A/N: I just want to send out a HUGE Thank you to my beta Rckyfrk! You save my life sweetheart I couldn't do this without you! Also, I want to send out a thank you to Carowen for helping to bring back my mojo. Trying to write this chapter was a bit of a struggle but she's whipped me back into shape :) Thanks to both of you ladies! And thank you to anyone who is reading this!
Dream a Little Dream - Ella Fitzgerald
Jolene's POV
Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in a sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
Say nighty night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
The knock on the door brought me from the trance that was consuming me while I stared into my closet singing. I wasn't sure why I was just standing there like a moron singing to my clothes like they were magically going to fly out and decide on an outfit for me. I wasn't Cinderella and there was no fairy godmother that was going to rescue me today. I walked through the apartment wrapped in a towel, thankful that my roommate wasn't home. As I opened the door, it was pushed back on me and in came Caroline.
"So when's he picking you up?" Her eyes shined bright as she threw her purse down on my couch. "Natalie's not home is she?"
"He should be here in about an hour and a half, and no," I answered as I pushed past her and back down the hallway to my room.
"So where's he taking you? Did he kiss you last night? What did you guys talk about?" I could hear her bare feet padding on the floor behind me as she walked along the hardwood floor.
"I don't know. No. And stuff. Why are you grilling me like I've already went on a date with this guy?" I asked as I stood in front of my closet again.
"Well, as your appointed best friend, it's my duty to ask you these things, so spill!" she said giddily as she hopped up onto my bed. I turned my head to look at her making sure she saw the exaggerated eye roll I was giving her. "Okay, so you don't know where you are going. How does he expect you to know how to dress if he doesn't give you something to go on?" she asked, tucking her legs under her and setting her hands on her lap.
"Well, he said I should probably wear pants since we're taking his motorcycle," I replied as I reached in and grabbed my favorite pair of dark denim capris.
"Holy crap Joe! He rides a bike?" she said jumping up from the bed. "So didn't peg him for a badass."
"Well I didn't peg you to be so nosey when we met. Guess we just aren't good judges of character." I shot her a quick playful look.
"Ex-squeeze me? Who was playing twenty questions when Gibson and I started dating?" She raised her eyebrows at me and I just rolled my eyes at her again. "But anyways, back to you. So, a motorcycle huh?" I gave her an answer with a nod of my head before she started in again, "Well, don't do anything too fancy with your hair since you'll have to wear a helmet." I grabbed my light chambray button down out of the closet and headed to my adjoining bathroom. "Oh, you should totally do those loose curls you do so well. That way the helmet won't mess it up, and the rest of it will look windblown and hot when you get to your destination," she said, sitting on the edge of my bathtub. "I picked out your shoes and purse."
"Thank you," I said with a smile, looking over to her sitting there with my nude heels and matching clutch.
O.O
"My stomach is in knots."
Caroline was standing at my apartment door about to leave. I had about fifteen minutes before I needed to head down to meet Steve. "Joe, you look good. Take a deep breath and smile," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and shaking me a bit. "When was the last time you went out and had fun with someone?"
"College." I gave her a nervous look. "Your pep talk isn't really working Car." I started chewing on my nails.
"Let me put it this way: you look so good that I'm sure that the bike isn't the only thing that's going to get a good riding tonight." She gave me a devious smile.
"Oh my gosh, Car!" I nearly shouted at her.
"Have fun tonight. Make sure to call me after you get home!" she shouted back at me as she walked out the door. I spent the next few minutes double checking my clothes, makeup and hair before walking out the door and down to wait for Steve. I had been expecting to walk out and catch a breath of fresh air before Steve got there. What I hadn't been expecting was for him to already be standing there, leaning against his bike, helmets sitting on the seat. He seemed like he could've been cut out of some kind of wet dream, complete with dark denim jeans that fit him perfectly, his royal blue dress shirt fitting him just the same underneath that sexy as hell black leather jacket.
