Off the Record (Off #3)(24)

When she returns and gets settled on the other end of the couch, I flip through the movie channels. I suggest Terminator 3 but she says no. She suggests one of the Harry Potter movies and I resoundingly say no. We finally agree on Monster’s Ball, mainly because she loves Halle Berry and said she heard she got an Oscar for this movie, and I think Billy Bob Thornton is a genius. But Halle Berry is hot, too.

The movie is intense. I glance across the couch at Ever at one point, and she has her hand clasped over her mouth when Billy Bob’s son kills himself. She gasps out loud, causing me to glance over at her again, when Halle’s son gets killed. I have a feeling that by the end of the movie, she might be in tears. That, at least, has my lustful thoughts toward Ever on hold.

What I wasn’t prepared for was an emotionally raw and bordering on pornographic sex scene between Billy Bob and Halle. Holy shit, but I’m uncomfortable with all of the slapping of skin and moans coming from the TV, and f*ck if my imagination doesn’t run right toward Ever. Wondering what she would feel like beneath me and I feel my dick starting to get hard.

Son of a bitch.

I glance over at her and her face is flame red. She swallows hard once but doesn’t take her eyes off the screen. I wonder what she’s thinking right now, and if it’s anywhere near as dirty as what I’m thinking.

The scene goes on for what seems like forever, and then it’s finally over. I look again at Ever and she sneaks a glance at me.

“That was...intense,” she says.

“I get why Halle won an Oscar.”

The corners of her mouth lift up in a grin, and then we both bust out laughing. It eases the tension and we both return to watching the movie.

By the time we get to the scene where Billy Bob goes down on Halle, I don’t even bat an eye and I even laugh when Ever says, “Now that was brilliant acting”, referencing Halle’s orgasm.

I’ll have to admit, the movie was excellent but I’ll make sure we refrain from watching any other movies that have sex scenes in them. That almost bordered on painful.

“Want to watch something else?” I ask her.

“Harry Potter?” she asks playfully.

“I’m not watching Harry Potter with you. I’m not about to have you put that in print. How about The Walking Dead?”

“Sounds scary.”

“It’s a bit intense. Are you up for it?”

“Sure. But let me go to the bathroom first.”

I take the opportunity to get me some water and then I pull out my DVD set of The Walking Dead. I put in the first disc and then turn the lights off. If we are going to watch scary, then it’s gotta be fully scary.

When Ever returns, she doesn’t say anything about the lights but takes her seat back on the opposite end of the couch from me.

“Prepare to be scared,” I say ominously as I hit the Play button.

“If I have nightmares tonight, I’m so going to kick your ass.”

“You can always come crawl into bed with me.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them and I’m afraid she’ll take them the wrong way.

She just arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me and says, “In your dreams.”

Good. She knows I was just joking and not trying to come on to her.

Ten minutes into the first episode, and I hear, “Oh my God.”

I look over and Ever has her hand over her eyes and is peeking between her fingers at the TV. She looks at me and says, “How do you watch this stuff? I’m terrified.”

I pat the couch beside me. “Want to come cuddle and I’ll protect you? The zombies may bite but I don’t.”

I’m half joking, half not. There’s a part of me that wants her soft body pressed up next to me, and there’s a part of me that hopes she takes the joke part and shoots me down with a sarcastic comment. That’s the part that knows I’m playing with fire here, because my baser instincts are starting to take over. I want Ever, but it would be the worst possible move for me to make.

She looks at me, glances back at the TV—which has a particularly gruesome scene going on—then back to me. Then she stands from the couch, and for a split second, I think she’d going to leave. Instead, she crawls up beside me. I lift my arm and she scoots in closer, pulling her feet up and tucking them under her hip. My arm casually settles in over her shoulders.

The smell of her shampoo immediately assaults me. It’s that same strawberry-vanilla scent I had noticed before, and for some reason, the thought of strawberries has me thinking about her lips again.

This is such a bad idea.

I turn my attention back to the TV and try to pay attention. But I can’t. Ever’s body is warm against mine and her sweet smell is driving me crazy. Without thinking about it, I pick up a lock of her hair with the hand that’s resting over her shoulder and rub it. It’s so soft...just like her skin.

I glance down at her and she’s not looking at the TV. She’s staring down at her lap, her eyes half closed. For a minute, I think she’s falling asleep but then she says softly, “This isn’t going to work.”

Releasing her hair, I ask, “What’s not going to work?” My voice comes out raspy and I think it’s because my throat is so dry.

“Sitting so close together.”

I cautiously remove my arm from around her shoulders. She looks up to me and f*ck me silly, I see desire in her eyes. I am so unprepared for that look to be coming from her, I have no words.