I’d caught the man staring at my neck. The curve of my back. My legs . . . and higher. Pretty much every part of me.
And yet, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Maybe just uncomfortably warm.
The barbecue was rolled out through the gate in the fence, leaving just the two of us standing there in the twilight. Again. I should have tried to leave with the crowd, but I’d dragged my feet. I knew there was a reckoning coming. I would just have to tell him I didn’t date. That it didn’t matter why. That he could never, ever kiss me again.
Liar. You want him to kiss you.
I wanted more than that, too, if the throbbing between my thighs was any indication.
“I’ll walk you home. Unless you want to get something to eat.”
I shook my head. The church had paid for some basic barbecue supplies, but the neighbors had made the event into a full-blown cookout. Macaroni salad, watermelons, and even some home-grown tomatoes from Aunt Julia’s rooftop garden.
As far as I knew, Aunt Julia was nobody’s aunt, but people had been calling her that forever.
“I’m stuffed,” I said, rubbing my tummy. His eyes followed my hand. I watched as the bright blue darkened. He tore his eyes away from my body and stared at my face.
“Your nose is sunburned,” he observed. “It makes you look even younger than usual.”
I rubbed my nose.
“I don’t usually burn.”
“Well, it’s medium-rare, not well-done,” he joked.
“I’ll have freckles by tomorrow,” I said nonsensically. I looked around and grabbed my backpack. “I guess we aren’t locking the gate.”
He nodded, staring at me intently. When we left, he didn’t turn toward the church but followed me down the block to the corner.
“It’s not even dark out. I don’t need an escort.”
“We need to talk,” he said in a gravelly, hot voice that promised a lot more than words. I sighed and nodded, not saying much on the walk back to my house. Preacher was quiet too. I had a feeling we were both thinking about the same thing.
I paused outside my building and looked at him.
“I’m coming up,” he said flatly. I nodded, resigned. I felt like I was in a stupor, drugged from the warmth of the day and the hot looks he’d been throwing my way all day. I opened the door, and he caught it, holding it open for both of us to go inside.
He followed me up the stairs. I could feel his eyes on me. I could feel his intentions.
I opened the door to my apartment and turned back to look at him.
“This isn’t a good idea, Preacher,” I said, knowing it wouldn’t make one bit of difference.
“No,” he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. He stared at me as he threw the lock. “It isn’t.”
And then he was on me, his big hands lifting me and pressing me against the wall. I whimpered as his tongue swept into my mouth, seeking and stroking and plunging in and out in a way that made my nipples harden and my hips want to move. He grabbed my hips and encouraged it.
“That’s it, hellcat,” he growled, lifting my thigh and holding my leg to his waist. “Give me your tits.”
I arched my back as he shoved my T-shirt up and pulled my bra down. He cursed when he saw my bare tits, his hot mouth swooping down to suck on one aching nipple and then the other. I was like an animal. He was like an animal. A much bigger one.
His big, rough hands held my ass in place so that he could grind his thick, hard cock into me. I whimpered, realizing I was on the brink of losing my virginity to a man I barely knew, who was almost thirty years older than me, against a wall. It felt so good, though. I could not believe how good it felt.
“Stop,” I said weakly, not really even sure if that was what I wanted. “Please.”
He lifted his head, his hands still palming my ass, his cock still pushing insistently between my thighs.
He growled, pushing himself even harder into me. I realized my pussy was drenched. I’d never been this wet in my life. Not even close.
I wondered if he could feel it through his jeans and my shorts. Feel how eager I was for him.
“What’s wrong, hellcat?”
I whimpered as his chest brushed my hard nipples. He was still covered. I was not. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips, as if he couldn’t help himself. He grunted in pleasure as he reached up with one hand to lazily toy with my nipple. He pinched it, tugging gently and rubbing his callused thumb over the hard nub. I realized I wanted him to do that between my legs.
I wanted it more than anything.