Desire In A Kiss

Chapter 8

Chris hurried to his car, still dripping with the sweat of his workout. He looked forward to going home, getting on the computer and exchanging emails with Serenity. They had communicated in that fashion every day for the past two weeks. Their conversation always made room for talk about music. He did some research, finding her on social media, and viewed what he could of her profiles without being a connection, friend or follower. He liked what he saw.

Serenity’s passion for music and life and her fun-loving nature were the threads woven throughout her online narrative. Chris viewed pictures of her hanging with friends, working with youth and spending time with her mother. One look at the older version of her and he could tell she had inherited her good looks from her mother. Both had beautiful doe eyes that he imagined would compel him to offer her the world with a single bat of her lashes. He learned about her forty-pound weight loss and how it was inspired by her mother’s health scare. Before and after pictures chronicling the journey of both women revealed their curvaceous frames prior to dropping the pounds and showed them looking just as gorgeous in new svelte figures after the weight loss.

Chris could already tell that Serenity had a big heart and wondered how she might respond to the fact that he hadn’t been completely honest about who he was. Purposely, he never asked to connect with her via social media since he, of course, didn’t have any profiles under his partially fictitious name. Chris Mullins was a ghost online. He’d gotten the last name Mullins from his grandparents’ hometown in South Carolina. When she had asked him about his online presence, he’d simply said he wasn’t a fan of social media and with his busy schedule wasn’t sure how he’d find time to engage anyway. Who knew how things would go? Maybe he’d never get the opportunity to even tell her the truth. Yet the more they communicated, the more he wanted to meet her in person. It was quite possible that once they actually spoke or met the intrigue that resulted from only knowing so much about one another would wane. Serenity could be just like the other women he’d been meeting lately. Then he’d be happy that he hadn’t got too close. He decided to see how far this could go. He had time before having to worry about his fictitious identity.

The short ride to and from his gym and home seemed even shorter with his mind on Serenity. He made the trip on autopilot, hardly recalling the route he’d taken. Inside, he washed the sweat off his body with a long hot shower, stepped into sweatpants and sat on the bed.

Chris planned to ask for her number. Would her voice sound the way he imagined, based on her pictures? If she were reluctant, he’d move on. Two weeks of email was enough for him.

After settling in, propped against his headboard, Chris turned on his laptop and launched his email.

How was your day?

Chris reached for the remote and brought the television to life while he awaited her response. He had missed the first half of the basketball game. During a commercial, he refreshed his email and saw that she had responded. A smile eased across his lips. She replied with a quick account of how hectic her day had been. The grant application she had to get in before five o’clock, the students she had to settle a conflict with, and the restaurant she and her friend had to check out to see if it was a good choice for their friend’s bridal shower.

Chris replied with a few details of his busy day at work and the fact that he was happy that he didn’t have to go in to work tonight.

Would it be okay if I called you?

He again wondered what she sounded like. Her reply didn’t come instantly like the others. He smiled, imagining her doe eyes looking at his words with trepidation etched in her expression. He’d wait. He got up, headed to the kitchen and popped the top off a bottle of beer. Taking two swigs before leaving the kitchen, he headed back to the bedroom, sat and placed the PC on his lap.

Serenity sent her number. Chris swallowed another swig of beer before reaching for his cell phone. He dialed. She answered on the first ring.

“Hello.” Her voice was soft but professional—confident. The sound was pleasing—full and feminine.

“It’s nice to hear your voice.” He felt himself smile.

“Is it what you thought it would be like?”

“Better.”

“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Mullins?”

At first, Chris was thrown. Mr. Mullins. He’d never actually been called by his fake name before.

“Maybe. I’ve wondered what you sounded like. Now that I know, I like what I hear.” She was blushing and he could feel it. “Did I make you blush?”

“You know how to put a girl on the spot, don’t you?”

“I’m direct.”

“I like that.”

“Are you flirting with me, Ms. Williams?” Chris teased.

“Maybe.”

The two of them laughed. The ice had been broken. They eased into conversation just as smoothly as they had on email. It was as if they’d spoken on the phone all the time. Somehow the conversation moved to pets.

“I would love to have a dog, but I’m just not home enough,” said Serenity.

“Do you like those cute little dogs I see women walking around with in their handbags?”

“Ha! I love those, but if I were to get a dog, I’d want a big one...a husky maybe. I’m one of those small girls that likes big things.”

“Napoleon complex?” Chris willed his thoughts to focus on Serenity’s words and not the innuendos her comment could have suggested. He chuckled. “Do you like big cars too?”

“Yes.” Serenity giggled. “I drive an SUV. How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

“I need the space for the kids I work with. I carry loads of stuff in my car.”

Relishing the soothing cadence of her voice, Chris kept the questions coming. It was then that he determined that her name was the perfect fit. He found the sound of her laughter even more titillating and leaned toward a more humorous slant, just to hear it flutter through the phone. Before he knew it, midnight arrived. They’d been talking for almost three hours. He yawned, which prompted him to look at his clock.

“Oh now, Chris. Don’t yawn. It’s—” he heard her yawn in her pause “—contagious!” She laughed. “Please excuse me.”

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