I followed close behind her as she walked to her front door. Not knowing we’d be out as long as we were, she hadn’t left her porch light on, so the black beneath the eaves was almost absolute. I could only see a vague outline of her body. Yet, I could tell the she was regarding her feet with great interest.

“Well—” I started.

“Would you like—” Alyssa said at the same time, slowing raising her head to look at me.

“You go,” I told her.

“Would you like to come in for a drink?” I could see her eyes clearly despite the intervening night. They stared at me, pleading silently for something as she continued to play with the ends of her hair.

I nodded before raising my hand to still her motion. The movement drew me closer to her and I couldn’t resist the call of her lips. I dipped my head and drew her lower lip between mine, sucking on it for a second before rolling my tongue across the plump surface. In response to my touch, her eyes closed, and her breath hitched. My own breaths were unsteady, but it wasn’t like the gasping lack of oxygen of my panic attacks. This was a type of breathlessness I enjoyed. The type I only ever experienced around her. I stepped back away from her, ready to follow her inside. In the darkness, the memory of her taste lingered on my mouth.

With shaking hands, Alyssa pulled her keys from her bag and raised them to the door. The tremors grew more pronounced as she struggled to find the right key. Just like I’d done earlier in the day, I put my hand over hers to steady it. The thrill that passed between us was almost too much to handle. I stepped closer to her, pressing my front against her back. She leaned into me, and all thoughts of keys, doors, and drinks were forgotten. 

The black of night surrounded us like a blanket, cocooning us in our own private world. With my free hand, I brushed her hair over one shoulder before I pressed my lips to her neck. She murmured my name as she moved her head to grant me better access.

Reaching around to the front of her, I slowly drew down the zip on her suit until I’d undone it completely. My hand crawled from the zipper to her stomach, working its way beneath her shirt. I moaned and increased the intensity of my kisses on the curve of her neck as my fingers found their way to her nipples. 

The keys left her hand, but the jingle when they hit the ground was easy to ignore when her fingers reached backward to caress my hair. She guided me closer to her, twisting my face against her neck. Possessed with need, I licked, sucked, and nipped at the skin of her throat.