Page 96 of You've Got Male

Dressed in a blue button-down that was rolled at the sleeves, his hair styled to devastating, and a smile that made her nether region sing, that boy next door was all man. He was a tall drink of water on a hot summer day. And she didn’t just want a sip, she wanted a lick and a nip and a whole lot more.

She grabbed her notepad and scribbled a message, then held it up.

Are you asking me to the school dance or a trip to Make-out Point?

He waggled his brow and then went to work on his response.

Why choose when it can be both?

Should I bring a boutonniere?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

She held the notebook to the window and her heart leaped as he laughed. She couldn’t hear it through the window, but she felt it in her chest. He didn’t answer the question, but wrote:

Wear something pretty. I’ll be at your door in an hour.

An hour? Evie hadn’t had an hour to get ready for anything in over a decade. It wasn’t often that she had a family-free house and the luxury of primping. She didn’t just want to look pretty, she wanted to look sexy and sophisticated—like the kind of woman who had her own personal Prince Charming.

And he was. Charming and thoughtful and had this assurance about him that made her feel safe. He wasn’t like the other people in her life who needed her to hold their world together. Over the past few weeks he’d proven that he had his own world under control. And sure, she’d helped him get there, but he’d helped her equally as much.

She’d been afraid that anything more than their arrangement would be one more obstacle between her and her goals. Instead, he’d been supportive, someone in her corner who respected her choices and her dream to finish her school, and a huge part of the reason why the shop was doing better.

Not only had Evie taken his advice to expand their menu to include more edible items, she’d renegotiated with some of their vendors and moved to some new ones as well. If things kept up like this, she’d be able to hire a second manager and enroll full-time in school. Maybe even have the freedom to open her professional organizer business. Juggling the café, school, and her own dreams didn’t seem so chaotic. She could practically feel herself walking across that graduation stage and receiving her diploma.

Her world consisted of her, her family, and a lot of worry—about finances, business, her parents’ health, Camila’s happiness. She deserved to live in the now and enjoy everysingle moment of what today and the next few weeks brought. So instead of the safe jeans and silky top that she’d normally choose, Evie reached into the back of her closet and pulled out a flirty, more-fitted-than-not sundress, which may or may not make her bustline look like J. Lo’s. She also slid on a thong. Gentleman’s choice of royal blue.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored closet door and her hand crept up to touch her cheek. She was glowing. One of those glows that initiated from the inside and bubbled its way up to tickle the chest, sparking all kinds of happy tingles. Every time she thought about Jonah, she felt this foreign happiness overtaking her.

She was just finishing her makeup when there came a knock at the door. And that glow turned radiant. One look and Jonah would know that she wasn’t going to be able to keep this a casual, for-however-long-it-lasts, situationship.

Oh, who was she kidding? This thing between them might have started out as a situationship but had turned into something to cherish—something to hold on to. He’d said that they’d see where this led until it got in the way of their lives. But history told her to progress with caution.

“Don’t get too attached,” she told herself. “Because honeymoons always come to an end. The excitement eventually fades and life crashes down around you.”

It was inevitable.

“Which is why you’re enjoying the ride while it lasts,” she told herself with a stern look in the mirror. She slid on a pair of strappy heels and rushed down the steps. She was breathless when she opened the door—and it had little to do with her sprint down the hallway.

Not only had he added a tie to his shirt, but he was also holding a corsage. A blue peony with baby’s breath and a white ribbon fastened around it. She couldn’t remember the last time a man,other than her dad, had brought her flowers. And she wasn’t talking about the You’ve Got Male roses she’d been inundated with since she’d become ClickByte famous.

Suddenly she remembered her comment about the boutonniere. “I was joking. I didn’t really have a boutonniere.”

“I know,” he said, his eyes drinking her in. “But it got me thinking that a proper date required the proper kind of wooing.”

She smiled. “Are you wooing me, Jonah?”

“Do you want to be wooed, sunshine?”

“Depends on who’s doing the wooing.”

He stepped into her and ever so slowly lowered his head, then planted a kiss on her that made her head spin. “Are you still wondering?”

“It’s becoming clearer.”

He slid his fingers into her hair and cradled the back of her head—and this kiss made her heart spin right out of her chest. “How about now?”

---