This Regret

He finishes buttoning up the last button on his crisp white dress shirt, before leaning against the front of my dresser and running a hand through his tousled hair. He looks so cool and collective, as if me kicking him out of my bed naked is a normal thing. Maybe he’s used to this kind of treatment.

“Apparently, I do and when the person is sexy.” He stops to roll up his sleeves before continuing. “It’s not creepy. Besides, Zoe was asleep on the couch. There was no way I was going to kick her off the couch and get kicked in the nuts again. That girl is like a f**king ninja.” He adjusts the crotch of his jeans and smiles. “So, I came up here to sleep and it got hot. I was drunk and forgot I was here.” He shrugs his shoulders. “No biggie.”

I roll my eyes as a soft giggle comes from my closet.

Dammit, Zoe!

Mom said her and dad needed a night to themselves, so I offered to take my younger sister for the night. Apparently, it wasn’t the best decision and really bad timing.

Kade and I both look at each other before he reaches for the door handle and yanks the closet door open.

Zoe comes tumbling out of the closet, landing on her face onto the floor next to Kade’s feet.

She looks up, face red, before she scrambles to her feet and laughs. “How did I get in there? Oh yeah, I was drunk and forgot where I was. Always, the perfect excuse.” She laughs again as I walk over and push her toward the bedroom door.

“What did I tell you about hiding in my closet, Zoe? You’re too old for that crap now.” I reach for the door handle and pull the door open before shoving her outside into the hallway. “Next time mom calls me in the middle of the night for a babysitter, you’re sleeping outside on the porch.”

Kade stands against my dresser with his arms crossed over his chest as Zoe gives him the middle finger. Zoe has hated Kade ever since he first made fun of her for a crush that she had when she was twelve. Clearly, the hate hasn’t faded and her and Kade fight every time that he comes around. “Nice to see you too, brat. By the way, your hair looks lovely in the morning, Annie.”

Zoe reaches up to flatten out her messy red curls. “Go suck . . .”

I close the door behind her before she can finish the insult. It’s way too early for their arguing and I’m going to need at least two cappuccinos before dealing with their bickering. “Go downstairs and I’ll cook you breakfast when I get down there,” I yell loud enough to drown out her shouting. “Give me a minute to wake up before I have to deal with this crap.”

“Fine,” she mumbles, clearly unhappy with me for shoving her out into the hallway. “It better be a good breakfast after having to witness that.” She lets out a grunt before I hear her heavy footsteps walking down the hallway toward the kitchen.

I turn back around to face Kade and my body instantly gets heated just from the way he’s looking at me. My eyes trail over his slender body, stopping on the bulge in his jeans and it’s hard to fight the fact that it’s making my heartbeat quicken. We’ve been friends for over twelve years, but I have never thought of him in a sexual way before. Not until . . . now, that is.

Looking me in the eye, Kade walks over to stand in front of me before cupping my face in his hands. His hands are big and warm on my face and the feel of his touch makes my body flush even more. “Why is your face red?” he questions with a smirk. “Did you like something that you saw?”

I clear my throat and swallow hard, trying not to give away what I’m feeling. Who wouldn’t like what I just saw? That question is ridiculous. “Why would you ask that?”

He runs his finger over my lips, giving me chills before resting his hand on my neck. “Your face is red.” His eyes focus on my thin tank top as he slowly runs his tongue over his lips, before bringing his lust filled eyes up to meet mine. “And your ni**les are hard. I’m pretty sure it’s not cold in here, Phoenix.”

I take a step back and pull my robe closed, turning my eyes away to meet the black carpet. He wasn’t supposed to see that. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even notice until he pointed it out.

Shit! That’s not embarrassing at all.

I shake my head and laugh in an attempt to change the subject. “So . . . what time are we supposed to be at work again? I think I will just drive myself to-“

He presses his lips against mine, stopping me midsentence. My pulse races and my legs become weak, causing me to have to wrap my arm around his neck just to keep from falling over. Somehow, the feel of his lips against mine feels natural, almost as if we’ve both been holding back for a while. That’s pretty confusing.

By the time his lips leave mine, my body is craving for more and I can’t help but to run my tongue over my lips, savoring the taste of his mouth. It’s a good thing I like Whiskey, because from the taste of it, I would say he did some drowning in it last night.

He runs his tongue over his lips as well and looks me in the eye. “I’ve been holding that back for years now.” He squeezes my arms and bites his bottom lip and it’s crazy sexy the way he’s looking at me. “I have some things I have to do. I’ll see you at work tonight.”

I stand there and watch as he walks away, grabs for my keys and tosses them to me. I catch them and clutch them to my chest. “Yeah and be prepared to work this time, Romeo.” I pause to swallow. “I’ll see you then.”

After Kade is gone, I fall onto my bed face first not believing I just let him kiss me.

What the hell was I thinking? What makes it worse, is I think I actually liked it.

Feeling confused and anxious, I scramble to my feet and get dressed faster than I have ever gotten dressed in my entire twenty-three years. Then I take a few breaths to compose myself before meeting Zoe in the kitchen to cook her breakfast.

Zoe looks up from sitting on the edge of the kitchen table, her legs dangling off the edge, and shoves a roll into her mouth. She spits it out and snickers as she notices my pissed off face. “Why was that jerk in your bed naked? I knew I should’ve woken you up last night when I saw him stumble in like a moron. You do know he’s a moron, right?”

I try to hide the smile that is threatening to form on my lips. As hard as I try, my lips just won’t seem to cooperate. Apparently, a part of me appreciates the moron. “You heard him, Zoe.” I reach for a roll and slap some butter on it, while trying not to laugh. “He got locked out of his apartment. It was safer for him to just come here.”