My hands find their way to his chest and I take full advantage, running them over his hard muscles contained behind smooth, flawless skin, then I pull away, wanting to go further but knowing I need to prove to him my head is on straight. I know that I have a few things to work through and my mind is working in a lust filled haze right now.
“Arianna…” he says breathlessly between kisses.
“Yes …”
“I was going to tell you not to stop, but we need to stop.”
“I know.” I force myself to leave his lips and rest my forehead on his.
“Can I take you out today?” he asks, giving me a hopeful look.
“Out where?”
“A date.”
I smile. “You want to take me on a date?”
“Yeah, I think we’ve had enough of the serious stuff for today. I told you I want to get to know you and the perfect place to start would be with a date.”
“Okay,” I answer, trying to contain my smile and play it cool.
“Great!” He jumps up off the couch and holds out a hand to pull me up too. “Go and get that sexy ass of yours showered and dressed, and I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“You wanted me to stay, now you’re practically pushing me out of the door.”
“That’s because the sooner you go, the sooner I can come and pick you up.” He turns me by my shoulders and points me in the direction of the door.
“An hour and a half…” I call over my shoulder.
“An hour. And I’ll let myself in whether you’re ready or not.”
“You’re bossy,” I tell him as I open the door and smile at the look on his face. Kind, relaxed.
He returns my smile with a wink. “I know.”
Chapter 9
One hour.
One freaking little hour to get ready for a date that has me more excited than Christmas did when I was a kid.
I’m still haunted by many unanswered questions about the events of last night., and it’s a mission to balance everything out logically in my head. I know I should probably be demanding answers from Aaron and finding out what the hell went on, but a big part of me wants to enjoy my date with a handsome man and just pretend that everything is normal for an afternoon. I’m not stupid enough to think that it will all magically go away but I don’t know how to deal with it all and ignorance is bliss as they say.
Normally an hour would be plenty of time to get ready if I were getting ready for work, or lunch with Lottie, but in less than fifteen minutes I have a date with a man who has captured my attention in inexplicable ways. This means I have to shave everywhere, moisturize everywhere and take time overmy makeup for that perfectly natural look. Thank god for the spa day yesterday.
My hair has to be blow dried and not left to dry on its own to turn into a ball of frizz, and this alone takes at least a quarter of my time up. Not only that, I have to choose something to wear. I don’t know where we’re going, so I have no idea what to dress for and despite my recent shopping trip, I still have a fairly limited wardrobe.
With minutes to spare, I’m dressed and ready to go. I’m going all out girlie with a summery floral skirt, a sheer tank, and cute, white, peep-toe sandals that are a touch higher than I remember them being in the store, but complete the outfit perfectly. I’m not sure if I’m wearing the correct attire for my impending date, but I’m sure Denham will tell me otherwise.
After rushing around like a lunatic for the last hour, I perch on the edge of the couch, bouncing my knee like a frog on speed and trying my hardest to stop myself overthinking this and being nervous as hell.It’s just a date, it’s just a date, I keep telling myself but it doesn’t help to calm the nerves. What if he’s decided after our chat that he doesn’t want to take me out on a date anymore? Even worse than that, what if he has changed his mind about everything and doesn’t want to know me at all?
He’s under my skin, already.
His loud bangs on the door break me out of the internal pep talk I’m trying to give myself and give me no more time to speculate. I jump up and grab my purse, checking my reflection in the mirror on the way to the door one last time.
“I’m giving you to the count of three, then I’m coming in, ready or not.” His muffled voice from the other side of the door makes me laugh and any earlier worries vanish, leaving a childlike excitement in their place.
I pull open the door to find him leaning on the framework with one hand tucked behind his back. His eyes travel slowly up mybody, lingering on each curve and taking in every inch of me. I’m not used to being savored as though I’m on display, but I get the feeling that the more time I spend with Denham, the more I need to get used to it. He knows what he likes and he isn’t afraid to show it. The grin that creeps along his face is contagious and I find myself smiling right back at him.