"Wow," I breathed out, feeling winded from the assault my eyes were receiving.
"Jolene," he said as he stood up from against his bike, walking up to the foot of the stairs.
"Steve," I said looking down at my feet and carefully taking the steps down to him, trying not to fall due to my already weak knees.
"So I discovered this theater across town that shows classic movies. Does 'Gone With the Wind' sound good?" His eyes glistened as he looked up at me with that adorably shy crooked grin.
"Sounds perfect. Normal guys wouldn't want to see a movie like that. Good choice, though," I said as I stepped off of the last step and onto the sidewalk right in front of him.
"Are you saying I'm not normal?" Steve said raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"Well, are you?" I countered.
"I'd say I'm not sure what normal is anymore," he replied before looking at his surroundings and taking a step back.
"Point made," I smiled, which earned a snort from him.
"Well, if we are going to make it to the movie we should probably get going. You can put your purse in this bag here. I brought an extra helmet for you," he stated, unlatching the bag on the side of the bike for my purse and grabbing the helmet that was meant for me. After putting my purse in its place, I reached for the helmet but Steve jerked it away playfully. "May I do the honors?"
I squared my shoulders to him before shrugging and waiting for him to make his move. He placed the helmet over my head, the full face making me feel slightly claustrophobic, but deciding it was definitely worth it. "Let me hop on and you'll want to saddle in behind me," he instructed, apparently remembering that this was my first time. Steve grabbed his helmet, putting it on quickly before turning towards the bike and swinging a leg to the other side and adjusting himself on the seat. Due to the helmets' causing muffled voices instead of real sentences Steve looked up at me before patting the seat behind him.
Gripping his impressive shoulders for leverage I swung my leg over, straddling the bike before sitting down. Steve turned slightly, lifting my right leg and pointing at the peg I was to put my foot. Once my feet were settled into their positions, Steve reached back, grabbing behind my knees and pulling me forward to be flusher against him. I felt as if I was sitting too close to a fire and I could feel myself starting to melt right there on the seat, but then he grabbed my hands gently in his and wrapped them around to his abdomen. "Hang on tight," he shouted from under his helmet. I nodded my head, giving him notification that I understood, and he roared the bike to life.
As we began to move from the curb, my grip on him tightened. Even though I was melting, feeling him so close to every part of me and his abs rippling under my fingers, my body helped me out by getting itself together enough to tighten my arms around him and thighs against his hips. After hanging on for dear life for the first half of the ride, I began to relax, finding that I felt safer than one should being so exposed on a motorcycle, though I had a feeling that it was more about who I was with than what I was riding.
We pulled up to the small theater that seemed to be secluded from the busy main streets. Steve turned off the bike, taking his helmet off and running his hand through his hair. Who knew such a simple act could be so arousing. I took a deep breath, releasing it and trying to compose myself before taking mine off.
"So is that alley there where you kill me?" I joked after I pulled my helmet off.
"I'm a protector, not a killer, remember?" he said, holding a hand out for me to take while I climbed off of the bike. I grabbed my clutch from the saddle bag and took a few steps back waiting for him to join me.
"I'm sorry, Captain. Must have slipped my mind," I replied making him chuckle and shake his head. Steve climbed from the bike, taking both of our helmets in one of his hands before placing the other on the small of my back, leading me to the ticket booth.
"Two for 'Gone With the Wind,'" Steve said as he dropped his hand from my back and reached into his pocket.
"I'm sorry sir, but that movie only shows on Friday and Saturday nights," the young boy behind the glass stated.
"Oh." Steve looked a bit lost for words for a moment before looking over to me, "I'm sorry."
"What's playing today?" I asked, turning my attention back on the young man.
"'A League of Their Own' starts in just a few minutes," he replied, looking between Steve and I.
"What do you say?" I questioned, looking at Steve who still looked a bit lost.
"I've never seen it before." Steve's eyes stayed on mine as if he was baring something to me, though what it was, I didn't quite know yet.
