The Next Best Thing: Part II

Thirty-Nine

I decided to leave before midnight, refusing his proposal for me to stay the night - I was afraid of what I'd do to him, what we'd do to each other. I had to be careful to control myself, my needs, and to be respectful of his wishes.

"Zoe, I'm not comfortable with you driving home this late," he murmured, stroking my cheek. "Please, stay with me." His eyes flickered to my mouth, filled with a desire he wasn't about to fulfill. Not yet.

"Eoin, I can-"

He kissed my lips again for the millionth time that night, taking his time to share his affection for me with me in the best possible way.

"I can't stay, not when you're clinging onto me like this," I smiled, pecking his nose. I ran my fingers through his hair. "I want to wait. I want to wait for you, for us to be ready to do this."

"It's a big deal," he concurred. "I want it to be special. You mean something to me, more than you know; you're special, and I want you to know that in the most incredible way possible."

He gazed at me with his pale blue gems, making my eyes water at how much I was genuinely falling for him. I loved every minute of him, every minute we spent together, especially when he would touch me and kiss me over and over again, unsolicited and without fore warning - I loved it.

"So let me go. I have to go home now," I said, extricating myself from his protective grip.

"Can't I drive you home?" he whined.

"I'm tempted to say yes but I won't be able to get out of this place if I do. I want to be with you, and you know how much I want that. But we agreed that that can't happen. God, you're so handsome. I hate you right now." I bit his lower lip and groaned internally, enjoying myself too much.

"We're both adults here. And I can keep it in my pants."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. I didn't believe him; I was literally sitting on his lap and I felt it against my thigh, tempting my sex. "I don't want us to regret this."

He carried me to the car while our lips were still in a passionate embrace. His reluctance to put me down and see me away was explicit, expressed in the way he kissed me. I knew what it'd lead to if I let my guard down. I would be tangled under him before I knew it, and soon after we would be full of regret.

He put me down and let me leave as quickly as possible. I watched from the rearview mirror as Eoin's figure on the sidewalk faded the further away from him I drove.

Min was awake, in her room, when I got back. She was reading a parenting book, one of many Lily had gifted her with. "I don't want you to screw up like Mom did," she'd said.

I packed all the food carefully, taking care not to make any noise to alert her of my coming home that late.

I ran past her room into mine, slowly closed the door and slumped into my bed. I resisted the urge to call Eoin, wanting to fall asleep to his voice; I texted him instead.

[Thank you for tonight. I forgot to say that when you ambushed me with your shows of affection.]

He replied me with: [It's my pleasure, Zo. I won't be able to sleep tonight, though. I wish I could rock you to sleep. I always do.]

I wanted him to rock me too. Stop it Zoe, I scolded myself. Soon enough.

A few hours later I was awoken by a chirpy Aidan, summoning me to an undisclosed location for breakfast to catch up. He'd just flown in from Australia, obviously - he was wide awake in the middle of the night, 6 am to the average person.

I fell back to sleep, only to be woken up again by him, this time softly knocking on my bedroom door. I was surprised that Min actually allowed him in her sights, considering their relationship was one of fierce antagonism.