Here and Now. Michelle Monkou

      “Well, I roll like that.” Kasey yawned and leaned her head back on the head rest.

      “If you ask me, I don’t think she’s going to be fit to go anywhere until probably noon tomorrow,” Chase offered.

      Laura nodded, keeping her eyes forward. To turn her head would mean that he was in kissable distance. Thanks to Kasey’s SUV, she was sitting high enough that she or he only had to lean forward and succumb to a good night smooch.

      Not a chance.

      “For once, would you not be so stubborn?” Chase placed his forearms on the door.

      “Stubborn? Because I won’t let you take me home?”

      He pulled on his ear lobe, a familiar habit when he got irritated. Good. His cologne was driving her crazy. The very clear memory of swaying to an old-school song had more than her mind buzzing. And darn it, she couldn’t stop thinking about kissing him.

      Maybe that’s why she turned her head. Of course, she later told herself that she had to let him know whom he was dealing with, eye-to-eye.

      “We’re not buddies, Chase. I need this favor from you to take me home. But don’t think what happened in there is the beginning of a new chapter for us. We are still at the end of the happy trail. No happily ever after, no riding off into the sunset and certainly no reunion of the cast members here.” She had more to say about hurt and disappointment, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what it was. But she shouldn’t have looked into his eyes.

      Then, she made the mistake of looking at that mouth. The perfect mouth that Pierce had taken pleasure in punching when he caught them kissing behind the large oak tree in Chase’s backyard. At fourteen years old, the kiss was a mere peck, but she swore that she’d floated up past the trees, over the neighborhood to settle among the clouds.

      In college, and after college, their relationship had moved beyond chaste, stolen moments. Chase could make her melt into an incoherent puddle when she was locked in his arms for a steamy kiss after a rousing night of passionate lovemaking.

      “Have dinner with me.”

      “Did you hear anything I just said?” Laura couldn’t believe his tenacity.

      “Yes. And if you have dinner with me, I’ll clear up all the questions.”

      She could demand that he cleared them up now. Who was he to give her conditions after all he’d made her go through?

      “It’s cold and I’m freezing my buns out here,” he complained.

      His buns weren’t bad either. Sprinter buns.

      “Fine.” She pursed her lips, detecting an amused twitch to his mouth. “Don’t think you’ve landed some big coup. I’m on to you, Chase Westfield.”

      “Good, then you’ll know that I’ve wanted to do this since I saw you.” He leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He didn’t touch her, didn’t pin her face between his hands, did nothing to force her to be kissed. Yet, like a magnet, she couldn’t pull away drawn by an intangible force that ignited when they were together.

      His attention was gentle, loving, coaxing for which she obliged his attentive tongue. Her entire body tingled, aroused out of a deep slumber, yearning for fulfillment.

      He pulled away first. Laura opened her eyes, unable to speak. Only her chest rose and fell with an uneven breath.

      “Let’s get you home, shall we?” Chase jingled his keys and turned to head to his car.

      “That son of a—” Laura called out.

      “Girl, shut your mouth. He lit you up like a Christmas tree,” Kasey uttered and promptly fell asleep with a small snore escaping.