Page 16 of What She Deserves
“You disagree?”
“Honestly, no. Which is why I called you.” She nervously licked her lips. “Rashad, I’m not interested in being your girlfriend again, but you’re right, I do miss…it.”
His face blanked.
“If you’re not seeing anyone, and I’m not seeing anyone, maybe we could… hook up every now and again,” Layla said.
He blinked, coming out of the temporary daze cast by her words. “You mean like… fuck buddies?”
“That’s a crude way of saying it, but, yes,” Layla answered, shifting in her chair.
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Are you messing with me?”
“No, I’m not,” she assured him. True enough, a purely sexual relationship was outside her character, but he didn’t have to act so surprised.
“You’re serious?” he asked.
“Yes. What’s wrong with my idea? You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but not with—” He stopped abruptly and chugged some Coke. Then he set down the glass. “I’ve had casual sexual partners before, no doubt, but I thought this conversation was going in a different direction.”
“Maybe I should have told you what I was thinking when I called, but it didn’t feel right making my offer over the phone. I hope you don’t feel like I brought you here under false pretenses.”
He kept his gaze on her as he twisted the glass on the bar top. “Not at all.”
His gaze dropped to the round neckline of her blouse. She was completely covered, yet he looked at her as if she were partially undressed.
“So, do you accept, or do you need time to think about it?”
Rashad sat back. “I don’t need time. The answer is yes.”
Layla released a relieved breath, suddenly very aware of how much she’d wanted him to agree despite believing that he would.
“Good,” she continued. “If we do this, we need some rules.” Settling into the idea, she spoke calmly, as if they were discussing the weather.
“Let’s hear them.”
“First of all, we’re not dating. This isn’t a repeat of our previous relationship, and I want to make that clear. We’re seeing each other until we each meet someone else that we’re more compatible with.”
Rashad rubbed a hand over his jaw as he mulled her words. “Okay.”
“No spending the night at each other’s house.”
“Come on, now.”
“Sleeping over promotes intimacy, which promotes feelings. Remember, this is sex-only.”
“What if it’s raining?”
“Get an umbrella.”
“I’m talking about you. I wouldn’t want you to go out in a storm in the middle of the night when you could sleep at my place.”
“I’ll be fine, I won’t melt,” Layla said dryly.
His lips tightened with displeasure. “Anything else?”
“No calls after midnight. That’s basically a booty call, and—”