"It's one of my favorites. It's actually a good movie. But it's definitely a chick flick so I'd understand if you didn't want to watch it," I said, tapping on my clutch nervously.
"We'll take two tickets," Steve told the ticket man.
After getting popcorn and beverages, we headed in to the movie. The room was empty as the advertisements ran on the large screen. Steve followed me, allowing me to pick where we sat. The movie began as soon as we sat down. I had seen this movie more times than I could count so throughout the movie I spent more time watching Steve's profile as he was glued to the screen. Steve squirmed a little in his seat at the first flashback scene, the baseball game for the ladies in a small town, a sign hanging behind their dugout advertising buying war bonds adding to the time period that the movie was taking place in. I'd always loved when the sisters began competing when they are walking home as fast as they could, and the moment Steve chuckled at the competition I knew he'd enjoy the whole movie.
When the train station scene happened, Steve tensed, gripping the armrest so tight I could hear it creak under his grasp. I put my hand on top of his, his eyes snapping to mine. I gave him a tiny smile in the small amount of light the movie was giving off. Steve smiled back, the lighting from the movie making the angle of his jaw even sharper. He was handsome, that was certain, but he looked absolutely stunning in that moment. I could see Steve's body visibly relax and he gave me a nod rubbing over my fingers with his thumb before looking back at the movie screen. Steve turned his hand around into mine during the dance scene full of the ball girls and troops. I watched his face as he kept his eyes on the screen and his jaw clenched and unclenched numerous times until the scene ended.
"I'd much rather listen to you sing," Steve whispered in my ear as Marla sang, making me chuckle.
"If you're lucky, I'll sing for you later," I said in a flirty tone, but it seemed it had gone undetected by Steve, thankfully for me because I had no freaking idea where the heck that came from in the first place. Steve lightly squeezed my hand when the telegram came in for one of the husbands that had died in the war. I looked over to the stoic man sitting next to me, his jaw clenched tight, his eyes glossy and holding that distant look he got so often. I teared up at the end, when Dottie left the game and Kit behind. Steve squeezed my hand catching my attention again and I looked over to see that his eyes were brimming with tears too.
"Mule! Nag!" shouted out from the speakers in the empty theater and Steve let out a chuckle. I watched as the smile on his face pushed a small tear from the corner of one of his eyes. He wiped it away quickly, not wanting me to see that he had gotten emotional. I looked quickly back at the screen to keep him from catching me staring. It took a lot to tear my eyes away from him. I remembered watching this the first time years ago, but watching it with Steve was like watching it for the first time all over again - being able to watch his features change depending on the scene. Seeing a grown man shed a tear over a sibling relationship had to take the cake.
"Are you hungry?" Steve's voice broke me from my thoughts. I hadn't even realized that the lights had gone up and the movie was finished.
"Sure, I could eat," I said standing up and heading towards the exit. "Do you know any place around here?"
"There's a great pizza joint around the corner. Little Mom and Pop place," Steve said as he slid his hand into mine. I looked up at him as we exited the building and began walking down the sidewalk, his hand feeling so good in mine, like they were molded specifically for holding one another. He glanced at me for a moment, giving me a grin before squeezing my hand slightly as we rounded the corner of the block. "Here we are." Steve let go of my hand for a moment taking a step ahead and opening the door for me.
"So why doesn't Nat or Sam ever come with you to the bar?" I asked after we placed our order.
"I'm actually trying to talk Sam into coming with me this weekend," Steve said before taking a drink of his water.
"You talk about him a lot. He's your best friend I take it?" I asked, trying to make the conversation casual but still trying to gather some information on the man I was with.
"He's a good friend," Steve said, averting his eyes for a moment before giving me a forced grin.
"So who's the best friend?" I wasn't trying to drill him but something about the look on his face said there was definitely more to know on this subject.
