Page 124 of Curvy Girl Summer

Clearing his throat, he reached his right arm up and grabbed the back of his shirt at the neck and pulled it over his head. When the fabric cleared his face, I saw him grimacing.

“You want some help?” I asked, stepping forward.

“Nah, I think I got it,” he responded, pulling the shirt over his shoulder.

Ignoring him, I carefully helped him remove it from his injured arm without disrupting the bandage. It wasn’t until I had the shirt clutched to me that I noticed how very shirtless he was.

It began innocently enough as I studied his injury on his very defined bicep. Slowly, my head moved, and I zeroed in on his muscular chest and ripped abs. His smooth, toffee-colored skin looked like candy under the fluorescent hospital lighting. It was the first time I saw his tattoos up close. My eyes followed the way they snaked down his arm from his shoulder. When my tongue ran across my lips, I realized I was no longer checking on him. I was checking him out.

And I wasveryattracted to what was in front of me.

Shit!

18

Ripping my eyes away from his body, I returned them to his face.

The way he stared at me felt like he knew what I was thinking, and heat started to creep up my neck.

He licked his lips, and then slowly, he eased into the hospital gown. “You had a date?”

Clearing my throat, I nodded. “I did.”

Gesturing to the seat across from the exam table, he waited for me to sit. “And with only a week until your birthday, you’re missing it?”

“I didn’t really have a choice.”

“Ah. I see. You were stood up again,” he guessed with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“No.” I rolled my eyes. “Such an asshole.”

“There’s no shame in getting stood up foranotherfirst date.” He paused, squinting at me. “Well… maybe a little shame.”

“You’re enjoying the idea of me getting stood up a little too much. But for your information, I was coming to the bar to tell you that I was going on a second date.”

There was a flicker in his eyes, and he shifted slightly. “Oh really? With dude from last week?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We hit it off.”

He made a face. “The talkative dude from last week?”

“Yes.”

“The one who kept talking?”

I sucked my teeth. “Ahmad, please.”

“Are you happy?” he wondered.

I hesitated before answering, “Yeah.”

His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed whatever he was going to say. With a slow nod, he asked, “Where was he taking you tonight?”

“Cloverleaf.”

He let out a low whistle. “Oh, wow.”

“Yeah.”

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