Page 9 of Dating the Bad Boy

With the moon shining overhead and the beams of my truck aimed in this direction, we have just enough light to see. It’s not much, but Leslie seems to approve as she spins around in a circle, smiling from ear to ear while I set to work building a bonfire to help keep her nice and warm. She looks cute as hell in my jacket.

We had to make a pit stop so I could grab supplies on the way here, but I’d say my choice was a success. She’s happy as a clam. And we’re the only two out here.

“Have you ever been out here, baby?” I ask her, stacking wood in the pit someone built ages ago. We aren’t technically supposed to be out here, but the sheriff has more important shit to do than to keep running off motherfuckers who come out here to fuck.

“No,” she says, sinking onto a log beside the firepit. “I’ve heard about this place, but my parents were always super strict. I wasn’t allowed to come to the parties out here when I was younger.” A ghost of a smile dances at her lips. “I haven’t had a reason to since I moved back to town.”

“How long have you been back?”

“A few years.”

Jesus Christ. She’s been right under my nose for a few years?

“How have I never met you before?” I ask, pausing to stare at her in bewilderment.

“We don’t really move in the same circles, Asa,” she says. “You spend most of your time in Midnight Falls. I spend most of mine in Silver Spoon Falls. And you were in the military.”

I don’t say anything for a long moment as I get the fire going, and then I climb to my feet and pace toward her, sinking down onto the log beside her. “You have an unfair advantage over me, gorgeous girl. We’re going to have to fix it,” I murmur, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. My knuckles trail along her cheek, making her shiver.

“What do you mean?”

“You know a helluva lot about me. I don’t know much about you.”

“There isn’t much to know,” she whispers, staring at me like she can’t look away. “I was born and raised here. I went to Texas A&M for business management. I moved back after I graduated. Now, I work in the back office at the dealership.”

“No, baby,” I say softly, smiling at her. “That’s pieces of your story. But that isn’t you. Who are you? What do you enjoy? What makes your heart race? What do you stay up late at night thinking about? What do you dream about? What do you want more than anything? Those are the things I want to know.”

How else am I supposed to give her the things she wants most? I may not have ever dated, but I have a sister. I know how this works. We find out what they want, and then we spend our lives making sure they have it. We keep them smiling. We ensure theynever cry over us. And, if we’re ever stupid enough to make them cry, we move heaven and earth to fix it. Those are the rules.

I need to know her rules, though. I need to know her. And I need her to know me, too. I don’t want her to know the same Asa everyone else knows–the one who raises hell and causes problems and never takes shit seriously. She gets the real Asa.

Shit. I hope she’ll let me give her the real Asa.

Maybe it’s way too fucking soon to be thinking like this. Maybe I need to slow it the fuck down and take this a step at a time. But everything in me is screaming that this is it. She’s my one. And I need to move now. Before some other asshole sweeps in and snatches her up. She’s a perfect little goddess. I’m a pain in the ass. She can do better.

Which means… I have to be better. Simple solution.

Caroline would be proud.

“You really want to know me, huh?” Leslie asks, her expression soft.

“You’re damn right, I do.”

“Well then, let’s see…” She taps her bottom lip, thinking. And then she shoots me a mischievous look. “The first time I watched porn, I got a virus on my computer. Every time I started it up, it automatically started a video of this older guy dressed in a horse costume. And he had all these piercings.”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “Please tell me that wasn’t what you were watching.”

“God, no. But I couldn’t get it off my computer!” she cries, hiding behind her hands. “My mom had to use it while I was at schoolone day. Oh my gosh, Asa. I thought my parents were going to send me to see a sex therapist after that.”

I chuckle, tugging her hands away from her face. “What kind of video were you watching, baby?”

“I don’t know,” she lies. “Just a video.”

“Liar.” I grin at her. “What was it?”

“Just porn.” She waves her hand in the air, her cheeks bright pink. “It doesn’t even matter.”

“Do you still watch porn, Leslie?”

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