"I lost him a long time ago." Steve paused, looking down at his hands that were clasped on the tabletop. "He had an accident, didn't wake up the same. When I saw him for the first time after the accident," he paused again taking a deep breath, "he looked right at me and didn't even know who I was." Steve had that distant look in his eyes again when they gazed back up at me.
"That's awful. I'm sure he will remember you eventually. You just have to keep reminding him, you know, be there for him. Kinda rebuild your friendship or something." My heart wrenched in my chest for the man in front of me.
"It's just complicated," he replied, looking away for a moment and then looking back at me. "What about you? Family? Friends? I take it Caroline is your best friend?"
"That she is." I smiled. "Don't know what I'd do without her, although we seem more like siblings rather than friends," I laughed.
"I get that. That's how it was with Buck..." he trailed off.
"It's okay, Steve. I'm sorry I pushed," I replied, setting a hand on top of his. "Are you originally from here?"
"Brooklyn. You?" he turned the question back at me.
"I've lived here for a while, but I'm not from one specific place. My parents never really settled down for too long. I'm an army brat. I guess if you base it off of where I was born, then Fort Worth, Texas. I did move in with my grandmother in Boston when I started high school. So I guess you could say I'm from Boston then. Wow, I'm sorry I'm rambling." I waved my hands in the air.
"Your grandmother, is she the one that got you into the '40s?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. She was wonderful. I wanted to grow up to be just like her. I mimicked my style after the photos I found of her when she was younger. She was a field nurse in the war, not knowing she was pregnant with my Dad at the time. My grandfather died during the war, so she was left alone with my Dad. She had been through so much and was so wise. She passed away my second year of college. She sang, too. She was just wonderful," I rambled again.
"She sounds like it." He smiled up at me, "And your parents?"
"I lost them a year ago. They were hit head on by a drunk driver," I said softly.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Steve said with sadness in his eyes. "I know how it is to lose your parents," he added before giving me a sad smile. "So do you and Caroline live together?"
"No, she lives with her fiancé, Gibson. My roommate's name is Natalie. She's rarely home though. She's a flight attendant or something," I answered. "Anyone live with you?"
"Sam and Nat. There are a few others too." Our pizza came out right after he completed his answer. "Wow this smells delicious."
"Yes it does," I said as I reached for my first piece. We ate in a comfortable silence for the rest of our meal and when the check came Steve grabbed it before it even hit the table. "You should take the rest of this home for Sam and Nat."
"Can't really do that on the bike," he chuckled as he looked out the window we were sitting next to. "I've got a better idea." When the waiter came back Steve asked for a box for the remaining pizza. After the pizza was boxed up, we made our way back to the bike. Walking past it, Steve approached a dirty man that was sitting in the alleyway next to the movie theater. "Here, Sir." Steve handed the man the box before giving him a small smile and nod and walking back to me. I couldn't believe that he had remembered the man had been sitting there in the first place, but for him to think of the probably hungry man when we were leaving the pizza place really spoke volumes as to the type of man Steve was.
Steve was something different, something very special. As my chest swelled a little, I realized just how different he was, because I was falling for the first time. I shuddered at the thought...and the cool breeze sweeping through the street. "Here," Steve said, removing his jacket and holding it out for me to put on. I slid my arms through the soft silk material on the inside, the warmth of his body still held deep inside the fabric and making me shiver again.
"But what about you?" I suddenly felt awful because I was taking his jacket and he didn't have on anything more than I had.
"I'm plenty warm." Steve gave me a breathtaking smile. "You ready to head home?" he asked, holding out my helmet to me.
"Yes and no." I shrugged before grabbing the helmet from his hand, which earned a confused look from him. "I'm not really ready for this date to end."
"Well, we can't have a second date if we don't finish the first." Steve gave me a crooked grin, making the swell in my chest increase.
"Good point," I smiled before putting my helmet on. Steve smiled back then put his helmet on and mounted his bike. He navigated the dark streets home like a professional and although I was more relaxed than I had ever been, I held tight to him, loving the feel of him pressed against me.
