Page 53 of Stealing Home

My cheeks grow hot. “We haven’t explored much of that side of our relationship yet, but last night—”

Wren copies Dolores by putting her elbows on the table and focusing on me. “Go on, it’s just getting good. What happened last night?”

I shake my head. “I can’t believe you’re making me say all this.”

They both continue to stare at me. “Fine,” I relent. “I tried to tell him he was too nice to be stuck in the middle of my shitstorm of a life. It only pissed him off, and he tied me to my bed so he could show me hownicehe is.”

“Ooh, he’s a giver I take it?” Dolores asks.

“This is the weirdest dinner I’ve ever been to,” I grumble.

Luckily, a waiter comes by and takes our order. There’s only a couple of options to choose from as they rotate their specials daily. We all order the heart healthy meatloaf, and they go back to staring me down.

“Yes, he’s most certainly a giver. I thought after the second round he’d want some relief, but he kept his focus on me the entire night,” I say, and have to pat my cheeks that are flaming red.

“How old is this man?” Dolores asks.

I chew the corner of my lip and look at the table. I shouldn’t get embarrassed about his age, but it’s still a hard concept for me to get my brain around. “He’s twenty,” I whisper.

Dolores reaches across the table and pats my hand with hers. “Good. That just means he’ll be able to keep up with you. Don’t get in your own way. Life is too long to be alone, and too short not to take advantage of the love it brings you.”

“So you’re saying I should just go for it?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No, that’s not enough. I’m saying you should tart yourself up and do a little giving yourself.”

“That’s a brilliant idea,” Wren says and takes out her phone.

“What are you doing?” I ask suspiciously.

She doesn’t look up from her phone. “I’m texting Bess. We need to go shopping, and I’m going to see if she’ll take my kids for the night. I’ve got some pregnancy hormones to work off.”

* * *

My nerves runwild the rest of the afternoon while I follow through with the plan Wren and Bess came up with. I take a long bath, shave everywhere, and blow out my hair into soft waves. All the primping keeps me out of my head.

The rumble of Scott’s truck alerts me to his arrival as he pulls it around the garage. Before he manages to climb the stairs to my door, I’m already waiting in the open doorway.

He smiles when he sees me, then his eyes slide down my body. “Excited to see me, sweetheart?”

My lips twitch. “Maybe a little,” I admit.

He sighs. “I wish I could take you out. You look too pretty not to show off. Actually,” he scowls, a deep crease forming between his eyes, “you’re far too pretty to take out. I should lock you away in an ivory tower so I never have to share you.”

I loop my arms around his neck and kiss him. His plump lips move expertly against mine, and he kicks the door closed. We’re getting carried away with the kiss, but his stomach growls, breaking the mood.

“You must be starving,” I say when I break the kiss.

“I’m starving for you,” he claims.

Another demanding rumble comes from him, and I scrunch my nose. “C’mon, we need to feed you.”

“I wanted to take care of you,” he pouts. It’s adorable, but I remember distinctly it’s only one layer of who he is. I’ll never make the mistake of calling himniceagain. I smile at the memories from last night. On second thought, maybe I’ll provoke more of that side of him.

He bumps me with his shoulder. “What are you thinking about that’s brought that smile to your face?”

“Just howniceyou are,” I fight a smirk.

His teeth press down into his lower lip, and his navy eyes turn as dark as the night sky. “So I get the brat version of you tonight, huh?”

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