Lies That Bind (on hold temporarily)

Chapter Thirteen

S A R A

Two weeks flew by, and before we knew it, James and I were in an Uber heading to dinner with my Dad.

His knee bounces up and down nervously as he stares out the window, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

Over the last two weeks, I've tried to convince him that meeting my dad wasn't a big deal, which only ended in him being even more nervous than before.

"James," I say, placing my hand on his knee, stopping it from bouncing.

"Hm?" he hums, quickly turning his head to look at me.

I giggle at the worried look plastered on his face as the car pulls up to the curb and parks. "Are you ready?" I ask, reaching for the car door.

He sighs, and runs his sweaty palms over his dark jeans before nodding, "Yeah."

He climbs out of the car, thanking the Uber driver as he shuts the door behind him.

I stand on the sidewalk waiting for him and suck my bottom lip into my mouth, biting down as I get another look at him from head to toe.

His hair is perfectly styled, as always, and he's wearing a white button down with the sleeves rolled up, the top few buttons undone, showing off the slightest bit of skin, a pair of fitted dark wash jeans, a dark brown leather belt and matching dress shoes.

I cannot wait to get him back to the hotel later...

Truth be told, since that night I spent at his place, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what it would be like to actually be with him. In a more-than-just-fuckbuddies kind of way.

And that scares the shit out of me.

He steps up onto the curb and takes another deep breath, lacing his fingers with mine, and pulling me out of my daze.

"Okay, let's just go before I completely sweat through this shirt," he sighs, tugging my hand as he walks toward the entrance.

I can't help but giggle at how cute it is that he's nervous.

"Wait," I say, planting my feet on the sidewalk.

"What?" he asks, his brows pinching together as he turns around.

I take a step toward him and push myself up, hooking my free hand around the base of his neck and pressing my lips to his.

"Mmm," he moans into the kiss, his body instantly relaxing as his hand finds my waist and he pulls me closer. "We're going to have an entirely different problem if we don't stop," he whispers against my lips.

I give his bottom lip a quick nibble, swiping my tongue over it before pulling back. I look up into his eyes, getting lost in his pale blues.

"You're going to be the death of me, Cooper," he smirks.

"I know," I giggle, watching him as he tries to inconspicuously readjust himself in his jeans.

"Are you done torturing me now?" he asks, scratching the back of his head.

"For now." I stick my tongue out and drag him toward the restaurant.

We walk through the door and up to the hostess stand, still hand in hand. Is it weird that something as menial as holding hands is giving me butterflies?

"Table for two?" a short brunette dressed in all back asks.

"We actually have a reservation for three under Cooper," I say, scanning the room for my dad without any luck.