When we stopped in front of my apartment building, I didn't want to move. The night had come to the end that I wasn't ready for yet. After turning the bike off, Steve placed his hands over mine, pressing them a bit against his hard abdomen in place of a hug. "I had a great time," I told him as I rested my chin on his shoulder.
"Me too," he replied as he turned his head to look at me. His breath was hot as it fanned over my lips. We were so close, noses almost grazing one another as his eyes locked onto mine. I fought to keep my eyes open, wanting to close them and the distance between our lips, but was too afraid of scaring him off. He had been very much the gentleman throughout the date: opening doors, holding my hand, paying for dinner, assisting me with both mounting and climbing off of his bike, the list could seriously go on and on.
"Jolene?" His whisper broke me from my thoughts, not realizing I had just been silently staring at him.
"Sorry," I said, starting to pull my chin away from resting on him. Steve moved swiftly, his hand cupping the back of my head and keeping me in place.
"Don't," he said with a low voice that sent chills down my spine and his eyes pleaded with mine.
"What?" I asked, looking into his eyes, searching for any answer in his eyes.
"Is it alright if I kissed you right now?" he asked, his eyes looking fearful of rejection. I smiled at him before leaning forward and placing my lips over his. They were full and so soft, but the thing that caught me most off guard was the sense of comfort I found as they moved against mine. He pulled away, turning to face forward and drop his head as he smiled. I could see the blush running up the back of his neck before he turned his head slightly looking up at me from the corner of his eye.
"Thank you for the wonderful date, Steve," I said as I leaned back, placing my hands on his shoulders for stability as I climbed off of the bike. "Have a good night," I added before giving him a smile and turning to walk up the stairs.
"Wait!" Steve shouted, climbing from his bike and jogging up to the bottom of the stairs. "It wouldn't be a real date if I didn't walk you to your door," he said with a grin.
"Are you trying to come up to my apartment, Captain?" I asked, joking with him a bit.
"Oh! No, nothing like that. Just forgot my manners there for a moment. My Mom taught me better than that," he rambled.
"I'm joking with you, Steve," I said putting a hand up to his chest. "That's a very nice gesture."
"Okay," he said with a sigh of relief before holding open the door for me as we walked into the building. "Should we exchange numbers?" Steve asked as we reached the third floor. We stood at my door for a moment exchanging phone numbers before I gave him a kiss on the cheek goodnight and we went our separate ways.
O.O
"Hello," I spoke groggily into my phone.
"I'm coming over and you better spill all of the details!" Caroline chirped from the other end of the line before hanging up.
I climbed out of bed in my micro-mini sleeping shorts and tank top, heading to the bathroom to relieve myself before heading to the kitchen to make me a much needed cup of coffee before Caroline's chipper self arrived. I had just started brewing my cup of coffee when my intercom beeped. I pressed the button allowing her to get into the front door, wondering how she had managed to get here so fast. Shortly after, there was a knock at the door, making me jump and spill my coffee over my top.
"Shit!" I squeaked at the burning hot liquid seeping through the cotton material. Thankful I had decided to put my sports bra on before she got here, I pulled my tank top off before jogging to the door. "Hey Car," I said as I opened the door, turning to put my coffee covered tank top in the washer.
"Jolene." The voice was most definitely not Caroline's and without a doubt Steve's.
"Steve!" I jumped, turning around to face him and pulling at the soaked material in my hands and trying to cover myself the best I could. "Um," I said looking around my apartment to make sure it wasn't a complete and utter mess, "Do you want to come in?" Steve nodded his head keeping his eye line looking at my legs rather than my overexposed torso. Gentleman. "Just...um, make yourself at home while I go put something on that is more appropriate," I said before ducking down the hallway to my room.
