Until Her Smile: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 4

  Peyton: ::groans:: I’m already hard, take some pity on me, please?

  Stacey: You’re the one who asked for something short. ;) And it brings me comfort knowing you’re just as sexually frustrated as I am.

  Peyton: I can help you out with that issue tonight.

  Stacey: I’m sure you can. ;) And I hope you do.

  Stacey: And on that note, I’m going. I’ve got some errands to finish and some pampering to do before 5.

  I toss my phone onto the couch next to me and stretch out. Dad and I watch some TV for a bit before I throw on some clothes and head out to the backyard to take care of some odds and ends I’d planned on doing while I was here.

  A few hours later, after checking a couple items off my to-do list, I come inside. I can’t stop thinking about my upcoming evening with Stacey and grin in spite of myself. It sounds like I could be having a late night, so I close my eyes and attempt to take a little nap.

  I wake up a couple hours later, when I feel the bed vibrating, and realize it’s my phone ringing next to me. A quick glance at the screen tells me it’s Cash.

  “Hey, man, what’s up?” I say as I answer the call.

  “I hear you’re in town,” he states as a greeting.

  “Yep, got in last night. You would have known that if you’d have shown up at the bar.”

  “Sorry about that, man. Kids both came down with a stomach bug. We were elbow deep in puke.”

  “Yuck. Yeah, keep that shit away from me. Hope they get better soon.”

  “They’re already on the mend. Twelve-hour bug or some shit like that. Just hoping it doesn’t hit Lilly or me.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “What are you up to tonight? Want to head out here to the house? Have a few beers and play some cards? I can get my brothers to come over for some poker.”

  “Wish I could, man, but I’ve got plans for tonight.”

  “Who is she?” he asks on a laugh.

  “Name’s Stacey. I met her last night at the bar. She’s a friend of Cam’s,” I tell him.

  “Damn, you move fast.”

  “Yeah.” I sigh. “Not sure what it is about her, man, but it’s like she’s gravity and I’m the moon. She was easygoing, and the conversation just flowed. Like no other woman I’ve met. Messing with my mind, that’s for sure.”

  “When you meet the right one, you fall hard, brother.”

  “I don’t know that I’m ready to admit defeat. You know my stance on women.”

  “And you know what kind of fucked-up mess I made it through. Look at how I fared in life, buddy. Lilly is the best thing that has ever happened to me. The years we spent apart were some of the most trying and hardest of my life, but I’d go through all of them again if it meant we’d end up where we are now.”

  “I don’t know, man. I just don’t know if I can trust another woman. They either walk away without looking back or fuck you over. Lilly is the exception, of course,” I tell him, not needing to get myself onto his shit list.

  “I’m telling you, you can’t compare every woman to your mom and your ex. Forget about them and move on with your life. You might find that having a steady woman in your life is a good thing. You might even enjoy it, if you know what I mean,” he deadpans.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I say, doing my best to placate him. “I’ll think it over and see how things go tonight. It might not even be feasible. It’s not like I live here. I’m over an hour away, and that’s without traffic.”

  “Just keep an open mind, man. I’m telling you, the distance is worth it if she’s the right one. Okay, enough about the woman. How long are you in town?”

  “A little over a week.”

  “Let’s plan to get together sometime soon. Beers, dinner, whatever. You name the time and place and I’ll make it happen,” Cash tells me.

  “Sounds good, man. I don’t really have any plans other than tonight, so far, so I’m game for whatever.”

  “Text me tomorrow and we’ll figure something out,” he says.

  “Will do,” I confirm before we end our call.

  I look at the time on my phone and see I’ve got two hours until I need to pick up Stacey. I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I dry off, then wrap the towel around my waist and stand in front of the mirror. My few days’ worth of facial hair is starting to make me itch, so I pull out my razor and quickly shave it all off. Once I’m finished in the bathroom, I head back into my room and pull out the nicest jeans and button-up shirt I brought with me.

  A few minutes later, I make my way out to the living room, where I find my dad still sitting in his recliner, watching a baseball game on TV.

  “You clean up nice,” he says as I sit down on the couch.

  “Can’t take out a beautiful woman without making somewhat of an effort.”

  “Did you decide where you’re going?”

  “I think we’ll head down to Broadway and then decide once we’re down there. Maybe barhop our way around, see who’s playing at the different bars. Figured we can just grab something to eat along the way, as well.”

  “You driving tonight?” he asks, ever the parent.

  “Yes, sir,” I answer him honestly. “Only plan on having one, maybe two, beers. If I have any more than that, we’ll grab an Uber. Can always go get my truck tomorrow.”

  “That’s my boy.”

  “I was taught well. No need to drink and drive,” I assure him. “You sure you’re going to be okay on your own tonight?”

  “I’m fine, feeling much better. Don’t worry about me. I won’t wait up for you.”

  “Sounds good, Pops,” I tell him as I stand up. I wanted to stop at a florist on the way to Stacey’s and pick up some flowers. “I think I’m going to get out of here, I don’t want to be late.”

