Page 90 of It's a Date (Again)

“Yeah. I’ll be all right. Plus, I’m famished, and their plates are pretty small here.” He smirks.

“Thanks for being so great, Nash.” I stand from my seat and slip on my jacket. “Some other girl is going to come into your life, and she’s gonna feel like she won the lottery when she meets you.” I smile and turn on my heel to head for the door.

“Hey,” he calls out.

I stop and glance back.

“It’s like I’m one of those coins you turn over for someone else to find,” Nash says with a smile. This time it reaches his eyes.

My knuckles rap against the door three times. I’m not even sure he’ll answer. Footsteps pad on the other side, growing louder. Dog nails click against the hardwood floor. The door swings open, revealing Tyler dressed in sweatpants and a white tee. His hair is pulled back in a low bun with a few flyaway strands floating in the air like he’s just woken up from a nap. His eyes widen. It’s clear he’s startled by my unexpected drop-in. Toby barks once, but as soon as he recognizes it’s me, he wags his tail and whimpers.

“What are you doing here?” Tyler asks.

I stare back, imagining I’m running toward him as fast as I can, so fast the world is a blur around me and all I can see is him. Those green eyes that I know I’ve gotten lost in. His perfectly trimmed beard, cut close enough to see how strong his jaw and chin are. Those wide shoulders and muscular arms. His long dark hair with strands as soft as down feathers. I can picture it. It’s him. It’s Tyler.

His hand clutches the door, like he’s not sure whether to open it farther or close it on me.

“I broke it off with Nash,” I say.

“Really?” His gaze dances around my face.

I nod. “Really.”

The corners of his mouth quiver. “So, it’s me. I’m the one you were running toward.”

“Yeah, it’s you. It has to be you.”

Tyler blows out a gust of air and smiles so wide, I think his lips might split. All of a sudden, I’m wrapped up in his arms, my face pressed against his chest. His heart races like he’s just finished running a marathon. I inhale, breathing in his scent, a mix of sawdust and citrus. He kisses the top of my head, and then tucks his hand beneath my chin, lifting it so our eyes meet.

“I knew it was you and me,” Tyler whispers.

He leans in and kisses me, first soft and gentle, then with more passion, like I’m the oxygen he needs to breathe. I kiss him back. Our mouths open and close. My hands run over his chest, settling around his neck. He picks me up in one fell swoop, my legs wrapping around his waist. The door closes behind us, and our lips never part as he carries me toward his bedroom.

CHAPTER18

“Well, well, well. Look who’s back from her trek of triumph,” Maya says with a smirk.

I place a hand over my eyes and peer up at the porch as I push open the courtyard gate. Maya and Debbie are seated next to one another in rockers. They both grin at me as I make my way up the steps. I’m still dressed in last night’s clothes. My hair’s tied up in a high ponytail. I tried my best to push my makeup back into place, but I’m sure I look more like a Picasso painting.

“I thought it was a walk of shame,” Debbie says.

Maya shakes her head. “Nah, that’s outdated. We celebrate our carnal conquests now. No shame in that game.”

Debbie nods in agreement and glances at her watch. “Whew! Getting home at nine in the morning. Must have been a good date.” She gives a teasing smile.

My cheeks feel ablaze. I rub my face and sit down on the concrete-and-brick seating wall that lines the porch.

“How’s Nash?” Maya waggles her brows.

“I broke it off with him.”

They glance at one another and then back at me. “Then who were you with?” Debbie asks.

“Tyler.”

Maya lets out a low whistle. “And you stayed the night?”

“Yeah ... but I didn’t sleep with him.”

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