Page 62 of The Bonus

“You can stalk me any day.” The air swirls between us.

My eyes drop to the tight blue jeans and his red flannelette check shirt. He has thick quads and ropey veins down his forearms, big broad shoulders.

Everything about Russ screams raw, unfiltered man.

We’ve had this flirty banter going on for over a year now but it never seems to eventuate to anything. I know he’s single and not a player, but that’s all I really know; he lives a little out of town and grew up here, but the rest of him is a mystery. From what I gather, nobody seems to know much about him.

He leans his behind on my car and crosses his feet at the ankles. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“How . . .” He cuts himself off.

“What?” I ask impatiently. “Go on.”

“Do you want to go out some time?”

The floor spins.

“Like on a date?”

“Yeah.” He gives me a smile. “I mean…I know you have the twins and it’s not?—”

“I have a nanny now.” I cut him off.

His eyebrows shoot up. “You do?”

“Uh-huh.” I shrug. “So, I can go out now…” I shrug again. “I mean, not all the time, but…sometimes. I have a little more freedom.”

He smiles and I feel it all the way to my toes. “Saturday night?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll pick you up around seven?” he asks.

Is this really happening?

“Uh-huh.”

He walks over to me. “You know, you’re saying uh-huh a lot.” He takes my face in his hands and looks down at me.

The air leaves my lungs at his touch, and the only thing that will come out of my mouth is a weak “Uh-huh.”

“You should probably kiss me to get me through until Saturday…uh-huh?”

“Uh-huh…”

His lips brush mine, softly but with the perfect amount of pressure.

Oh…

We kiss again and again and he pulls back and licks his lips as he stares down at me. “Your car isn’t the only thing I need to service today.”

“What?” I giggle, shocked.

“Grease and oil change.” He laughs.

“Pervert.”

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