The Men Next Door

Ch 10 - Brooks

My neighbor was the one to close the distance between us. She did it quickly—like she was scared the moment would pass away forever if she let another millisecond go by—and I rested my hand on the side of her face to steady her.

Something about my touch must have given her courage.

The familiar, heavy feeling of lust was building in my stomach as her mouth began to move more confidently against mine. Her nerves, and my own, were slowly melting away. And once she felt comfortable enough, she climbed over onto my lap and pinned me to my seat on the couch.

I hummed against her lips, grateful she was feeling brave enough to take some control. I admittedly wouldn't let her have it for long, but in that moment, it was evidence she wanted this as badly as I did.

Plus, I wanted to start slow and get her more comfortable. If her hesitant shrugs and quiet answers were anything to judge by, this was not her typical Sunday night—and it wasn't mine either by those days. The whole thing was only going to be fun if we could both relax and let go of some tension first, so I traced firm, grounding circles down her back until I reached her hips, then pulled away to catch my breath.

Cam's fingers instinctively moved to the back of my head to keep me from moving too far away. I trailed kisses down her neck to fill the space.

"I've been thinking about this for weeks," I murmured between stops. "Haven't been able to get you out of my mind."

When she pressed her cheek against the top of my head, leaning further into my lips, she felt ten degrees warmer than she had a minute ago. "I haven't either," she breathed. "And trust me"—she shivered as I brushed across a spot at the base of her neck—"I've tried."

I smirked against her collarbone, then pulled her back down for another quick kiss to keep myself from asking the questions I really wanted to know: what exactly she'd tried, and how good it had felt, and whether I could help her this time. She was still too nervous for any of that, and I was doing my best to follow her lead as she started to open up.

But it seemed like a little bit of praise could help nudge her along, and I was more than willing to provide.

"This light on you is..." I shook my head. "Gorgeous." The city's gleam. The inky shadows. The dim glow flooding down the short hallway to her bedroom. It all came together like a perfectly developed photo. "You look incredible, Cam."

She pulled back to take in the scene, and I took the chance to scan her face for any clue of what would come next. Any sign that I was overstaying my welcome, or reading this all wrong. Instead, she met my eyes and gave me a shy smile that drew me further in.

"Thank you." Her lips grazed my cheek. "You do too."

"You doing okay?" I asked.

"Mhm," she answered, absentmindedly dragging her fingers across my chest.

"Good change?" I pried.

"Great change." Her body brushed against me in all the right ways as she readjusted her knees on the seat, and I let out a strained huff. "But I think we might need a little more room."

I was expecting to bring her cookies. To talk for twenty minutes and finally get her phone number, if I was lucky. And now it had been hours, and she was inviting me into her bedroom, and I was one step away from losing my mind.

We were moving fast, and although our attraction for each other was crystal clear, our expectations weren't anywhere close. We hadn't had time to talk about boundaries. Those negotiations helped make sure no one got hurt.

She hadn't even been sure if she'd have regrets about this.

But I'd wanted her since the moment she stepped out of the elevator, and she was already standing from the couch to lead me down the hallway, so I convinced myself that there'd be time for all of that once our heads were less clouded.