Page 38 of Saving Shepperd

“Oh? A new coworker?” she asked in a tone pitched much higher than her natural voice.

Slowly, I shook my head, smiling even bigger. “Nah, I met her at the gym, believe it or not. Months ago.”

“At the gym? That’s interesting. Were you checking her out while she did her workout? That’s kind of pervy, no?” she asked, now wearing a smile to match my own.

“At first it felt a little scandalous, but I would catch her staring at me too, so I was pretty confident it was a mutual attraction.”

“Okay, so then what? You just stare at the girl and haven’t talked to her?”

“No, I’ve talked to her. And you know what?” I paused there, letting the seriousness fill the quiet cabin of the car. “She’s amazing. Smart and really funny now that she has relaxed enough to be herself around me.”

“Hmmm,” was all she said, and my nerves spiked.

Was this too much? Too soon? Well, too bad. I was committed to the cause. I wanted her to know how I felt. If she wasn’t there with me, I’d rather find out now before I got in even deeper.

While we were stopped at a traffic light, I shot my glance her way to find her staring right back at me.

“What?” I asked with a nervous smile.

She swallowed so hard I could see her throat constrict. “You think she’s amazing?” she asked in the most insecure voice I’d heard from her.

Normally she was a confident, no-holds-barred warrior. But receiving a compliment reduced her to a shy little girl.

I nodded enthusiastically. “I do. One hundred percent. But that’s just the start of the list of incredible things about her. Honestly…” I inhaled, now as nervous as she seemed. My voice had started excited and confident and was now quiet and serious when I said, “I’m head over heels for her. I want her to be my girlfriend, but I don’t know how to ask. I’m afraid I’ll scare her off.”

“Why would that scare her off?”

With an awkward laugh, I said, “I’m not sure. What if she doesn’t feel the same, you know? What if it’s too soon for her, and I get turned down?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Don’t be afraid. I bet she’s feeling the exact same way. Right down to the part about being nervous to be upfront about her feelings.”

“Yeah?” I was incapable of hiding the excitement I felt. Then I gave a resolute nod, as if cementing my plan. “Okay, I’ll talk to her. Thanks for the advice.” I gave her hand a squeeze.

Silence bloomed between us after that. We were both grinning but lost in our own thoughts until I pulled into my driveway. I hustled around the front of the car to open Shepperd’s door. When she stood from the passenger seat, I pulled her into my arms. She felt especially small today in my embrace, and I buried my face in her neck.

“Hello, girlfriend,” I murmured through a ridiculous smile. I felt her cheek bunch against my own and knew she was smiling too.

“Why does that sound so good when you say it?” she asked when we parted enough to see each other’s faces.

“Because it feels right. Sounds right. I have to be completely honest with you, though…”

After she gave me a nod of encouragement, I explained, “I have literally no experience in being someone’s boyfriend. I have ideas of what it might look like? But I’m pretty sure there will be times I screw things up.”

“Law, listen.” She cupped my cheek with her small palm. “There are no rules for this kind of thing. Well, other than I won’t put up with you going out with other girls if you want me to be your girlfriend. That means we’re exclusive.”

I nodded. “No question. I need the same.” Maybe if we just worked the details out like that—one at a time—we could find our way.

“Let’s just take it one day at a time. I’m not super experienced with any of this either, but there is one thing I do know.”

While she paused, I turned my face into her palm and kissed. “What is that?”

“We have to be honest with each other. All the time.” Her tone was serious and sultry, and despite the importance of what she was saying, my dick picked that moment to wake up and take notice of the sexy goddess in my arms.

“You have my word,” I promised and closed the small space between us for a deep kiss.

We were both breathless when we parted, and I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and stalk straight to my bedroom and claim her fully. I was blinded by need and desire, and when she let out a low, throaty chuckle, I gave my head a little shake to try and clear the fog.

“Christ, woman.”

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