“I actually counted my shoes. Not counting my Toms and my trainers, I only own six pairs for work. I don’t think they’re going to let me be in the girly-girl club. I’m trying real hard to be disappointed by that.”
It was Marcus’s turn to laugh now. He rubbed her arm while they sat and joked a little more together until the oven beeped. Erin hopped up to get lunch out, and Marcus offered to help.
“Sure, you can get drinks. I’ll have ice water.”
“Two waters, then,” he replied as he reached for the glasses she had pointed toward.
They sat down to eat and Marcus gave an appreciative noise at the taste of her cooking. He worked to swallow his first bite just so he could tell her how good her lasagna was.
“It’s spinach and sausage,” she said. “But don’t worry. I didn’t get the sausage from Hank.”
He smiled at her reference to their breakfast the weekend before, appreciating once again how easily she had accepted his neighborhood and the people there who were important to him.
When they finished lunch, after Marcus’s third helping, Erin wasn’t sure what they should do next. They had seen a movie yesterday, had a few meals together, and neither of them liked shopping. She wasn’t sure what else to do. She was relieved when Marcus spoke up for her.
“Ok, so you’ve seen my gym. May I see yours? I need to get in a workout today, and I’d rather not leave you and I’m certainly not letting you into
my
gym in workout clothing.”
Erin liked how there was no option of them being apart. She smiled and said, “Sure. Let me go change. I always use the rec center in this complex. Are you going to work out in that?”
“Nah, I always have a gym bag in my car. Is there a locker room at the rec?”
“Yep. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Marcus heard Erin lock her door again and felt a little sad for her. He knew how hard it was to be scared all the time. He cleaned up the lunch dishes and rinsed them in the sink while she got ready.
She came down in a pair of tight black mid-thigh shorts, sports bra, and a loose-fitting tank top. His jaw dropped at the sight of her but he managed to compose himself before she saw his reaction. Her body was toned and lean and absolutely sexy.
They spent more than an hour at the gym. Marcus spent most of his time at the free weights and Erin jogged a few miles on the treadmill. She chose running for the day because the treadmill was the best vantage point from which she could watch his muscles bulge and strain against the weights.
The sight was impressive to say the least and in spite of her shyness, she couldn’t get enough of the view. She moved next to the floor mats for some intense stretching before she did a light upper body set with some hand weights.
When Marcus was done lifting he didn’t bother to do anything but watch her. She caught him staring a few times, and he grinned a guilty smile at her every time she did. She was surprised to find herself unembarrassed by the attention from him. He finally called over that he was going to hit the locker room shower while she finished her workout.
He came out fresh and back in his blue crew-neck and jeans. She walked over to him and they left together back across the parking lot to her townhouse.
“I need to shower, too. The tv remote is over there and you can help yourself to anything from the kitchen. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”
He heard her door lock again.
They spent the late afternoon watching tv and talking, and Marcus even suggested a game of cards. “Gin Rummy is my game,” he said smiling. “I own it. I wish you much luck. You’re going to need it.”
“Well be prepared to lose it,” Erin said with a wicked grin back at him, walking to her cafe table with a deck of cards from her coffee table drawer. “My uncle taught me to play when I was eight.”
She proved herself victorious after a few rounds and jumped up with a loud, “Ha! Who owns it now, baby! Nice effort though.”
Marcus laughed and pulled her down on his lap. “I guess you do,” he admitted with a grin. He looked at her smiling and she was so close to him, smiling back. His eyes went from playful to thick with sexual tension in that short moment.
They both felt the change in the atmosphere and Erin’s breathing hitched a little. She looked back and forth between his eyes, and Marcus stared right back heatedly. He looked at her nonstop while he gripped around her waist firmly and moved his other hand up to cup her face. He stroked along her cheek and stared at her with an intensity that nervously excited her.
He still stared into her eyes, no longer smiling but obviously straining to keep himself in check. He pulled her half way toward his face, then looked into her eyes again to see if she was afraid. He could tell she wasn’t, so he pulled her the rest of the way down to him and kissed her deeply.
He kissed her with controlled passion, letting his tongue invade her and stroke along hers, feeling the heat from her breath along his lips as he did. He pulled her tight against his body, her still on his lap, and kissed her more deeply still.
They sat that way for a long time, holding tightly and kissing each other earnestly. Marcus broke the kiss first, but still held her face in his hand, his eyes closed. Erin saw that he was just as lost in the moment as she was. He reached his mouth up to hers one more time for a sweet brush against her lips before opening his eyes and looking at her again.
Erin wished she knew what to say after a moment like that, but she had no idea. That was easily the best kiss of her life and her heart was left racing. She sat there, looking at him, wondering what was supposed to come next.
She knew what
could
come next, but she was not ready for that. Not at all. The thought scared her a bit, and like a coward she stood up off his lap and walked a few steps away, hugging herself and taking steadying breaths.
She felt Marcus’s hand rest carefully on her shoulder. “You ok?” he asked.
Still feeling like a coward, she couldn’t face him. She just nodded.
“You don’t look ok. I’m sorry I scared you,” he said quietly. She heard the shame in his voice over what he thought he had done. But he hadn’t scared her. The fear was from inside herself. She didn’t know how to explain that to him, but she knew she had to try.
She took a breath and turned to face him, tired of feeling like a scared little girl. She drew from the confidence she had been gaining over the last months and looked him in the eye and found a smile for him.
“You didn’t scare me. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just started thinking about things and I let myself get scared.”
He looked relieved, but also sad at her words. He obviously didn’t like seeing her feeling any kind of duress. The protective side of him came out again.
