Page 65 of Hide and Sneak
“I’m sorry. It was a shitty thing to do. I saw him flirting with you and…” I’m not sure how to finish that sentence. “I’m sorry.”
She sighs, some of the tension draining from her posture. “He wasn’t flirting. We were discussing the designs.”
He absolutely was, but I imagine most men flirt with her and I don’t want to keep arguing. “Okay.” She reluctantly lets me pull her closer to me and I look down into bright blue eyes. “I promise any time I kiss you it’ll be for honest reasons. Like I can’t resist those lips another second. Or I know you’re dying for it and don’t want to ask.”
Her lips twitch, fighting back a smile. “Since when do I ask?”
She doesn’t pull away when I brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “Let me take you to dinner. And the new horror movie we wanted to see is playing. We can go afterward.”
After a moment of consideration, she nods. “Alright. Let me lock up.”
Lila doesn’t seem to hold my earlier behavior against me. I choose a little hole in the wall Italian place for dinner. Oncewe’re seated in a dimly lit corner, the waitress lights the candle on the table and asks how many checks we’ll be needing.
“Two,” Lila says.
I shake my head and correct her. “Just one, thank you.”
The waitress smiles, places the menus in front of us and goes to get our drinks.
“You paid last time,” Lila says. “It’s my turn.”
“It doesn’t matter. I always pay on a date.”
Her eyebrows leap up. “This is a date?”
Sitting back, I gesture around. “Of course, look how romantic this is. I’m killing it. Candlelit dinner, then a movie where you can hide your face in my shoulder when you’re scared.”
A smile blooms on her face, and she picks up a breadstick to nibble on. “You’re the one who gets scared.”
“I getstartled, not scared.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
We talk through dinner, filling each other in on our day. I don’t know why talking to her is always so easy, but I’d rather do that than anything else most of the time. She shows me the giant playset she wants to get for Planet Playland on her phone.
“I’m going to drive down there soon to see it and talk to them about how the delivery and installation would work.”
“Isn’t that like a five hour drive?”
“It is, but it’s the most reputable place I’ve found that doesn’t overprice everything.”
After dinner, we head to the movie theater. It’s a weeknight and there are only a few other people attending. Once we have our popcorn and drinks, we settle into our seats near the back. I put my arm around her and she lays her head on my shoulder.
This is what I want. Lila is fun and great in bed, but ultimately, this is all I want. Her, in my life, in my arms, every day.
When the ending credits roll, she leans over. “Let’s go home so I can blow you.”
I’m going to marry her.
Lila is true to her word. I’m fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around my waist when she pulls me into her room. “Don’t bother to get dressed.”
She whips the towel off and Dusty grabs it, darting away. Closing her bedroom door, she runs her gaze down my body, then kneels in front of me. A tiny grin tilts her lips and she looks up at me when my cock hardens instantly. “Someone is eager.”
“Every time I see you.”
She leans forward and licks the tip, then briefly swirls her tongue around the head. “Are you sure? Because if you aren’t interested, we can go play Third Place,” she teases, wrapping her hand around the base.
I bury my hand in her hair. “I can also redden your ass for teasing me.”