I settled on a pair of my favorite worn out jeans and oversized sweater before walking back out into the main living area of the small apartment that Natalie and I shared. Steve was still standing in the entryway, head still hung, looking at the stuff he had in his hands which gave me a chance to really get a good look at him without him catching me staring.
He was dressed in a tight fitting gray workout shirt and a pair of dark blue jogging pants. Every time I had seen the man he had a jacket on, hiding that wonderful figure. He was so broad in his shoulders and chest, but his waist was so narrow giving him a sexy yet intimidating look. Had I not already known how nice he was, I would've assumed he was no one you would want to mess with, but that is to be expected out of a cop I guess.
"Can I look at you now?" His question caught me off guard but caused me to blush. He was still looking at the items in his hands but must have felt my staring anyways.
"I'm dressed. I'm sorry about that. Caroline is supposed to be coming over and I thought you were her," I laughed. "What are you doing here anyways, not that I'm mad about it or anything?" I rambled on, all of a sudden nervous.
"I was in the area and realized you live right around the corner from my favorite place to get coffee," he answered, holding up the cup holder in his hand. "They have amazing muffins as well."
"Do you even eat carbs?" I blurted out. "Oh, I didn't mean to say that. Uh, I am so sorry. I mean...shit." I looked down at my hands trying to hide my face.
Steve chuckled catching my attention, "Only on the weekends." I looked up to catch the flirty grin on his face letting me know he was joking. "You said your friend was coming over?" he asked still standing in place.
"Yeah, she'll probably be here shortly," I answered, walking into the kitchen to clean up the mess of coffee on my floor.
"I can just leave this here for you. I didn't mean to intrude, I guess I should've called or something to see if you had plans," he said, walking into the kitchen just enough to leave the coffees and the bag of what I was sure was muffins on the counter. "I need to go finish my run anyways."
"You're fine. It'll be a while before she gets here. She lives on the other side of town." I threw the washcloth in the sink before turning to face him. "Thank you for surprising me." I smiled before looking at the bag again and noticing it was from Coffee Time Lounge down the street. "Plus Coffee Time is my favorite. You keep earning brownie points, Captain," I joked.
"Come on," I instructed as I grabbed the bag and the coffees from the counter and headed into the living room. I sat everything down on the coffee table and grabbed my phone sending Caroline a quick text message.
Give me 30. Steve's here.
Before I could set the phone back down on the table I got her reply back.
Get it girl!
I rolled my eyes with a smile, knowing she was thinking with her mind in the gutter again. Most times that was the thing I loved most about my best friend, but this was not one of those times. Now I was just dreading when she did get here because she would most definitely be digging for dirty details I didn't have.
"So you just happened to be in the area and wanted to stop by? Didn't get enough of me last night huh?" I asked as Steve sat down at the end of the couch. I grabbed a muffin from the bag before turning on the couch and facing him.
"Now you're making me feel like a creep," Steve said as he leaned forward and grabbed one of the cups of coffee.
"You're not a creep. A creeper maybe, but not a creep," I joked, which earned a raised eyebrow from him. "I'm just kidding, Steve," I laughed, "This is really sweet," which made him give me a shy smile. "I am starting to doubt you have a mean bone in your body."
"Pfft," Steve scoffed.
"Well, I mean as a person. I can't speak for how you are as an officer of the law. I've never seen you in action I guess," I added.
"You want to see me in action?" He said with a smile that looked like he was both amused and wavering on sarcasm.
"You mean like a ride along?" I asked, unsure of whether he was asking or if he was flirting with me. He snorted, his eyes twinkling in the sun shining into the room and making him look more breathtaking. "Are you suggesting sex, Captain?" I bluntly spoke.
"What?" Steve looked absolutely mortified in that moment. "No, not at all. I mean, I'm not dead, so I'd agree to it, but that wasn't what I was suggesting." He mumbled out the last bit. "I was just thinking that I may have to invite you to headquarters or something eventually," he explained.