“Ok, I get it. As long as you know you’re safe with me,” he started. “But you should know you’re safe inside yourself, too. Don’t let past insecurities keep you from anything good.”
He pulled her down beside him on the couch, not wanting to scare her again. He held her hand sweetly and whispered to her. “I know what you felt in that kiss. I’m here when you want to feel more of it.”
Erin curled up beside him and sat holding his hand. After a long quiet while she smiled when she heard him breathing rhythmically. He fell asleep relaxing beside her. She relaxed there with him, enjoying the safe warmth of his body and let herself nap, too.
By the time they woke up, evening had darkened the room and all of Erin’s insecurities had gone. Marcus kissed the top of her head and excused himself for the night. He made her promise that he would find the notebook for him on Monday evening and she smiled at him. “Only if I’ll find it again Tuesday morning.”
He kissed her on the cheek in a sweet goodbye, and it nearly killed him to leave her. He just wanted to stay and spend more time against her lips, but he couldn’t push.
He would have to settle for a week of finding her messages to him. He still loved that, but now that he had the real thing in his arms and against his lips, a journal was going to be a weak substitution.
Monday night he found the book tucked in the corner of her desk. He grinned and opened to the page she marked with a paperclip.
M~
I don’t even know what to say about these past two weekends. I feel like I’ve changed a lot, and I feel like I owe that to you. Thank you for understanding everything. And I really did just have a lot of fun, drama aside. Sorry I kicked your butt so bad in Gin. Actually I’m not. I own it…it’s my game now.
~E
E~
You’re absolutely wrong. You owe me nothing. I was with you, but you did all the changing yourself. I just got a front-row seat and I liked it. I told you that you’re closer than you think. Do you get it yet?
And just so there’s no confusion, I had a lot of fun too. I didn’t even mind the drama. But by far the best part of the weekend was kissing you at your table. There’s never been a thing like it ever. True statement.
I keep thinking about it and getting what George called a “goofy smile”. I feel like a sap telling you, but I thought you should know. You were confident and sexy when you kissed me like that and it meant something to me. Plus, you’re hot, so that didn’t hurt the situation either.
I hope I can see you Saturday for a Gin rematch. I loaned you my game, but I’ll get it back. Believe that.
~M
M~
I agree on the best part of the weekend. I’m glad you told me, and it doesn’t make you a sap. I’ve been thinking about it too, and the only thing I didn’t like about it was that I walked away from you. Next time I won’t be so afraid. I hope I can try again Saturday…and this time stay with you a little longer. And yeah, I think I get it.
I will not give your game back. Mine.
And by the way, you’re wrong, too. You are the hot one in this picture. No question.
~E
E~
Anytime you want to kiss me, my lips are yours.
Let me bring dinner Saturday. Do you like Chinese take-out? That’s the best meal I know how to “cook”. I’ll see you at 5:00? That will give me all evening to kiss you…and kick your butt in cards. My game. Get used to it.
~M
That whole week at the gym, Bill was putting Marcus through the paces, working more on take-downs and submission holds. He sparred with nearly all the other fighters before shredding his muscles with the most intense weight lifting Bill forced on him since he first started at the gym.
“What’s with the torture?” Marcus asked with an exhausted chuckle Friday afternoon.
“Now that you have a lady in your life, I don’t want you going soft,” Bill growled. “And quit whining. You sound like my four-year-old neighbor girl.”
Marcus smiled at Bill’s tough-guy act, shook his head, and went to the shower. By the time he left the gym his feet were dragging, and he hoped he had enough strength left to drive without crashing. For the first time, he wished he had a car with power steering.
He managed to get to the grocery store and home in one piece and collapse on his big old couch. Sleep eluded him, though, even after such an intense work-out. Marcus really needed to rest if he wanted to make it through his shift, but his mind was spinning through thoughts of Erin.
She out-right admitted she wanted more time against his lips again on Saturday. Never had he experienced something so intense as the moment at her table and he couldn’t wait for more. For the first time, he cared more about the woman than he did the foreplay. He was surprised at the difference.
By the time he got to work Friday night, he had only caught about three hours of sleep and his muscles were still exhausted. He was able to complete all of his duties, but barely. What got him through was finding the notebook in the corner of Erin’s desk. He couldn’t wait to see what she would say before their date.
M~
Your lips are mine? So now I get your game AND your lips? This must be my lucky week. And yes, 5:00 is fine. I can’t wait to try your “cooking”. I sure hope you know how to make Sweet and Sour Chicken. It’s my favorite. (hint hint)
Since you’re spending all that time making dinner for me, I’ll handle making dessert. I’ll spend all day thawing the Sara Lee cheesecake in my freezer. That way we can both show off our gourmet skills.
~E
Marcus laughed at her note. Her easy going sense of humor was coming through even stronger the more time they spent together. She was finding her way out of her five-year shell and allowing herself to enjoy life. The fact that she was sharing her newfound sense of self with him was exhilarating.
Chapter Seven
After a very long sleep most of the day Saturday, Marcus was wide awake and ready to see Erin. Even his muscles had recovered slightly. He timed his dinner order so that he would be right on time to her apartment.
Being on time was important to him. He wanted to be sure she understood what she meant to him, and every small gesture he could make proved the point. He knocked on her door at five exactly and she greeted him with a smile.
“I thought you might just like Sweet and Sour Chicken, so that’s what I brought for you,” he said with an ornery grin.
“My favorite! How did you know?”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek as he smiled at her. Already the night was perfect. He walked straight to her table and noticed the cheesecake on the counter. “You spent all day on dessert for me? You shouldn’t have.”
She laughed and sat with him, unpacking the dinner and divvying up egg rolls and fortune cookies.