Texting time!
Ask me what I did while you worked up a sweat.
I grinned and collapsed on my bed, not even bothering to remove the towel around my hips, and I responded to Wyatt’s text.
What did you do while I bounced my booty off?
I would’ve hoped to have seen him more often around the office, just a stolen glimpse here and there, but work was busy, and he wasn’t in Culver City all week. He’d been downtown today, for instance, and I was learning that he had a packed schedule that went beyond office hours. Work-related dinners, late meetings, and business trips were already making it difficult to find time for dates. We had dinner to look forward to tomorrow, but after that, no idea.
It made me happy that he texted me quite a bit instead, and I didn’t have to feel bad about flooding his inbox throughout the day.
A picture popped up in our conversation, and I laughed under my breath. It was my gift basket to him. He’d brought it home with him, and there wasn’t a whole lot left. The snickerdoodles were gone, as was the peppermint bark, I couldn’t see any fudge either, and out of four cupcakes, one remained. The Christmassy sugar cookies seemed to be an exception; he had what looked like three stacks of ten left, but I’d also made him twice that.
I’ve consumed more sugar in the past twenty-four hours than I have in the past decade combined. I couldn’t even stomach going to dinner.
I gasped and quickly wrote a reply.
You had cookies before dinner?!?!?!
That earned me a wink emoji.
I chewed on my lip.
Daddies didn’t follow rules. They provided them.
It was so unfair.
Wyatt changed the topic shortly after and asked about my dance hobby. He said he couldn’t wait till dinner tomorrow to ask, and I liked that bit a lot. He was eager to get to know me and showed interest. Not that this story was particularly exciting; I’d picked dance because going to the gym was fucking boring, and my cousin had introduced me to break dancing. He was crazy good.
It’s possible I found your dance squad’s YouTube channel. It’s also possible I’ve watched all the videos. You’re an incredible dancer, Parker. I hope I get to see a show one day.
Oh man. I grinned and squirmed around in the intensifying infatuation until I ended up on my stomach. Only thing missing was my ankles crossed in the air.
We have an outdoor thing on New Year’s that we’re rehearsing for. It’s in the middle of the day, so if you don’t have plans, consider yourself invited, sir!
Was that too soon? I bit at my thumbnail as I watched him type.
I wouldn’t miss it. Get some sleep, sweetheart. Tomorrow I finally get to take you out again.
Jesus Christ, he was making me walk on clouds.
DECEMBER 8
“It’s okay to check your phone,” he said with a knowing little grin.
I shook my head. “It’s just Mya. She said she wouldn’t give up until I told her what’s going on between us.”
And she would have to wait because I barely knew yet myself.
Wyatt chuckled.
This French restaurant could not be more romantic, from the candles and white linen tablecloths to the intimate setting and dessert menu with items meant to be shared. It was also crazy upscale, and I’d accidentally swallowed my chewing gum when I’d first seen the prices on the menu.
I had more gum for later, though. I wasn’t ending this evening without having my minty-fresh breath kissed out of me.
Either way, I didn’t need Wyatt’s clarification that this was a date. The restaurant made that abundantly clear. So I guessed we were dating—that was the correct term. And I’d tell Mya that eventually, when I could also answer whether it was more than just dating. Since she knew what type of men I was drawn to and what fetish I had.
A server appeared to take our dessert order, and we’d settled on two dishes because we did not share the same taste in sweet stuff. Because he didn’t want much sweetness to begin with! He ordered something called éclairs with a coffee- and rum-flavored-mousse filling with the darkest of chocolate, and I wanted a French vanilla sundae with brown sugar meringue and caramel sauce.