Burning Desire

Chapter 4

"This cupcake is amazing," I said between bites as we drove down the snowy highway. "I don't usually like cupcakes, but this is so good."

Jesse's "usual" consisted of chocolate cupcakes with cinnamon cream swirls on top, a blueberry muffin and a vanilla frappe. The hot chocolate he'd gotten me was probably the best hot chocolate I'd ever had, and I'd nearly lost my mind over the blueberry muffin, not caring how gross I may have looked with crumbs all over my lips. I was hungry and that took precedence over appearance.

Jesse had offered me one of the cupcakes, telling me they were his favorite. I didn't normally go for cupcakes, but he persuaded me, telling me how good they were, and I couldn't resist. He was right. I'd never judge a cupcake without trying it again.

We were somewhere in the middle of New Jersey, about halfway to my house when I noticed Jesse started to get quiet and I worried I'd said something wrong. An uncomfortable silence fell over us and I fought the urge to ask him if something was amiss.

I watched him out of my peripheral vision, noticing how his jaw tightened and his knuckles turned white, gripping the steering wheel too hard.

"Jesse?" I frowned, hoping he wasn't mad at me.

He didn't look at me. "Yeah?"

"Is something-"

"I forgot the fucking condom," he said bitterly, as if the words tasted terrible in his mouth.

I sat there dumbfounded until it dawned on me that he was referring to our shower sex. He'd forgotten to use a condom.

I shrugged, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it. It's okay."

Jesse looked at me like I had three heads. "It's okay?"

"Yeah. I'm on birth control. It's fine."

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, relaxing in his seat. "Oh, thank god."

The rest of our drive seemed to be made awkward by that short conversation. I felt weird about it and he didn't make any attempt to talk until we were almost to my house.

We pulled up outside my small rural home about an hour later. My neighbors were across the street putting up Christmas lights over their garage. Jesse put the car in park and turned to face me.

"I had a good time," he smiled.

I hoped that wasn't all our date was to him. I didn't want to be just a good time. I hoped he wanted to spend more time with me.

I nodded with a small smile, retrieving my house keys. "Me too."

I ignored the voice in my head telling me to invite him in. I didn't want to be too forward. We'd just met.

Jesse unbuckled his seatbelt, leaning over the console. His hand found my cheek, his thumb rubbing over my skin in a soothing motion and I melted at the gesture, getting lost in his eyes. He pressed his lips against mine in what I expected to be a sweet goodbye kiss, but turned into a heated make out. I mentally told myself not to tug at his shirt, not wanting my neighbors to notice and assuming he didn't intend to come inside. I didn't want to start something we weren't going to finish.

"Are you busy next week?" he asked, breaking our kiss.

I couldn't think of anything I had going on aside from the usual. "Just work."

"I'll text you and we'll make some plans to go out again," he said, slumping back in his seat.

The butterflies in my stomach were thrilled to hear that he wanted to see me again.