The Wedding Issue

Chapter Eighteen - Guilty Pleasures

Genevieve looked like the type of woman who indulged in salads and detoxes and had a very berry smoothie for breakfast every morning. I thought of her as one who counted her calorie intake to make room for a skinny latte or a piece of dark chocolate for a taste of pleasure. I never in a million years would've thought that she would eat a six inch sub all by herself, accompanied by iced-tea and pickles. Her appetite was something that has clearly taken me by surprise, and I found myself liking her a little more than I should have.

The way she moaned against the bread made me stare grudgingly at the wheat-based product. It got to explore her lips, play twister with her tongue, and touch every corner of her mouth while I sat by idly with nothing to do but stare. The time has come when Killian Rhodes was jealous of bread. That was how much being around Genevieve effected my sanity. I enjoyed every minute of it.

'You were right. This is the best sandwich ever invented by man', she said as she swallowed the last piece of her sandwich.

'You're welcome', I said cockily, and was rewarded by a beautiful smile.

'So Killian, we're friends right?', she suddenly sounded serious.

I chose my next words very carefully. I felt like I was being tricked into something.

'After our intimate conversation about your mother, it's hard to imagine us not being friends.'

She shook her head in agreement but failed to meet my eyes.

'So it would be alright for us to get to know each other... as friends', she said, still refusing to look at me.

I wanted to lift her chin up to force her to look at me so she could feel the genuinity of the words that were about to part my lips. I battled the idea for in my head for a few seconds before I reached out to her and did exactly as I intended. Her skin was soft – almost fragile. A part of me wanted to pull her closer to me and plant a sensual kiss on those rosy lips of hers. It would've been so easy to do it. My lips yearned to taste hers. It would've ben magical to explore the wonders of her mouth, but reason caught up with me and told me that I needed to be very careful with what I did with Genevieve. I was already jeopardizing everything I have by being with her in this very moment.

'There is nothing in the universe that would ever stop me from getting to know you', I told her once I had her undivided attention.

She looked at me with wide-eyes that were almost luminous with craze. I was practically touching it with my bare hands. It was there, right in front of me, staring me square in the face, showing me the depth of the feelings running wild in her system. I wanted to tell her how badly and deeply I've been feeling them too, but I gently let go of her chin so I don't hurt her feelings. I know I shouldn't be leading her on like this, and knowing that I had such powers over her started a battle between my heart and mind.

'So what is it that you want to know about me?', I whispered, not wanting to ruin the bubble of joy that we've immersed ourselves into, making us oblivious to our surroundings.

'Everything', she whispered back with a dreamy look on her face.

And she really did mean everything. She asked about my parents and my competitive older sister, and I asked her about hers. I always thought she was an only child, but was surprised to learn that she had a half-sister who she seemed to love tenderly. She was incredibly curious about how I got into photography and my passion for the trade seemed to rub off on her; she wanted me to help her buy a camera and start taking pictures herself. We talked all about our high school experiences and I wasn't so surprised to know that she was a bit of a nerd in high school, but also seemed to maintain a social status that made her guarantee a place on the top of her school's pyramid, making her both valedictorian and prom queen.