Page 22 of Personal Foul

She gave a self-conscious shrug. “Lots of people overcome dark points. Sometimes healthy and sometimes not. I could’ve easily traveled down the wrong path, so I’m glad I found a few healthy measures.”

He smiled and nodded, but she saw the admiration in his gaze. They ate for a few minutes, but the longer the silence stretched, the more awkward she felt. Why was texting so much easier?

“Penny for your thoughts.”

She raised her gaze. “I was wondering why texting made it easier to talk to you.”

He frowned. “Do I make you nervous?”

“A little. But to tell you the truth, lots of things make me nervous. Not just you.”

“Is it because of my job?”

“You mean because you play football?”

When he nodded, she shook her head.

“No,” she replied. “It’s because I find you so attractive.”

Once more, heat engulfed her face, and she knew she was blushing up into her hairline. When he laid his hand out, palm up, he waited patiently until she slowly grasped it.

“I find you attractive, too,” he said. “I’m glad we used texting to get to know one another, but I like this too. Would you like to go on another date with me?”

“Yes, I would.”

He smiled. “Good. Because I think we have something here. Something worth exploring. That said, I want to make sure the mob didn’t spook you.”

“I can’t say it didn’t, but that was only a small portion of what you are. Notwhoyou are. I … okay, confession time. Ilike you, Kaiden. A lot. I’ve only had a few relationships, which ended because I was too boring. I want to be with you, but you have to be honest with me. I’m not like those other women you’ve been with. I’m not glamourous, or popular, or even—”

“Stop,” he interrupted. “You arenotboring. The way I see it, those other boyfriends were idiots not to have seen how incredible you are. I know my life isn’t easy. During the season I can be a moody bastard, especially if we lose a game or if I played horribly. I have a lot of faults. And I’ll be honest, I did date many women, but none of them would have taken their neighbor’s dog to the dog park. Or visit the botanical gardens. Or offered to pay for half the bill. Those women were superficial. They weren’t real, like you.”

His words left her breathless. Speechless. They were everything she wanted to hear.

“The paparazzi can be overwhelming. Hopefully we can fly under the radar, but even if we don’t, I’ll be there for you.”

She cleared her throat and smiled at him. “Okay.”

He let go of her hand and sat back. “So, I had some ideas of where we can go on our next date. Up in the Arch. Budweiser Brewery. St. Louis Art Museum. Ideas?”

“I’m not fond of heights. How about the brewery? I’ve never been there.”

“Okay, the beer place it is.”

He winked and it sent a little shiver of excitement through her body. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Kaiden Demay was going to change her life. She was crushing hard for the man. Whether good or bad was still to be determined.

When dinner was done, he helped her clean up before they headed into the living room. They sat on the couch, and Kaiden gently pulled her into his body. He swiped his tongue across her lips until she opened. Kissing her until she was breathless. When they broke apart, he stared deeply into hereyes.

“Romilly, would you let me taste you?”

She blinked, licked her lips, and nodded.

He knelt in front of her and slowly slid his hands up her legs. Slipping under her dress where he hooked his fingers under the elastic band of her panties.

“Lift up, baby.”

Her hips came up, allowing him to slide them off her. Kaiden ran his finger up her thigh, her pussy already wet as he slipped two fingers inside her, testing how ready she was. Their gazes locked on each other, she watched him lick her cream hungrily off the digits.

“Just as sweet as I imagined,” he murmured.

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