Bad Seed

“It really is.” I laughed and took another bite.

Just as Julie opened her mouth to speak, my phone rang in my pocket. I frowned and grabbed it quickly, ready to silence it. When I saw Josh’s name flashing across the screen, I looked up at Julie with an apologetic grimace.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is my brother. Do you mind if I…?”

“Not at all,” Julie said. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks,” I answered the phone quickly. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey, man,” Josh said. “Are we meeting up tonight or what? You never called me back.”

“Oh shit,” I said. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot. Work was crazy this week. Can we do something next weekend?”

“Sure thing,” Josh said. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

We said goodbye, and I hung up, eager to get back to Julie. She smiled politely as I tucked my phone back into my pocket.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “My brother and I have been working on our relationship lately.”

“Yeah?” she asked.

“We try to meet up once a week,” I said. “But with our schedules, it doesn’t always work out that way.”

“At least you try,” Julie said kindly. “A lot of families don’t.”

I moved the conversation away from Josh, and soon, we were laughing and talking like we’d never been interrupted. The wine was flowing freely and, when we ordered dessert, I found Julie’s foot beneath the table. She didn’t move when we touched, but her eyes told me she felt it. She stared at me with an intensity I hadn’t seen from her yet. That look sent bolts of electricity shooting through my body. I could barely think the entire drive home.

“Walk me up?” Julie asked as I put my car in park outside of her house.

“Of course,” I said. “I am a gentleman, you know.”

“You are?” Julie teased. “I never would’ve guessed.”

“Very funny.”

I climbed out of the car and hurried around to open her door. We walked slowly toward her house. We weren’t touching, but the tension between us was palpable.

“I had fun,” Julie said. She turned to face me, and my eyes flickered down to her lips.

“Me too.”

Julie’s eyes met mine. Her lips looked soft and inviting. I couldn’t stop myself from stepping forward.

Julie inhaled sharply but didn’t move away. Her eyes were locked on mine, and when our lips touched, she melted into me. My arms went around her waist, and she sighed against my lips. The kiss was soft at first, but within seconds, my entire body was on fire.

Julie wrenched herself away from me and took a step back. She fumbled with her keys and quickly unlocked her front door. Pushing it open, she turned back to me with a hungry look in her eyes.

Without a word, she held out her hand to me. I didn’t need to be told twice. I grabbed her around the waist, and we fell over the threshold, our lips thrashing against each other with desperation.

CHAPTER 5

JULIE

Michael’s lips were on mine before I could think. One second, we were staring at each other on my doorstep and, the next, we were crashing inside the house with a reckless abandon I’d never felt before. The only thing that existed was Michael. His lips on mine. His tongue sliding into my waiting mouth. His strong, rough hands gripping my hips tightly. Soon, I was out of breath, and my entire body was on fire.

A soft moan escaped my lips as I wrenched myself away from Michael to take a breath. He didn’t let me get far. He kissed my neck playfully, licking and nibbling my sensitive skin. I gasped and tightened my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his dark hair.