But I didn’t want to.
I wanted to jump in headfirst and never resurface.
And the strange part? It feltso right.
Fuck, I had it bad for him. So bad, I hoped he’d ask me to spend the night.
Three-date rule, remember?
The warning reminder popped into my head. Shit, I forgot I promised myself that.
After a few disastrous dates and a few one-night stands, I didn’t want to put out so easily anymore. A real man, a gentle, kind, and caring man, would wait for me to be ready.
It was time to put my thoughts to the test.
Nolan walked me to my car, parked on a side street near the bar. The snow had stopped, thankfully. As pretty as it was, driving in it made me nervous. “Thanks, Nolan. I had a good time tonight.”
“Me too. A lot more fun than I expected. So I should be the one thanking you.”
“Can I see you again?”
“I’d like that. I was trying to come up with the nerve to ask you if you wanted to come home with me.” Nolan chuckled, the sound tight and anxious as he looked anywhere but in my eyes.
Aw, he’s shy. And sweet.
So sweet.
Not yet, don’t do it. Make this one count.
“I’d love to, Nolan, I really would. But is it okay if we date first? I’m not really the going home on a first date type girl if you even call this a date.”
Nolan chuckled, and his shoulders relaxed, the air between us lighter. “I think we can call tonight a date.”
“I agree.”
“It’s respectable of you to wait. I shouldn’t have asked. I just can’t stop thinking about kissing you again.”
“Well, no one said anything about kissing.”
The corner of Nolan’s lip turned up, and he dipped his head lower. “Thank God. Because I don’t think I can stand another minute longer.”
He cupped my cheek with one hand and ran his thumb up and down, the rough touch sending shivers down my spine.
Then he leaned forward and covered my mouth with his, sweeping me under his spell.
And down, down, down I fell.
The next night,Nolan took me out for dinner. We ended the date with another kiss at my door, this one longer than last night’s.
We skipped a night because of my classes, but we were back together the next day. And the next day.
Our kisses grew longer and more intense. Soon, we had full-blown make-out sessions in his truck. I wanted to ask him inside, but I promised myself to wait at least a week, maybe more.
“Why are we waiting again?” Elaine, my coworker at the daycare, asked me the next afternoon at work as we cleaned up the kitchen while the kids slept.
“I don’t know. I just want to do the right thing. He’s so great, and I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“Trust me, love. You won’t be messing anything up by inviting him into your bed. From what you describe, he seems pretty into you, too. A guy will not spend a lot of money and time on a woman just for sex when sex comes a dime a dozen. He’s going to spend it on a woman he likes.”
