I have no idea how long we’ve been like this, but I do know the song is different from the one we started dancing to. “How many goals do you have for this evening?”
His hand moves up my body to cup the back of my head as he lowers his mouth to my ear. “So, so many.”
The way he says it sends a chill of excitement down my spine. “Like what?”
Fingers tangle in my hair, massaging my scalp—messing up my hair, but it makes me melt. “One night, not tonight, I hope to get you naked to see how well we really dance together.”
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” I say, my heart racing, “but why not tonight?”
“Because I’m not the type of guy who wants just one night, especially with you, Holly. I want many nights, and I think jumping right into bed, no matter how badly I want you, would hurt what I’m trying to build here.”
It’s a valid point, but now I can’t stop thinking about what he has to offer. Still, he’s right.
I had sex with Decker, and now we avoid each other like the plague. I’ve only seen him three times since our conversation about the puppy, and it hurt the friendship we’d kind of created.
“When we do spend the night together,” I say, making sure to emphasizewhento let him know I want this, too, “will you promise me something?”
“What’s that?”
“Assuming you don’t kick me out the door right afterwards, will you bring me coffee in bed the next morning?”
He presses us closer together, and I can feel the bulge in his jeans. He groans, and I know he’s thinking the same things I am. I’m just lucky that my tells aren’t as obvious.
Damn him for being a gentleman who wants something most guys I’ve dated don’t want.
“I promise to make you coffee. In bed,” he whispers.
“I promise to thank you for the coffee. In bed.”
“I have to bring you home now.”
Pulling back, I frown. “Why?”
“Because if I don’t, you won’t be leaving my place until morning. Which would make everything we’ve just talked about a lie.”
“You do seem a little… aroused.”
“I’ve been aroused since I first laid eyes on you,” he admits. “You captivate me. Starting with your inability to turn down a second date in person. Which is why I’m going to ask you to dinner again.”
I smile and nod. “I’d love to.”
“I’m opening a new coffee shop on Monday, so I’ll be a little busy for a while. But I promise, you will never be far from my mind.”
“I can’t wait,” I whisper, kissing him gently. “And you’re right. If we don’t get out of here soon, I’m not leaving. My clothes will magically fall off.”
“Well, maybe I’m being a bit hasty with this decision,” he says, his index finger tracing my exposed collarbone. “No, you’re right. As much as I want to see you with your clothes on the floor, I want it to be right.”
He blows out the candles on the table, and he takes my hand to lead me out to his car. I stop and face him. “What about the clean up? You did all the cooking—”
“Don’t worry about it. I have it covered.”
“You don’t have a wife locked up in a closet inside, right? The type who lets you bring girls home and cleans up afterwards because she wants a poly relationship? Because I hate to tell you, but I’ve already turned down that proposition.”
Ken chuckles. “No wife. No girlfriend… yet.”
The way he says it has my stomach fluttering with little butterflies. Finally, I’ve found someone who wants a relationship. Not that I’m making any commitments until we’ve spent more time together, but I appreciate his forward thinking.
What surprises me more is this is the first time I’ve gone more than an hour without having to push thoughts of Decker to the back of my mind. And when I kissed Ken, I didn’t compare it to Decker like I did Isaac.