  “Night, Peyton.” He pauses. “Don’t forget to wrap it up,” he says on a laugh. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “Only learned from the best, old man,” I retort before I walk out the door, shaking my head at his brashness.

  I love the relationship I have with my dad. He’s never been coy when it came to talking to me about women and sex. He knew I was going to grow up to be a horny teenage boy and man, so no sense in trying to shelter me from it. He taught me to always respect women, but also the importance that comes from learning how to pleasure them. As much as I shun the idea of a serious relationship, I’m still a red-blooded man who enjoys sex and spending time with a woman. I just don’t like the commitment and vulnerability that comes with a relationship.

  I pull into the first flower shop I drive past and head inside to find something for Stacey. I look through the arrangements available in the coolers and find one with vibrant fall colors filled with different kinds of flowers. I grab it and take it up to the register.

  “Will this be all for you today, sir?” the young teen girl behind the counter asks as she rings me up.

  “Do you have a vase that these will fit into? I’m not sure if she has one.”

  “Sure, do you have a color preference or will a clear vase work?”

  “Whatever you recommend,” I tell her, as I know nothing about flowers.

  “This one will work perfect.” She sets a clear vase on the counter.

  “Thanks.”

  “Your total today is forty-four dollars and thirty-nine cents.” I pull my card from my wallet and slip it into the chip reader. “Would you like me to wrap these up or arrange them in the vase for you?”

  “If you could arrange them in the vase, that would be great,” I reply, entering my pin before pulling my card from the machine and putting it back into my wallet. She makes quick work of arranging the flowers in the vase, then adding water and some powder stuff to it before bringing the vase back to the counter and handing it over to me.

  “I’ve already added in some food for the flowers but attached an extra packet of it that can be added in a few days to help keep them alive a little longer. Here’s
a box to place them in to keep the vase from tipping over while you drive.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, have a great day,” she says as I walk out.

  I get to my truck and place the box in the passenger seat. The box was a good idea, but I still keep my hand on the box while I drive. I don’t want it tipping over and ruining the arrangement before I can deliver it to Stacey.

  Fifteen minutes later, thanks to traffic, I turn into Stacey’s complex parking lot and pull into the same spot I parked in last night. Checking the clock, I see I made it a few minutes early. I grab the flowers and jump out of my truck, then walk the thirty or so feet to her door and rap my knuckles against it.

  It takes a minute before I hear the lock slide and the door open.

  “Hey,” she says, and my jaw nearly hits the ground.

  “Hi,” I finally reply after I’ve gotten my fill of her sexy-as-fuck body that’s on full display for me. She wasn’t lying when she said she knew just what to wear tonight. Then I remember the flowers in my hand, and hold them out. “These are for you.”

  She’s wearing a little white dress that comes up to her shoulders but doesn’t cover them. It stops about mid-thigh, showing off her toned, tanned legs. She’s got on a pair of cowboy boots to finish off the look, and fuck, if I’m not thinking about how good it would feel to have those legs wrapped around my waist, heels digging into my ass as I thrust into her. Her hair is down and cascading in the same waves as it was last night, and my fingers itch to run through it.

  “Thank you, they’re beautiful,” she says as she accepts the vase. “You can come in, I’ll go set them down.”

  She steps away from the door and I follow after her, shutting the door behind me. I keep myself from walking too far into her place, knowing that if I do, we might not make it out of here. My dick is already hard and pressing against the zipper of my jeans. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through tonight.

  “Ready?” she asks as she comes back around the corner.

  “Yep.” I reach for her hand. “Do you need anything?” I ask, looking around for a coat or purse or bag of some kind.

  “Everything I need is in here,” she says, flashing me a smile as she grabs a small purse from a hook near the door. Thump-thump. There goes my heart once again.

  “You look beautiful,” I tell her as I escort her out to my truck.

  “Thank you, you’re looking pretty handsome yourself,” she replies as we both settle into the truck and I pull out of the parking spot. “Although, I was digging the scruff you were sporting last night,” she adds, reaching out to run the backs of her fingers along my jaw as I pull out into traffic.

  “I’m not allowed to have facial hair in the military, so I’m not used to having it. Gets too itchy when I don’t shave every day. I don’t usually let it get that long.”

  “Oh,” she says.

  “Is that a problem?” I ask, a little humor in my question.

  “A total deal breaker,” she deadpans, a smirk on her face.

  “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll just stop right here and turn us around. Wouldn’t want to force you to go out with me now.” I wink at her, slowing to a stop due to the red light up ahead of us.

  “No need for that now,” Stacey replies as she slips her hand into mine.

  She tells me about her day and all the errands she accomplished as I drive us downtown.

  “I figured we could just park, then barhop our way around Broadway. Maybe eat at one of the food vendors or bars once we’re hungry. How does that sound?”

  “Perfect,” she tells me.

  I pull into a parking lot and pay the attendant, then find a spot to park. With traffic, it took us about forty-five minutes to get down here, so we’re still a little on the early side, but it will give us more time to be together.

  I jump out of the driver’s side and walk around to open Stacey’s door, offering her my hand to help her down. She accepts and slides down carefully, holding onto the hem of her dress to keep it from riding up and giving me a show. Not that I wouldn’t mind that show.

