Frowning at my reflection, I contemplated changing. This was not how I liked to look on first dates. I was always glam to the max. Sassy shoes. Big hair. All the makeup. Something that made the guy think WOW. Or DAMN. Or anything along those lines.
Today’s outfit said, “I tried a little harder than morning spin class.”
Not my best look. Still, I knew Vann would appreciate comfort over va-va-voom. And I could appreciate that about him.
My hair was twisted and tied in a complicated network of pieced out layers. My makeup was the waterproof variety. And my sports bra and halter workout top were supportive and not sexy in any way.
I did stick with the tight, light gray leggings and no underwear though. I might regret my decisions later, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. For now, I was shooting for “Don’t forget I’m a girl when I totally kick your ass on the trails today.”
My phone buzzed on my unmade bed. I forced myself to stop fiddling with my hair and read the text.
I’m here. Can I come up?
I smiled at my phone and shot him a quick text back with the apartment number and directions to my front door. Then I walked to the entryway and buzzed him in.
There was this giddiness to my day. And it was strange and wonderful and at war with a hundred different emotions inside me. I had never had this with a boy before. I had never been so completely head over heels. I had never felt this safe. I had never known a relationship could be this fun.
Which sounded ridiculously pathetic. Especially for someone who was already twenty-seven. I had given up on men being worthy and upright and kind.
Other than Ezra and Killian and Wyatt, I didn’t even know men could be this… likeable.
All the men in my life, from high school till now, had wanted something from me. My dad had wanted a trophy he could show off at parties. The guys I’d dated before culinary school had wanted sex. Or my money. Or my connections. But mainly sex. And they wanted it so badly, they would do anything to get it from me.
Or they would just take it from me. Whether I wanted to give it up or not.
Okay, to be honest, that only happened the one time. But I would never go through that again.
Never.
I waited for the stubborn resolve to push Vann away, to get him out of my life. It was how I coped. It was how I protected myself. Instead of opening myself up to being hurt like that again, I pushed people away.
And then I made sure they stayed away.
How was it that Vann was on his way up to my apartment now?
The knock at the door shook me out of my thoughts, but even as I opened it, I couldn’t make myself sabotage this morning. I wanted to hang out with Vann. I wanted to spend time with him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to ride bikes and enjoy the outdoors with him. Which in itself seemed crazy.
Whatever it was about Vann, made me want to try. And as strange and unlike me as that seemed, I was just going to go with it.
My therapist might even call this a breakthrough.
He was clad in spandex head to toe and if he wasn’t so adorable I would have laughed. Okay, I did laugh. But not hard enough that he ran away.
“What?” he asked, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“It’s just that…” I giggled again and slapped a hand over my mouth. “I wasn’t expecting Lance Armstrong this morning.”
He took three menacing steps toward me, trapping me against the wall. His lips descended on my throat, kissing and nibbling while he growled something about how Lance Armstrong was a traitor to the sport.
Obviously, I laughed harder. Also, he was now tickling me!
“I’m sorry!” I gasped for breath. “You’re not Lance Armstrong!”
He lifted his head, but his hands stayed planted on my ribcage, dangerously close to my breasts. “I appreciate that.”
Letting my eyes drift over him again, I had a change of heart toward the whole ensemble. His legs were thick and strong and muscled like none I’d ever seen before. And his chest and arms were no different. He wasn’t bulky like body builders. But there was a thickness to his muscles that showed they had seen lots of exercise.
This man took care of his body. God, had that ever been sexier?