"Oh, okay," I said before I began to nibble on the muffin that had been sitting in my hand. "So..." I trailed off, not sure where to take the conversation after this.
"Do you like your muffin?" he asked as he watched me pick at the pastry in my hand.
"Banana Nut is my favorite," I smiled.
"Noted," he nodded his head before taking a sip of his coffee again.
"Does that mean I'll be dropping by more?" I asked, trying to hide my hopefulness.
"Depends if you want me to," he replied, setting his cup down on the table and turning towards me on the couch.
"I won't complain if you do," I retorted, setting the muffin down on the table. I could feel the heat of his gaze on me the moment the delectable pastry hit the wood. When I sat back up to face him, the heat intensified and I couldn't fight the feeling that was pulling me towards him. He had one leg tucked under himself, one arm on the back of the couch and the other resting on the leg bent to rest on the floor. He looked so open and vulnerable in his body language. I watched as his lips parted slightly as if to talk or to aid in his breathing. His finely muscled chest was expanding with each deep breath he took, making the simple function of breathing damn near impossible for myself. My eyes wandered over his body before locking onto his pure blues, the shyness in his eyes was now gone and replaced with what I could only describe as a battle between nobility and desire.
"Is he still here?" Caroline's voice cut through the room and the intense setting like a warm knife to butter. "Oh, I guess so!" She crossed the room taking a seat across from us.
"I'll go," Steve said, standing up. "Nice seeing you again Caroline," he nodded to her. "I'll call you soon about that second date," his gaze turned to mine.
"I'll be right back; I'm going to walk him out," I said to Caroline without looking at her, my eyes still locked on Steve's as I stood up.
"Go on, lovebirds," she giggled.
"I'm sorry about her. She's just excited I'm dating again," I mumbled to Steve as we walked to the front door.
"You better treat her right, she's dated enough douchebags," Caroline shouted from the living room.
"Car!" I scolded her.
"It's alright," Steve said placing a hand on my lower back that shot jolts of heat throughout my body. "I only have the best of intensions, ma'am," he answered back to Caroline before giving me a smile. We walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind me so Caroline couldn't eavesdrop. "I'll talk to you soon?" he asked as he turned around to face me while I leaned against the door.
"I guess so if we plan on a second date," I replied looking up through my lashes at him.
"Yes, we definitely need to do that," he smiled down at me, taking a step closer to me, both hands in his pockets. My breath caught in my throat as his hand lifted to my cheek, cupping it before leaning down the rest of the distance to place his lips over mine. His lips were once again soft and pliant as they pressed lightly against mine, but I wanted more than this soft graze of lips.
I lifted my arms up, wrapping them around the back of his neck to hold him in place as I pressed up to my tiptoes to apply more pressure to his lips. I could've sworn I heard Steve groan as the kiss changed to something more than a teasing burn. Steve placed his other hand on the door behind me as he stepped into the kiss more. I ran my tongue along his plump bottom lip, causing him to part his lips slightly as he tried to pull away. I gripped the back of his neck tightly in my hands to keep him from taking his mouth from mine. I slid my tongue between his barely parted lips, feeling his perfect teeth hidden just beyond.
Steve pushed against the door, pushing himself away from my lips enough to speak, "Jolene." It was a whisper of my name as he rested his forehead against mine.
"I'm sorry." I breathed out, even though I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for.
"Don't be," He smiled before giving me another kiss, this one lasting only a few seconds and leaving me wanting more. "I better get going. You shouldn't keep your friend waiting." He smiled as he took a step back and shoved his hands back in his pockets.
"You're right. Goodbye, Steve," I smiled as I started to turn back towards the door.
"Jolene," he nodded with a smirk. He stood there waiting for me to close the door behind me before I saw him walk away through the peephole.
O.O
I've got to go out of town on business. Let you know when I get back. - Steve
The text message came a few days after his surprise visit, letting me know we would have to postpone our date. What I hadn't expected was two weeks of silence.