  “Which way do you want to head?” I ask as we make our way out of the parking lot and onto Broadway.

  “Let’s head this way,” she says, pointing to our right. “Most of the bars are down here a couple blocks.”

  I entwine our fingers together and we walk down the street amongst the crowds of other tourists and the regular Saturday night bar crowd.

  “There must be something going on at the arena tonight,” I comment as we walk down the sidewalk.

  “I think there’s a Preds game tonight.”

  “Do you ever go watch them?”

  “Occasionally. Hockey has never been my thing, but when Reese is in town and the Eagles come and play, I usually tag along with her.”

  “Sounds like a fun time.”

  “Now that she’s really into the games, it’s a blast to go with her to them. I went the other night when the Eagles were in town.”

  We continue walking down toward the bars, which all happen to be near the arena where the hockey game is going on. They have a bunch of things set up outside for the fans to have fun and pre-game before the game. There are food trucks lined up, bouncy houses for kids, a photo-op area that looks like the locker room, and some shooting and puck passing obstacle games.

  “Wanna go try your hand at shooting a hockey puck?” I ask Stacey as we walk past all the games and people mingling outside the arena.

  “Sure, why not,” she agrees and we head over to one of the games. The line is a couple people deep, so we only have to wait for a few minutes before it’s our turn.

  “How about a fun little bet,” I suggest as we step up to the line.

  “And what’s that?” she asks as she smiles up at me.

  “If I make more goals than you in the thirty-second timer, I get a kiss from you.”

  “And if I win?” Humor laces her voice. “What do I get?” she asks, leaning on the hockey stick the attendant handed her and looking up at me.

  “A kiss from me.”

  “Hmm…let me think about that for a second,” she says, the smile now filling her face. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  She gets a serious look on her face and takes her place at the goal to start shooting pucks. I watch as she leans over—giving me one hell of a view—and mirror her stance in my own lane. The attendant starts the clock and our thirty-second timer starts to tick down. We both start launching pucks at the mini-goals as fast as we can.

  Her pucks go a little wild, but I’ve got a pretty good shot. The eye-hand coordination required from all my weapons training I’ve had is coming in handy right about now.

  The timer ticks down the last few seconds and then blows a horn to signal our time has ended. I stand up to my full height and survey the nets that are about twenty-five feet away from where we’re standing.

  “I think you kicked my ass,” Stacey says on a laugh and then hands the attendant her stick.

  “Looks that way. We need to work on your shot,” I tease, as I hand the guy my stick before stepping over to Stacey’s side. I bring my hand to her lower back and we step away from the game to allow the next group of people their turn.

  I lead her across the street and stop along the side of the bar we’re standing next to. I leave one hand on her lower back and bring the other up to cup her face, running the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip.

  I close the space between us, pulling her against me as I step closer. I drop my forehead to hers, and our gazes lock before I bring my mouth to meet hers.

  The kiss starts out slow and sweet. Stacey parts her lips and I take the opening, slipping my tongue in and deepening the kiss. She grabs my shirt, fisting it in her fingers. We take our time exploring each other. The noises and the hustle and bustle of the city around us fade into the background as we stay lip-locked. Eventually, we break apart, gulping in air as we both attempt to catch our breath.
<
br />   I run my thumb over Stacey’s lips, now swollen from being kissed. All I want to do is bring my lips back to hers, but I know if I do that, we won’t make it anywhere else tonight.

  Chapter Six

  Stacey

  That kiss—damn, was it amazing.

  Earth-shattering.

  Life-altering.

  That was the type of kiss you read about in romance novels or see in chick-flicks, where the woman’s leg pops up behind her as she kisses her hero for the first time. This kiss has all of those types of thoughts running through my mind.

  I will think back on this kiss for years. Then I think, what if this was my last first kiss ever. I’m not usually one to jump the gun and think about the what-ifs in life, especially in a relationship, but being out tonight with Peyton, I once again feel so drawn to him. Like we’re meant to be together.

  “That was amazing,” he finally says, breaking the silence between the two of us.

  “I have to agree. Best first kiss ever,” I tell him, a small smile cresting my kiss-swollen lips. I reach up and wipe the smudge of lip gloss from his lips. He allows me to do so and then places a kiss against the palm of my hand before I pull it away.

  “What do you say we go find some food? I’m starving. Then we can find a place for some dancing.”

  “Sounds like the perfect plan,” I say as we start walking along the street lined with bars.

  We settle on some barbecue at one of the bars, grabbing a table on one of the upper floors.

  “When you return to base, will you be staying in town or do you have to leave again?” I ask as we enjoy our food.

  “I’ll be stateside for the foreseeable future. We completed the deployment and haven’t been told of any new ones on the horizon yet. With the security threats not as complex as they were in years past, deployments are getting shorter and not as often.”

  “That’s good. Have you deployed a lot?”

  “Sometimes it feels that way. I’ve done five different deployments, all overseas. Some were easier than others.”

  “I’m glad you made it through them all, that can’t be easy on anyone. Physically, mentally, or emotionally.”