Brayden sucked on his teeth in anticipation, leg bouncing erratically. Calm, cool, and collected was his mantra, and he was sure if he repeated it over enough times, it would be true. If he wasn’t calm, cool, and collected, she might start to second guess this whole thing and then not only would he not get to go out with her, but he would also feel too bad to eat, and he was hungry. However too much calm might give her the wrong idea, because he was not interested in being her friend and would not lie to her about his feelings. He had seen the betrayal in too many girls’ eyes when they realized you never wanted to be their friend, it was just to get between their legs. Not some of his finer moments admittedly. Not with this one, he would be very clear, in fact he had been very clear in the past and hoped she didn’t think things were different now.

Brayden took a deep breath and refocused, it was just sushi. Lillian knew damn well what he was thinking when she caught him earlier and she was no fool.  She knew this was a risk they were taking.

Suddenly he heard her bare feet padding across the floor, the smell of her shampoo and body wash, washing over him. Stood in the doorway of his roommate’s room, fully dressed and hair that she was patting dry with a towel. He felt his dick harden and he closed his eyes. He counted to 5 before he opened them again. Her head was cocked to the side, and she was smiling almost sweetly at him. This could have been confused with a look of concern, but not after months of dancing around each other. He knew she knew exactly what he was thinking. The way she looked at him openly and innocently, basically just asking him to say and do all the dirty things he was thinking out loud. It certainly wasn’t a look that made not doing those things any easier either.

Usually, he liked to think he had some self-control, he refrained from doing, saying, and even thinking a lot of things that crossed his mind. But his eyes dragged their way up her body and the deep groan that came out of him at the sight of her standing there, he had no control over it. While maybe he wasn’t always cool, he was often nervous and even bashful when it came to her, he always held the upper hand sexually. Even if his face was red hot, he always found a way to say or do something to give himself the flirtatious advantage. The way that sound was pulled out of him he knew, for once, she had the upper hand. God he was caught staring at her chest earlier and still he felt like he’d found an angle to ask her out. Right now, he had nothing, he knew it was written all over his face, he was at her mercy. Lillian could turn around back into that room and leave him here and he’d be crushed, and now she knew it. So much for calm, cool, and collected.

So, Brayden decidedly just stared at all of her. He soaked in the way her bare legs looked shiny and smooth, right up to her midthigh were the dress she wore hung lightly. He followed the simple blue and white floral pattern up her torso to her chest where it sat snugly around her breasts, making them push together where small beads of water from her hair glistened, finally showing off some of those suntan lines he’d been wondering about. Up her neck where her blush started, the delicate curves and valleys of her shoulders meeting the gentle slope of her jaw, and finally her face. The blush sat high on her cheeks, her lips, those perfectly pink lips, parted ever so slightly as if caught in a sigh. Her eyes were wide and glassy looking right back at him. She’d stopped patting her hair dry and was just stood there in stunned silence.

Brayden stared right back, and slowly moved to stand, and when he stood, he moved just as slowly to take a step towards her, like she was a frightened animal. His thoughts were racing. He was sure he was at the disadvantage here but the longer she stood there the more he felt like he didn’t have to be, like he could still gather up the upper hand. If he didn’t move too quickly or scare her off. He looked at her playfully, forcing amused and flirtatious looks when he met her eyes. Brayden let all of it skitter across his face until finally he’d crossed the three or four steps to stand right in front of her. Never breaking eye contact until he towered over her, and she was looking up under her lashes at him. Standing so close to her now he could see the uneven rise and fall of her chest, he could feel her hot breath on his chest, he could see so clearly the glossed over lust filled look in her eyes, for him. He swallowed hard and turned his look from playful, to confident and amused.

“Jee Ann, had I known that’s all it took I would’ve been louder that night after you slapped me.” He whispered breathily, just so she could feel the slight tickle on her neck from his words.

He desperately needed to convince her it was just another attempt to flirt with her, and not the desperation it really was.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Lillian whispered back defiantly.

Some of her awareness coming back to her eyes, her posturing stiffening. Brayden smiled knowingly down at her, letting all the implication out on his face.

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean, and what I did right after our little chat on the patio.” His eyes flashed dangerously.

“I most certainly do not!” Righting herself to look him in the eyes fully, all the lust gone.

“Hmm, if you say so.”

Brayden shrugged and made a move to step away, but instead leaned in close to her until his lips almost brushed the shell of her ear,

“But I think you’re lying Ann.”

He pulled away enough for her to watch him rake his eyes down her body again, and this time the sound that Brayden let rise from his chest was more of a growl then a groan.

Lillians eyes flared hot again, readying to back up a step when he flashed her an amused grin and a wink, faking letting all the tension in his body go. Of course, Brayden still felt like he was going to burst at the seams, his erection pushing against the waistband of his boxers tightly, but he was trying to get her to relax and pinning her against the wall like he wanted to, was not going to do that.

Lillian huffed out a hot laugh and slapped him on the shoulder, forcing her own shoulders to relax as well.

“Haha very funny.” She mocked.

Brayden smiled genuinely and laughed lightly, if not a little forced. Lillian eyed him suspiciously and gave him one small sidestep, into her own breathing room again.

“I can’t help it you know, I’m a terrible flirt, especially for you.” He winked at her again.

Lillian rolled her eyes and flashed him a quick smile.

“Well now I think my dress is inappropriate and that I should change.” She stuck her nose up in the air playfully.

“Absolutely not, I’m begging you. I’m half starved to death. I won’t tease you for the rest of the night I swear.” Brayden threw his hands up in surrender just as playfully.

Somehow, he’d avoided the horror of dealing with the sound of pure want that came out of him and had made her smile. The upper hand he had thought he’d lost was still all his.

“Fine, let me grab my phone.” She rolled her eyes at him.

All those things he’d implied just to shock her back into herself. He covered his face with his hand as she turned around. Either she was more oblivious than he accounted for or just desperate enough to not let all the feelings spill over, but she just let the whole moment go and didn’t say anything else about it. Maybe she let him have the upper hand? Maybe she liked him coming onto her? Brayden’s thoughts spiraled. Maybe she wants him to come on her!? His brain barked at him. Sometimes he even shocked himself with the stupid shit that crossed his mind and shook the thought away like a gross piece of tape. He let out a long breath and braced himself.

“Okay! Ready to go?” She pranced up to him beaming.

“Yes, yes let’s get some sushi for you.” He griped with a half-smile.