When I first saw Charli standing there in her red dress, my tongue nearly rolled out of my mouth like Roger Rabbit. In my head I heard,You’re so far out of your league, Lay, but my feet had a mind of their own. Stepping quickly and confidently toward the bar, I was inches from her almost bare back in seconds. I gulped down my fears and insecurities, my pride, and every negative thought about myself, and snatched her wineglass from the bartender.
She turned quickly, obviously ready to lay into whoever stole her cocktail until she saw me. I’m not going to lie—when her eyes met mine, my heart quickened and my dick hardened. Not just a little stiffy. I was as hard as a fucking light saber, or sword, or whatever ... a rod.
And there was nothing little about my dick. It was a very pleasing one, or so a few women have told me. Pair it with my smile and I was considered deadly in some circles.
Hey, dorks need lovers too! I might be chunky and quirky, but I’d had my share of women.
But this woman was nothing like the women I’d had before, and I didn’t have a clue what to do with her. My fingers burned and itched to touch her. Anywhere. Even a small touch on her shoulder set my insides ablaze. She was petite, confident, smart, savvy, and sexy as all get-out, and my body raged in a way I’d never experienced. My brain and body soaked her in; my blood raced to get closer.
She was also covered in a cloak of insecurity—something I had little to no experience with in women. Geeky women were surprisingly confident in their likes and dislikes. Charli gave off a fascinating vibe. Gorgeous on the outside, jumbled on the inside.
Would she like a commanding touch? A gentle one?
My words lodged in my throat and I considered running to the restroom, rubbing one out and splashing cold water on my face. Instead, I rambled.
I’d quickly deduced there was no way I could sit next to this girl in the movie without my dick bursting through my tuxedo pants—which were tight as it was. Luckily, I had a small amount of brain still functioning and decided to let her work during the movie and steal her for dinner afterward.
Now here she was, all toned and trim, the red dress doing little to conceal how fit she was, and I’d gone and scared the living hell out of her.
Good going, Lay.
“I loved the movie,” she said, letting me off the hook. “In fact, look here. I made a note of how good the sound track was.”
“Oh, you don’t have to say that.” I blushed harder than I ever had before. It was becoming a really bad habit when I was around Charli.
“It was really awesome.”
Her smile lit up her face. It was the first time I’d seen her do that, and I hoped she did it regularly from my e-mails. She had perfectly white teeth behind red-painted lips. It was fucking sexy.
“So freaking creative to mix up rock and pop in the same sound track.”
“Yeah?”
“It sounded cool, the gruff voice against the sugary-sweet beat. I liked it a lot.”
“Thanks. Are you hungry?” I changed the subject mostly because I couldn’t handle the compliment from her. It made me want to march around the room, pounding my chest and yelling,She likes me! My music. Me. Me. Me.
“Starved. I hope it’s okay to admit that here in the land of pretty people. Though, I’m not sure I’d ever say that at home either.”
The last part trailed off as if she was talking to herself, mumbling the truth, trying to convince herself to get out of Dodge. Her gaze traveled to the floor, her eyes half fluttering in quick embarrassment at her words.
After all, I wasn’t exactly pretty.
“What are you in the mood for?” I completely ignored her fumble, hoping it was the right move.
“Sushi? Do you like it?”
“I know just the place,” I lied.
I’d never been there. I’d wanted to go, but it was a hot, trendy spot. Definitely not the type of place I’d hit up with the guys. Plus, sushi never quite satisfied me. But with Charli, I was already full.
Christ, I’m turning into a romantic cornball.
“Great!”
“I brought my car. Would you like to ride with me?” I didn’t know what the protocol was. She’d clearly taken a car service to the premiere, and she was an independent New York City girl—woman.
“Sure.” She swallowed and her delicate pink tongue came out to swipe over her red lips. “You’re not going to steal me and sell me off to Mexico or anything?”
