Page 44 of Courting Clemson

She finally said yes!

People passing me in the next lane probably thought I was insane as I gave a fist pump to no one. Day. Fucking. Made. No, strike that. She just made my entire week.

I replied to her message, “Sunday’s great. Thank you for finally saying yes.”

Maybe that was lame to be vulnerable and express how happy she’d just made me, but I didn’t care. I was who I was, and apparently, she liked that.

By the time I got home, my face hurt from the huge smile that had been plastered on it.

We’d planned a night in at my penthouse, and I was so nervous by the time she arrived. I’d called down to the doorman earlier to let him know I was expecting a guest, so when she got here, he brought her straight up. I’d made a simple but impressive-looking dinner for us and had a great bottle of wine breathing on the island.

I opened the door and had the air sucked from my lungs. She looked so beautiful, I couldn’t find words to even say hello.

“Hi,” she said softly, and her smile made the clog between my mind and mouth ten times worse.

“Hi,” I managed to finally get out. From just beyond the stunning blonde in my doorway, I saw the snicker on my doorman’s face.

I invited her in, and she took a long look around my place and then settled her stare on me.

“You’ve been holding out on me, Luke Allen,” she accused playfully.

“Me?” I said innocently.

“Clearly, you are not just in advertising, mister. What in the actual hell, Luke? This place is stunning.” She took another full turn in the middle of the great room and landed back on me.

So I gave her the abbreviated explanation. “Both my parents passed a couple of years ago. I was an only child,” I said quietly and a bit sadly.

This was the last place I wanted our conversation to start—or end—but I hoped now that we got it out of the way, we could move on to happier topics.

Clemson reached out and settled a hand on my forearm. “I’m sorry,” she said seriously. “And I’m sorry if I just killed the mood here.”

From the heat beneath where her hand rested on my skin, I knew it would take a lot more than a sad conversation to ruin the mood between us. Warmth spread from where she touched my arm up through my chest and all the way down to my toes.

I had a brief thought that this must be what the middle-aged women in our office always complained about as they maniacally fanned themselves with anything in reach while grumbling about hormone fluctuations.

I couldn’t say a woman ever induced hot flashes in me before. It was confusing and exhilarating at the same time. What the hell would it feel like to be inside this girl? I might combust on the spot.

I wanted to find out more than anything.

“You look beautiful,” I said, finally breaking the silence swelling between us.

Shyly, she looked down and muttered, “Thank you.”

No way in hell was this girl not used to getting compliments. By any man’s standard, she was a knockout. She had to hear kind words all the time. So why the bashful reaction?

Interesting…

Today, she had on a pink sundress that landed just above her knee. Her legs were long and had a gorgeous tan, and my mouth watered as I checked her out. The bodice of the dress sat low on her hips where it flared out into a skirt. It wasn’t a poofy ton of fabric, but it wasn’t designed to cling to her lower half either. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“That pale pink color is magnificent on you,” I said.

She met my gaze. “Thank you, Luke. You’re really sweet.” She smiled genuinely, looking like she’d worked through the discomfort from moments ago.

She wouldn’t think I was so sweet if she knew the number of times I had to masturbate in the past few days in anticipation of this date. It had been many months since I’d been with another woman, and things were starting to get a little urgent in that department.

“Well, come on in. We don’t have to stand in the foyer all evening. I’m just putting the finishing touches on dinner. I hope you brought your appetite.”

We strolled into the kitchen, and she was quiet while she looked around. I watched her eyes travel over every surface and catalog every detail. It was mesmerizing to watch her take it in. I wanted to beam with pride at her interest and apparent approval of my place.

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