“Zita. Is everything all right?”
“Of course. Do you need me home to help with dinner? Do the girls have any homework they need help with?”
“No, everything is fine. Are you having a nice time with David?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t worry about anything. Will you be home tonight? The weather is awful for driving.”
She cringed. There had been no suggestion from David about staying the night. “I don’t know. Probably.”
“Well text me if you’re not going to be, so I don’t worry.”
“All right, Mama. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call. “All quiet on the western front?” David asked.
“Yeah. She doesn’t need me tonight.”
“Great. Do you want to stay and watch a movie? We could order takeout. It’s too wet to go out to eat, don’t you think?”
He wanted to spend more time with her. Her body tingled. She was incredibly snuggly in the clothes that smelled like him, and the dryer was probably still running. “You’re right. Takeout sounds great. What do you want to watch?”
“I’ve got cable.”
“Then we should be set for the night.” Her stomach wiggled in anticipation. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that. She could hardly invite herself to stay.
He flicked on his huge flat-screen television, pressed a few buttons and handed her the remote. “Do you want to choose something?”
“Sure. Got a preference?”
“As long as it’s not horror, I’m good. Shall we order dinner before we start? There’s a nearby Thai restaurant, or pizza, or Chinese.”
“I don’t care. Whatever you like.”
“You’re my guest,” David smiled. “You choose.”
Zita hesitated. She didn’t want to get it wrong. “How about pizza? I haven’t had that for a while.”
“Great. Any preference on toppings?”
“I eat anything.”
David ordered food while she flicked through the movie options. When he returned, she said, “We could go old school and watchLabyrinthorDark Crystal,or we could go modern and watchThe HobbitorLord of the Rings.”
“Labyrinth,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t seen it in years.”
She flicked through the menu and pressed play.
***
This was the most casual date Zita had ever been on. It was nice, relaxed, almost like hanging out with one of her friends. David flashed her a smile before concentrating back on the movie.
Almost. None of her friends’ smiles made her body tingle. She wanted to take things further. Explore this man’s body. Being cocooned in his clothes all afternoon had left her wanting more.
As the credits rolled, David turned to her. “That was great.”
She nodded. “It’s one of my favorite movies.”
He switched off the television. “What shall we do now?”
