Flawed Beauty by LR Potter

hands.
    “ Parting is such sweet sorrow ,”
he quoted from Shakespeare.
    “ That I shall say goodnight till
it be morrow ,” she said, reciting the next line.
    He flashed a quick smile at her
continuance of the quote. “Please tell me you thought Romeo and Juliet was a bit lame,” he pleaded.
    “Foolish maybe, but not lame.”
    He flashed a sexy grin, which
showcased his dimples, and she nearly stopped breathing. Slowly he pulled her
to him before dropping her hands to touch her lightly on her hips. He pressed
his lips against her ear, and lowering his voice to an almost husky whisper, he
said, “Well, I prefer this sonnet. If I said you had a beautiful body would
you hold it against me ?” As he sang the words from an old Bellamy Brothers
song, he slowly moved them in a small circle.
    She laughed at his antics. “I
wouldn’t exactly call it a sonnet.”
    “Oh, you laugh now, Tate Morgan, but
before long, you’ll be begging me to hold my body against yours.”
    Her lips twitched at his outrageous
statement, as he’d intended. “Is that right?”
    “I’m insulted, you sound doubtful,”
he said with mock censure.
    She grinned. “Begging, uh?”
    As he leaned her against the door,
he placed his hands on either side of her upturned face, palms flat on the door
behind her. “Begging,” he whispered against her lips.
    He pressed his lips softly and
sensuously against hers. She inhaled deeply at the contact. He flicked the tip
of his tongue delicately against her lips until she parted them. In a way that
made her toes curl, he licked into her mouth and deepened the kiss. Her heart
began to pound and she placed her hands on his hips to press closer into the
kiss. With suppressed need, he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his
body against hers, leaving no available space between them.
    With a groan, he pulled back his
head, leaned his forehead against hers, and panted, “You won’t have to beg.
I’ll beg.”
    He took her keys, and unlocked the
door for her.
    Nervously and a little breathless,
she asked, “Do you want to come in?”
    Brushing the hair from her face, he
said, “No, not tonight. I’m sorry but I’m bushed. It’s been a long weekend. I’m
not used to the late nights anymore.”
    A battle seemed to be warring within
her. While she didn’t want to have sex with him on their first date, she wanted
to be the one to say no. But he was the one calling a halt to it. What did that
mean? Did he find her lacking on their date? All her insecurities rose up
within her. She put a mask over her features. She did not want him knowing how
much his approval of her meant.
    Straightening, she said, “Well,
thanks for a great night. I’ll see you around.”
    She turned and walked into the
house. As she stepped into the kitchen, he came up behind her and spun her
around to face him. He caught her face within his palms and pressed his lips
against hers, softly at first, then growing steadily more aggressive as he
gently coaxed her lips open and began to slide his tongue against her own.
    “God, I want you. Please don’t wait
too long to beg me. Okay?” he said against her mouth.
    “Okay,” she whispered.
    With one last hard kiss, he dropped
his hands, and turned to go. He stopped abruptly.
    “I’m gonna need your phone number, if you don’t mind.”
    She laughed, turned, grabbed a
Post-It, and scribbled her number down. He did the same in turn. Baby, don’t
lose my number , he sang as he bounded down the stairs.
    Locking the apartment door, Tate
leaned back against the door, folded her hands together, and pressed them
against her chest. Her happiness was edged in fear – the fear of losing her
happiness. It was a vicious cycle. He’d taken her number and he was going to
call her. Yay ! As she’d done on her bike, she punched
the air with her fists. Yes!

Chapter 3
     
    The
next couple weeks were a new experience for Tate. She’d never been involved in
a dating relationship with anyone. Not