Page 19 of Hooked on Marshall

“Damn,” he sighs.

“What?”

“You’re ready to leave now, aren’t you?”

I bite my lip and nod my head.

“No?”

He laughs at this. Then he flags down our waitress to ask for the check. While I’ve enjoyed my time here with him, I can’t help the need that I feel to get started on this. Hopefully I’ve not offended him. He’s quiet while he signs the check. After he sets down the pen, he reaches over and covers my hand with his.

“I’m going to make you a deal, Lana.”

“Okay.”

“You have to know that I wasn’t ready for our date to come to an end yet,” he says. “But since I’m the reason you’re ready to go home, I’ll concede. This time. On one condition.”

“Okay,” I say again slowly.

“Actually, two conditions,” he smirks.

I nod and he continues.

“The first condition is that I get to take you out again. Soon. As in sometime this week.”

My stomach flutters with excitement at that. And I smile.

“Okay,” I nod.

“And second,” he says in a low voice. “You allow me to kiss you goodnight.”

My entire body flushes with heat at his words. My free hand lifts as I press my fingers to my mouth. Once again reliving our kiss from earlier today. No doubt causing me to blush. But I don’t give a response right away.

“Well, Lana? What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

What choice do I have? If I want to get started doing what I love, I need to agree. My body is on board, and my logical brain is, too. I just don’t know how much longer I can keep my heart out of this.

“Yes,” I finally say. “We have a deal.”

Fifteen

When we pull up in front of her parents' house, I’m probably more excited than I should be to kiss her again. Sure, I had to play a lame version of ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ with her in order for it to happen, but I’m hoping she’ll start to come around the more time we can spend together. After I put my Jeep in park, I turn off the engine.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“I’m going to walk you to your door,” I chuckle.

“Then are you going to kiss me now?”

“No,” I say with a smile. “I’m going to kiss you at your door.”

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. I reach for her hand and hold it in both of mine.

“Are you ashamed to be seen with me?” I ask her.

“No, of course not,” she snaps. “But…my family is in there.”

“Is your father going to come after me with a shotgun if I kiss you at the door?”

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