't have an answer on that one yet. I'm still at Laurens, she's gonna patch me up. So can we talk about this later?' I say as calmingly as I can without making Lauren wonder too much about our conversation.

'Oh, I see! Well, take your time with her and make magic with those fingers of yours! By the way, what movie should I watch?' She says with a smile on her lips while teasing me because I fully understand what she is referring to.

'Bye Kenzi.' I say with a little sigh while I roll my eyes. I hear how Kenzi keeps babbling on the other side of the phone but I press end and put the phone in my pocket.

I look at Lauren who seems to be smiling to the whole situation.

'Sorry about that, it was Kenzi. She was worried about me and I'll deal with her later.' I say with a little smile.

'She's your best friend, are you sure?' She says and sits down in her couch.

'She just wanna pry, she'll live.' I say as I take the seat next to her.

'Pry about what?' Lauren asks and sets her arm on the sofas back rest.

'About my night, the bar, the fight, you, my thoughts, my feelings and what tonight will bring.' I say honestly. Wow, have I even been that honest and straightforward with anyone else before?

'And what do you feel?' She asks curiously.

I bite my lip, should I be honest about my feelings or not? What if I scare her away? I take a deep breath and prepare myself.

'Like, we have some sort of connection I haven't had with anyone else and I'm curious where that'll take us.' I look into her brown eyes and see how they are sparkling with curiosity, excitement and happiness. I then look at her lips and how I so badly want to taste them and feel them against my own. I unconsciously lick my own lips and Lauren just keeps looking at me as I look at her and I try to keep all the vivid pictures somewhere else than in my mind at the moment. They are not helping me at all.

I can't endure this temptation anymore. To hell with waiting and torturing myself!

I inch closer to Lauren, straddling her and placing my hands on her cheeks. I look into those bright brown eyes; I have to explore this thing I'm feeling.

I carefully press my lips against hers and my whole body sparkles, it's like she's sending some sort of electricity through me. It wasn't anything I just imagined, it is very real. She kisses me back more intensely than I did and I kiss her back. I tangle my fingers in her hair and try to pull her closer to me.

'I don't want to take advantage of you.' Lauren breathes out, trying to containing herself.

'You aren't taking advantage of me, look I'm answering you.' I say continuing to kiss her exposed neck with a little roughness. She moans to my answer.

'You have a small concussion and I should be professional.' She says and lays both of her hands on my shoulders.

'My judgment is perfectly fine, I just got a headache.' I say as I break the kiss.

'Bo, it just feels wrong doing it. Besides you should take it easy.' Lauren says with concern in her voice.

'Sorry.' I breathe out.

'No, it wasn't bad, not at all. I could barely stop myself. I just think it's the wrong time, experimenting.' She explains with a little hurry in her voice.

I understand what she is saying, but I feel a little ashamed now after.

I realize I still sit in Laurens lap, I clear my throat, rise up and stand in front of her.

'I should go.' Is all I say.

'Wait!'

Lauren grabs my wrist and turns me towards her.

'I'm not that kind of a douche that would let you walk out or even go home in your condition. I have a guest room you can use.' She gives me a soft smile and rubs her fingers on my wrist.

The awkwardness I felt is now gone, she have that effect on me. She leads me up the stairs as a vivid picture of us on the stairs once again comes to my mind…

Damn, what did this girl do to me?

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Sorry guys that I haven't been updating the story, I've been busy and I didn't have the inspiration. It's been crazy much in school and my mind have been on my book and not on my fanfiction, I'll try to update more often – if you guys think I should continue this fanfic? Leave a review/comment as always I really appreciate them and I read every one of them. Had problems getting this chapter together, but thanks to my lovely gf who pushed me forward to write it's now done! So thank you hun, I love you!