Page 8 of Austin

“Definitely sexy,” she answers, making my already-hard length throb all over again.

I silently will my insistent erection to calm the fuck down while I dish up our dessert, then carry the plates in front of me at waist level back to the table, just in case.

“Sexy dessert for a sexy woman,” I say as I ease back down into my chair. I reach across the table to take her hand. “Seriously, though, I’m really glad you came over tonight. I probably shouldn’t have admitted how much I’ve been thinking about you lately, but I’m not really good at being subtle or pretending I’m not interested. When I see something I want, my first instinct is to go after it, full speed ahead.”

Her eyes widen a little as I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “I… don’t know what to say. I guess I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“The other shoe?” I frown. “What do you mean?”

“You know… I mean, it’s not very often that the nerdy, curvy girl ends up with the hot jock. Maybe in the movies, but not very often in real life.”

Does she not realize how sexy she is? How much she has to offer?

“Maybe it’s not so uncommon,” I shrug. “I don’t really pay attention to what other people are doing or what they think. All I know for sure is that I like being around you. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before and I don’t want those feelings to end. I want to touch you, to hold you, to see where these feelings go and…” I pause a moment, belatedly realizing just how honest and open I’m being right now. It’s probably too much, too fast, but it’s too late to stop now. Besides, she needs to hear how beautiful she is. She deserves to hear it every day. “I want to be with you, Cassy, and I hope you feel the same way. I know I’m probably coming on too strong, but I promise I can be patient, too. I can take it down a notch and chill a little. Probably.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “No, I don’t want you to take it down a notch. I like this part of you—this outspoken honesty that’s raw and real and so, so refreshing that it keeps taking me by surprise.”

“Okay, good,” I exhale, genuinely relieved. “I’m glad you like that part of my personality because I don’t think I can change it after all these years.” I lean in and bring her hand to my lips, letting them brush across her knuckles and loving the way her breath catches in her throat. “You’re beautiful and sweet and sexy and intriguing all at the same time, Cassy. I really do hope you’ll let me get to know you better. I can honestly say that nothing would make me happier.”

She nods and looks down at her plate, but doesn’t take her hand away from mine.

“What are you thinking about right now?” I ask after several long, excruciatingly silent seconds stretch out between us. “Just let me know if I’ve said too much. I really can be patient even though I haven’t done a very good job of showing it.”

She finally looks back up at me and I can see that cute little mischievous smile playing across her lips. “No, I don’t want you to be patient. I… I want…”

“Anything,” I say, hanging on each word that comes out of her mouth. “Anything at all.”

“I want you to kiss me.”

6

CASSY

I can’t believe I actually said those words out loud. Telling him I want him to kiss me? When we haven’t even completely finished our first date?

I feel anxious as soon as the words are out of my mouth, but Austin instantly soothes my anxiety as he stands up from the table and gently pulls me up next to him.

“You don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed about this moment,” he murmurs as he wraps his strong arms around me and holds me tight against his hard body. “Every single day and night since we met.”

My breath catches in my throat as his hands roam down my back, stopping just above my ass. He leans in and I close my eyes as his lips meet mine. A tiny, needy noise escapes the back of my throat as I open my mouth to him, and he grips me even tighter.

His hard length is pressing against my belly, throbbing insistently through the layers of fabric that separate us as he kisses me hard and deep.

God, I want him so bad.

“So damn sexy,” his deep voice rumbles through me as he slowly breaks away from our kiss. “I want you to let me know if I’m moving too fast or doing anything you don’t like. Tonight is all about you, whatever you want to do.”

“All I want is you,” I whisper. “I just want to be with you tonight.”

His hands move lower, past my hips and over the curve of my ass. He pulls my already-short dress up even higher until I can feel his touch—his bare, calloused hands against my skin.

“So soft,” he murmurs, kneading my bottom and pulling me up onto my toes to kiss him again at the same time. “So fucking perfect.”

Perfect.

Nobody has ever used that word to describe me before, and I probably wouldn’t believe it if it had come from anyone else. But I know Austin means what he says and I trust him when he calls me beautiful and sexy and… and perfect.

“I think you might be perfect, too,” I say between kisses. “Perfect for me.”

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