Page 45 of Once Upon a Beast

“Friends? You want to be friends?” My mind reeled at what she was saying. Had I gotten all this wrong? Had I read her wrong? Had she not enjoyed the date as much as I thought she had?

“Don’t you?” Layla asked.

I didn’t answer right away. I was trying to find the right thing to tell her. I didn’t want to lose the friendship but I certainly didn’t only want her friends.

“Layla, your friendship means the world to me-”

“Then why didn’t you say that? Why did you take me out on the date? Why did you ask me on another one? Is this all because of your father? Are you still trying to prevent that story from coming out?”

“One has nothing to do with the other. Layla, I asked you out because I wanted to. I have wanted to ask you out since we were fifteen years old. Tonight, had nothing to do with my father or anyone else but you and me.”

“Okay,” Layla said slowly.

“What do you mean by okay? Do you only want to be friends with me? Are you not looking for a relationship?” I asked.

Layla let out a soft sigh. “I kissed you the other night, I thought I was pretty clear in what I wanted. I agreed to go on the date with you. You then give me the best date of my life but you call me friend over and over and then kiss my hand when you say good-night? What is that?”

“The kiss with you the other night was both the best and the worst thing that has ever happened to me,” I said.

“Wow,” Layla said and I could hear the shock and hurt in her voice. “I have no idea what to do with that information. Worst? Really?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’ve wanted to kiss you for years. I hadn’t counted on it happening then or with so many people watching us. I wanted to be the one to kiss you. I wanted to be the one who would take you into my arms, hold you close, whisper in your ear how beautiful you are, how you are the only woman I’ve ever imagined kissing and then kiss you until you can’t see straight.”

“Ah, oh,” Layla said softly.

“I don’t regret that you took that option away from me. I plan on kissing you again, a lot, but I want to make it right. I want to make it special. I want to make it everything you deserve it to be.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. I waited to see what Layla was going to say. She didn’t speak but I could hear her breathing. She hadn’t hung up on me so I took that as something.

“You do?” she whispered.

“Yes. It was late. It had been a long though amazing night. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to stay with you, but I didn’t think I should. I didn’t want to push you. I just got your friendship back. I didn’t want to ruin that by making you think you needed to do something you weren’t ready for.”

“You could have asked,” Layla said.

“In hindsight, I see that. I think we both have been too careful around the other. I’m not saying your friendship isn’t important to me, it is. But it isn’t the only thing that matters to me when it comes to you.”

“As is yours. I don’t want to lose what we just got back,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on tonight. Everything was so perfect, so romantic but then you didn’t do anything. You didn’t make a move beside holding my hand. I thought for sure you only wanted to be friends. It was all too confusing that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep. I had to know what was going on and I took a chance on calling you.”

“I’m glad you did. Things were off and that’s my fault. I should have been clearer with you. I should have been more upfront about what I was thinking and wanted for the night. The last thing I want is confusion or miscommunication between us.”

Layla laughed. “I always thought we were so good at talking to each other but apparently we aren’t.”

I sighed and could feel the tension leaving my body. It was so brave of Layla to call me and I was so glad she had. I wanted things to be right between us. “We are now and we’re going to keep working on it. I’m not giving up on us, on what we can be. I hope you won’t either.”

“Never,” Layla said and I could almost hear her smile.

“Good.”

“Now, I’m even more bummed that you didn’t kiss me. Especially after everything that you said.”

“You liked hearing that?” I had been honest with her about what I was thinking and feeling, I hadn’t expected her to like the words that I was saying.

“Sort of. I had no idea you were feeling that way. It was exciting to hear.”

I wasn’t sure if it was the lateness of the evening, the openness of the conversation, the fact that we were talking on the phone and it made it easier for me to say what I was really thinking.

“Layla, I want you to know that kissing you isn’t the only thing I want to do to you. I want to kiss you and keep on going. I want to taste you. I want to lick and suck every inch of you. I want to feel you underneath me as you cry out my name. I want to look into your eyes as we become one. I want you to be so thoroughly satisfied with me in bed that you can’t move and then take you back up and do it all over again. I want to have you in every inch of my penthouse.