Page 19 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

I eye her, those sexy legs, and that shirt that does her figure a disservice. “One or ten.”

“Guess what?”

“You got a few ideas of your own?”

“Mm-hmm.” A knock on the door grabs our attention, and she hops off the bed. “Lots of ideas on how to pass the time, so don’t go anywhere.”

If she only knew that I have no intention of wasting a second I have with her. She’s a breath of fresh air in a life that’s become stale. “I’ll be right here when you return.”

She licks the corner of her mouth before nodding. “I’ll be quick.”

As soon as she answers the door, I jump up from the bed and dig through my backpack in search of a mint, gum, or anything that will cover burger breath. Not that I think things are leading back to kissing, but if they do, I’m not going to pass up the offer like I did back in the lobby.What a fucking idiot I am.I had someone I’m actually interested in kissing me, but I let that little voice in my head stop me from returning the same. She was drunk.

I don’t kiss or have sex with drunk women. I’m not some beacon of integrity, but it’s just a good moral to live by.

I score a piece of minty gum and rush to chew it up before spitting it back out in the wrapper when I hear the flush of the toilet. I check for any messages on my phone. There’s nothing from Harrison, but I’m not bothered. I’m actually wondering if I should message him to stay gone a lot longer.

When I hear the door click closed, I drop it on the dresser and dive back onto the bed, resuming my position just as she re-enters the room. Her eyes dart between me and the disheveled blanket, and she says, “Why do you look guilty?”

“Me?” My voice goes up an octave. Damn it. I clear my throat. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Ooookay.” She turns and says, “I don’t know if the cart will fit in here. I’ll see.”

I scramble out of bed and cut across the room to beat her to the door. “I got it.”

Pinned to the wall, she covers her chest. “Geez almighty, you scared me.”

“What can I say? I love backgammon.”

“Apparently.” She takes the other side of the cart, looking proud as a peacock at the table covered in bottles of soda, alcohol, waters, and three desserts. But her expression falls until her gaze reaches the lower tray, and she spots the game. “Where should we set up? Bedroom, living room, or terrace?”

“Depends on the rules.”

Tapping her lips, she lowers her hand. “You’re right. The bedroom it is.”

I legit had no clue where she was going to choose, so I can only imagine what led her to the bed.Guess I’m about to find out.

She grabs the game. “Come on.”

I push the cart into the bedroom and set it at the end of the mattress. She opens the leather case and starts separating the pieces to each other’s perspective sides while I crack open the rum. “Tonight is a surprise.”

“I know,” she replies. “It’s so much better than I imagined.”

“You imagined it going badly?”

She looks up from the game board. “No, just figured we would have done it already. It’s nice to have foreplay.”

Foreplay?I crank my neck from the double take. “Is that what this is?”

“I was assuming since most guys would be bored by now.”

No way could I be bored with her. “You’re kidding, right?”

“What would I be kidding about?” Sure, she’s been hot and cold, and hard to read at times, but having an expectation placed on the time she spends with a guy rubs me the wrong way. She doesn’t owe me anything. Definitely seems like she attracts some losers, myself excluded, of course, because I’m not that guy.

Well . . . I am that guy.I’ve had sex with plenty of women, but sex was something mutually agreed upon, not a precursor for the date. The natural course of the night took shape, and we would have sex. That doesn’t have to be the case tonight.

Just as she opens a soda, I reach over and cover her hand with mine, stilling it. “I’m going to say something I hope doesn’t ruin the night.”

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