Page 92 of Here and Now
“No, tell me,” I push.
“You just want to hear me say have a date?”
“I really do.”
She laughs softly. “Well, too bad. I’m not going to say it. We were having dinner so I could thank you.”
“Well, then, I guess we’re going to have to have a proper date.”
There’s something in her eyes. Something that wasn’t there before. A little bit of trust mixed with desire. She wants to date me. She just doesn’t want to want it.
She pulls her lower lip between her teeth. “You think so?”
I can’t explain in words what it is about her, but I’m drawn to her. I want to be her comfort, her safe place, the person she can’t wait to tell good or bad news to. I want to be her person, the one who soothes her worries and gives her a reason to smile.
Looking at her, with that soft expression in her eyes, tugs at my heart.
She’s afraid, and the need to relieve that is too much to ignore.
I put the dish down, shut the water off, and turn to her. “What has you hesitating?”
Her blue eyes are watery. “I don’t want to hurt you. And most of all, I don’t want to let Kai or myself get hurt.”
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you or Kai.”
“I know.”
Does she? I wonder if she truly believes that.
“Then trust me.” I step closer, placing my hands on her waist. “Let me take you out tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
I nod. “Tomorrow. I’ll have Eloise watch Kai and we can go out.”
She sighs, and her hands move to my chest. “Okay. One date.”
I grin. “I’m going to kiss you so it officially seals this deal.”
I bring my lips to hers before she has a chance to reply, and she melts into me. I hold her tightly as we share one of the most innocent and intimate kisses I’ve ever had in my life.
I could spend the rest of my life doing this. Cleaning up after dinner, kissing her in the kitchen, and then carrying her to bed and doing a hell of a lot more than that.
But for now we’ll start with a date tomorrow, when I plan to secure many more in the future.
eighteen
Penelope
“Ihave nothing to wear!” I complain to Hazel as she’s sitting on my bed.
I didn’t plan to tell her about the date, but Eloise couldn’t watch Kai. Hazel was my next choice and she could tell I was being weird and jumpy, so I finally caved and she offered to watch him.
“I honestly think what you had on was great.”
I glance at the jeans and lacy top that’s on the bed and groan. “It was giving ‘trying too hard.’”
Hazel chuckles. “Shirts can do that.” She gets up and grabs the blue off-the-shoulder top. “What about this and the jeans? That way the top is a little sexy, but jeans are super casual.”
