“I should probably get home.” She lifts her arms and pulls her ponytail tighter. “Isaac will be wondering where I am, and we have an early morning tomorrow.”
‘Another long day of baseball before you come into work, huh?”
“That’s putting it mildly.” She laughs and stops beside the driver door. “He has three games, and I’m not prepared for the sun beating down on me.”
“I can always join you.” The offer is half jest and half serious. “You know you need someone to hold an umbrella over to keep you from getting a sunburn.”
She giggles and shakes her head. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m not ready to explain whatever this is between us.”
Not exactly the response I wanted. Even though I know what my mom said about letting her lead that discussion, I can’t help it. The pull I feel to be around her is frustrating. With all the dates I’ve been on with women the past couple of years, none of them hold a candle to the intrigue she has.
“Okay.” I don’t know what else to say to that. “It’ll give me more time to plan our date on Sunday, and dinner for tomorrow night.” I pause for a second. “You’re staying with me, right?”
She lifts a hand and places it on my arm, soothing away her previous rejection. “Who else would I stay with? I don’t exactly know very many people here.”
“There’s always Lisa,” I shrug. “Or even Stella, or Angie. There are always options.”
Taking a step closer to me, she puts both of her arms around me and looks up. “Lisa, I could understand. But the other two…we’re acquaintances. We haven’t really worked our way up to friends.”
“Understandable.” I wrap my arms around her. “I can make the bed in the spare bedroom for you. Do you need me to get anything special for you while you’re here?”
“Or you could not do that.”
“So, you’re going to sleep with me in my bed?”
“Don’t get too excited.” She pokes me in the rib and I flinch. “Just because we’ll be sharing a bed doesn’t mean anything is going to happen.”
“Hey, I never said it was.” Doesn’t mean I’m not going to prepare for it. I’d rather have protection than not have it. There aren’t many stores that stay open twenty-four hours in town. I’d have to go to the bigger town, and that’s a buzzkill.
“And, I don’t need you to get anything. I’ll bring everything I need.”
“Okay. Just wanted to make things easier for you.”
“I know,” she leans her head against my chest, “and I’m sorry if I upset you about coming to the games tomorrow. We haven’t even gone on our first official date, yet. Meeting my kids may scare you off, and I don’t want to rush you meeting them.”
“I get it.” Damn my mom for being right. One of these days I’ll actually listen to her and not do whatever the hell I want. “My mom actually warned me about that. It was this whole discussion on when she was dating, and I didn’t even know she was.”
Joan jerks her head back. “Y—you told your mom about me?”
“I didn’t really have to.” Rolling my eyes, I continue, “apparently I was rocking the lovesick look and she guessed.”
“Hmm.”
What does that even mean? Is it a good noise? Bad? Further proof I’m completely out of my element when it comes to Joan. Here I am, thinking I’ll be the perfect person for her to date since I come from a single mom household. But really, I know jack shit about how to tread these waters.
“She told me to be patient. So don’t worry, she’s not planning our wedding or anything.”
“That’s good to know,” she grins and leans up on her toes. “I like you, but I’m not ready to think about the distant future.”
“Me either.” I pull an arm away from her and lift her chin until her eyes meet mine. “I’m more focused on right now.”
“Same.” Her voice is breathy.
Both of us meet in the middle and our lips meld together. This is why I wish she was staying tonight, too. I’m addicted to the way her lips taste. To the rush I feel even with only kissing her. If I feel this intense about something so PG, I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel when I get to have her completely. Not that it’s happening this weekend or even in the next couple of weeks. That’s another area I’m perfectly fine with her leading. Pushing her too hard about things she’s not ready to do will only result in me losing any chances I have with her.
I deepen the kiss, tongue swirling with hers, and move my hand to the back of her head. My fingers tangling in her hair. It’d be easier if she didn’t have it up, but that’s fine. Pulling her closer to me, her body flush with mine, she tightens her hold on me.
A ringing comes from out of nowhere. She pulls away, and I glance to where Patrick was parked. He’s long gone. I didn’t even notice his lights when he left. Or hear his truck. It’s as if the entire world falls away when I’m with Joan.
