Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

27. Jonah

Chapter 27

Jonah

T he moment Sophie opens the door, I shuffle her back inside and up against the wall next to it, slamming it shut without even letting her say hello.

“What are you doing?” She laughs, her eyes wide with happiness.

“This,” I tell her, crowding her space and bending down to crush my mouth against hers. While I did kiss her good night last night, it was more of a first-date kind of kiss, since Vivi was in the car. As it turns out, after I left, that kiss wasn’t enough for me. It’s all I’ve thought about, she’s all I’ve thought about after what I consider the best date of my life, and now here I am eighteen hours later ready to devour her. She’s wearing strawberry-flavored lip gloss, and my tongue rejoices as it licks it clean off her.

“I can’t stop thinking about kissing you, and I just couldn’t wait any longer.”

She grins against my lips. “Well, who am I to deny you,” she says as she lifts on her toes and wraps her arms around my neck. Pulling me closer, Sophie kisses me back, matching my intensity.

Pushing her against the wall, I move my mouth to her ear, her neck, and then lower. I cup both of her boobs, pushing them up and lick my way across her skin at the edge of her shirt, dip my tongue down in the valley and then drop to my knees.

Sophie groans as her head tilts back, and she arches her back. My hands drag down her sternum to her waist, where I momentarily lay my forehead to just be near her.

“Jonah,” she says, her voice slightly breathy, and I can one hundred percent listen to her say my name like that over and over. The door is closed, and not that I think anyone from the sidewalk out front can hear us, but they might, and her sounds are for my ears only.

Lifting her shirt, I suck on her stomach and dip my tongue into her belly button, as my hands find their way under her skirt. It’s loose and flowy, and I have no problems sliding them up the back of her legs and ass, which feel so good. Her hip bones are sharp under my thumbs, and her underwear are wet as I skim my fingers down the middle. Without asking or waiting another second, I pull them off.

I have to taste her.

I need to taste her.

Lifting her skirt so it’s out of the way, she spreads her legs just the perfect distance for me to lean forward and drag my tongue over her. Her fingers sink into my hair, and as I glance up at her, I see her eyes are squeezed shut. I already know this isn’t going to take long.

“Sophie,” I call her name, and her head drops as her eyes open and look at me. They are dilated and heated. There’s a blush on her cheeks, and her chest rises and falls at a rapid rate. “I want you to watch me.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she whispers.

Lifting one of her legs, I place it over my shoulder and rub my thumb against her. She closes her eyes for just a second, and then they pop open again to find me. Leaning forward, I suck her into my mouth while sinking two fingers in, one at a time. She’s soft, warm, and tight, and I could do this for the rest of my life and die a happy man.

I love the taste, the smell, and the feel of her. Hell, I already know that’s not the only thing I’m starting to love. It’s too soon to talk about what that might mean, but time doesn’t change the facts. After last night, if this girl wants me, she’s got me. I don’t need any more time to figure it out. I’m not sure I ever needed the time. I just knew deep down that she’s the one for me.

It doesn’t take long before I feel her start to shake. I hear the change in her breathing, and then she pulls so hard on my hair, making my eyes water. From her thighs all the way to her face, she flushes red. She’s beautiful.

Dropping her leg, I gently put her back together, then lick my lips before dragging them across my arm to dry them and standing.

“Hi,” I say to her.

“Hi,” she says back, eyes sparkling and sated. “Thank you for that. It was . . . well, you know . . .” She blushes again.

“I wanted to do that last night but thought it was best to hold off until date number two,” I tell her, adjusting her shirt and settling my hand on her waist.

She giggles. “I certainly wouldn’t have complained,” she says shyly.

“Are you ready to go?”

“I’m not sure. Am I?” she asks, her tone edged with an unexpected wonder.

I laugh.

“Yes. Vivi should be done with her dance camp in a few minutes, and I don’t want to leave her there too long.”

“Vivi,” she whispers, her eyes growing large with panic.

“She’ll be fine. She loves it there,” I reassure her, my fingers tightening around her. My hands are so large, just one of them wraps around half of her.

“Okay.” She reaches between us, runs her hand down over me, and gently squeezes. I was hard before, but now with her hand on me, I’m like steel.

