#10 Snooty and the Book Cover

 

You Gave It All But I Want More

I press my ear against Steve’s chest and can hear his heart beat. I hold him tighter.

“What’s up, Princess?” he asks, softly, his southern accent a sweet lulling cadence. “You haven’t been having more bourbon barrel stout when I wasn’t looking.”

I grin and look up at him. His eyes are the color of cognac. Whoever thinks brown eyes are bland has never seen his, honey and green flecked. I stand on my tiptoes and brush my lips against his, a soft caress. He presses his lips against mine, pulls me tight against him so that our bodies line up and I feel all of his hard muscles against me.

“What are you doing, Princess?” he asks softly against my temple as his lips place a gentle kiss there.

“I like you,” I say.

“That’s good seeing as how you’re kissing me.”

Again, I stand on my tiptoes and this time kiss him hard. He returns it and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, making me moan and try to integrate my body with his. He pulls back slightly and rests his forehead against mine.

“I realize I’m a slow southern carpenter, but you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”

I kiss his beard. It’s not at all freaky, it’s soft. I don’t know what to say. We’ve known each other two weeks. I’d known Brad for two years before I married him. I loved his look. His personality left something to be desired. But I was all about appearances. With Steve, I am so enamored with the person he is. His soft accent. His intelligence. Being able to talk about anything. But we don’t know each other. I like how he’s so kind and gentle with me. When he says “Princess” I don’t feel like it’s an insult as much as something reverent and genuine.

“Do you like Megan?” I ask.

He blinks. “What? She seems nice enough.”

“Because if you like her, I don’t want to get in your way.”

He grins and his fingers entangle in my hair. “Sometimes it’s like your mind is spinning around. I just met Megan. She’s not my type.”

I lean back in his arms and stare up into his eyes. “No? Why not?”

He pulls me back against him. He chuckles softly. “I married a drama queen once. We have five-year-old child.”

“You’re a father?”

“Oh, Princess, you don’t know the slightest thing about me.”

“So, tell me.”

“The short version?”

“I don’t care. Long version. I have all night.”

He grins. “I was a Navy Seal…”

“No.”

He throws back his head slightly. “Yeah. Me. Stationed here in Norfolk.”

He pulls me close. “I was in Afghanistan.”

I close my eyes and rub my face against him. “I thought you were a carpenter.”

“Nobody’s just anything, Princess. Everyone is something else.”

“What happened with you and your wife?”

“She wanted me to stay in the Navy. She wanted me to always be in uniform because she thought it was sexy. When I got out, she pushed for me to stay in. When I wouldn’t, she hooked up with another Navy guy.”

I grab his chin and press my lips against his. It escalates. My heart dashes. I hear a new song building around us and I know that Brittany has done this. Bless her. U2’s “With or Without You” blazes.

My heart soars and I wrap myself around him.

“My heart’s fragile, Princess,” he says.

“Mmm. Mine too,” I say and then grab his hair and pull him close for a kiss that reverberates through my body.

 

7/3/2017

Sascha Darlington