Fear of Falling

shaking his head, yet still intently focused on the movements of his fingers. “Absolutely not. Better for me.”
    “Better for you, how?”
    A smile curled his full lips, causing my eyes to fixate on them. “Well, Kami, I told you before that I wasn’t chasing you. But now…now I am. So it’s better that I know your interest isn’t elsewhere.”
    “Oh, is that right?” I smirked. “And what makes you believe that you chasing me will be a sure bet? Just because there’s no one else, that doesn’t mean you win by default.”
    His fingertips fell from my face, but he didn’t break contact. They drifted down my throat, stopping to gently fondle my collarbone before sliding down my arm. My skin heated under the soft touch, begging for more. My whole body screamed for more Blaine. It had gotten just a sweet taste, and now there was no going back.
    “I know that,” he finally said, making me remember that we were actually having a conversation. “But I am very persistent. I never give up on the things I want. This…you and me…it’s inevitable. There’s no use in fighting, Kami. It’s going to happen. And when you are madly in love with me, the only thing you’ll regret is not falling sooner.”

I was never one to believe in fairy tales. I always figured that when things were too good to be true that they were just that—a beautiful lie. So after Blaine declared that he was, in fact, actively pursuing me, I knew there was a catch.
    Even though Friday and Saturday came and went without incident, with Blaine remaining his usual flirtatious, incredibly enticing self, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing should be this good. The way he’d look at me, those brown eyes stirring something deep inside me, it was much more than I deserved. I kept waiting for something to come crashing down, shattering the perfect picture I had painted of him in my mind. But nothing happened. Not until Sunday, when a sledgehammer disintegrated my tiny slice of hope into rubble.
    We had been open for a few hours and were expecting a slow day. Sundays usually brought in a few regulars, but since it wasn’t football season yet, most people were out enjoying the warm weather with their families. Blaine was in a good mood. Things between us had been comfortable and easy, though I still would break out into a deep blush whenever his arm grazed mine or our eyes would lock. The past two nights had been so crazy that we hadn’t had much alone time. I think we were both looking forward to the slower shift, and I was secretly hoping that Blaine would step his game up. I wanted to experience the Blaine Jacobs persistence that he so confidently believed would eventually break me down and make me fall madly in love with him. As if that could ever happen. But, hey, there was no harm in trying.
    “Hold still just a sec,” he said suddenly, as I was filling a beer order for Lidia, one of the waitresses. Luckily, the pitcher was full, and I slid it towards her. She cocked a curious brow and winked at me before heading off to service her tables.
    I felt him behind me before we even made contact. There was something about his scent that drove me absolutely mad. It was masculine, natural and impossibly erotic. I could pick it out even among the sea of scents at a department store fragrance aisle. By the time I felt his hands at my waist, I was high off the smell of mint and spice, and drunk with anticipation. They were firm yet somehow gentle as they gripped my hips, drawing our bodies together. When his chest and abs were flush against my back, I felt as if I might pass out. That’s when I realized I had stopped breathing.
    “Kami,” he whispered, his lips on my earlobe unapologetically.
    I wanted Blaine’s ways of persuasion, and now I was getting it. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, was I getting it.
    Warm breath slid down my throat and caressed the top of my chest, spilling down into my shirt. “Here, let me help you,” he rasped.
    Blaine’s fingers traced the edge of my jeans, skimming the tiny bit of exposed skin that my tight Dive tee couldn’t conceal. That’s when I looked down and realized that he was retying my apron. His hands were at the base of my spine above my tailbone, driving me insane as they slowly worked those strings into a bow. What should have taken him mere seconds was drawn out into a vicious assault on my senses. I wondered what else he could prolong with those fingers, the possibilities causing a flame