“Seems not fair,” she says quietly, and with my other hand, I wrap it around her face and tilt her head back. Tiny freckles, long eyelashes, and perfect lips stare up at me.

“Fair is you sneaking over to my house later tonight after Vivi has gone to bed to keep me company.” I brush my lips against hers and take in the closeness of this moment.

She smiles. “And when is bedtime?” She runs her hand up and down me again.

“Eight,” I barely get out.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she teases as she kisses me one more time, then releases me. Stepping away, she turns to look in the mirror over her couch. She smoothes down her skirt and fixes her ponytail while I glance around. Everything looks exactly like I remember it, from the couch to the vintage skeleton posters on her walls. Which also now makes sense. She was a doctor, and I had no idea.

“Is Vivi excited to go out for pizza tonight?” she asks, pulling me from my memories.

I can’t help but chuckle. “Prepare yourself. I’m not sure you can handle what we’ve planned.”

She grins. “And what is that?” she asks, picking up her purse and moving us out the door so she can lock it.

“A pizzapalooza.”

She smiles up at me, and my chest constricts. “A what?”

“You heard me. Vivi had an idea, and I just let her run with it.” Wrapping my hand around her ponytail, I run the strands through my fingers. Her hair is so soft, just like all of her. Her lips, her skin, that sweet spot between her legs. Internally, I groan at how perfect she is.

“What’s on the agenda for our pizzapalooza?” She grins at the silliness of it.

She’s intrigued, and I’m pleased. Vivi will be excited.

“I’m going to let Vivi tell you, but just so you know, she made a poster.”

“A poster?” She laughs.

“Yep.” I slip my fingers between hers, and we walk to the car just like last night.

“Well, I officially love our pizzapalooza date.” She smiles.

Everything in South Tampa is fairly close, so it only takes a few minutes to get to the dance studio, and Vivi is waiting for us just inside the door when we arrive. She’s never this eager to see me, and although I know Sophie would never do anything to hurt her, I can’t help the wave of wariness that rushes over me. Parenting is strange. I never realized how much on the defense one plays. I’m constantly looking for things that could hurt her or make her unhappy.

“Ms. Sophie!” Vivi’s eyes light up, and even though she remains conservative with her emotions, her happiness is written all over her face.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Sophie says, opening her arms to hug her.

The two of them embrace, and I have his overwhelming urge to wrap my arms around both of them and say, “Mine.”

“How come you never greet me like that?” I ask her.

“Because I see you every day,” she states, like that should be obvious.

“You just saw her last night,” I point out, arguing with the seven-year-old.

“Uncle Jonah, it’s just different,” she states, like I should know better.

“I guess so. I’m chopped liver.”

She giggles. “Gross.”

“So we’re not putting that on our pizza?” I ask as I grab her bag. She slips her hand into Sophie’s as we walk outside.

“No!” she says, looking up at Sophie. “Did he tell you?”

“Nope. He just said you planned something for us, and I can’t wait to see what it is.”

I scoff. “Wildflower, I told you I wouldn’t tell her.”

“Well, I didn’t know. You tell Uncle Tyler everything.”

I glance at Sophie and shake my head. “Not everything.”

Sophie grins as Vivi races to the back of the Tahoe to open the trunk.

“Ms. Sophie, you have to see what we made this morning!”

“I’m so excited,” she tells her.

“I didn’t make it. This was all you,” I tell them both.

Vivi pulls out the poster and shows her it’s a large chart. There are spots for twenty pizza places down the left-hand side, and then across the top are columns to rate for crust, sauce, cheese, restaurant decor, overall, and total. She’s labeled the scale from one through ten, with ten being the greatest.

“It’s to help us find the best pizza place in Tampa!” she says, bouncing on her toes.

“This is the best idea ever,” Sophie tells her, looking at the poster in awe. Vivi has even colored little slices of pizza around the edge.

“I agree. It means I’m guaranteed at least twenty pizza dates with you.”

Sophie hears what I’m saying without saying it—that I’m excited to spend more time with her. That I want to spend a lot of time with her.

“So where are we going first?”

“Santoro’s Pizzeria.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Exactly.”