“Are you always going to serve me like this?”
“Sure. We’ll go with that.”
I chuckled and walked back to the window. “This place is amazing.”
“I like it.”
“How long have you lived here?”
He scrubbed a couple of potatoes. “I bought it three years ago.”
“You own it?” I asked, surprised.
He chuckled. “Yeah, babe. I own it.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t sound so surprised.”
Austin handed me the wine glass I’d left on the counter and then grabbed a beer for himself. He took my hand and led me to the huge sectional in the great room, pulling me down beside him. “I get why you’re surprised, babe.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “I have a pretty chaotic life, Dani, so when I come home, I want some form of order. I’ve always been like this. I like nice things and Annie helped me put a little bit of a feminine touch on it, mostly so she could feel comfortable here. Or so she said.”
I giggled. “I must meet her.”
“She’ll be here for Thanksgiving. She’s threatened her old man if he doesn’t make it happen, she’s coming alone.”
I craned my neck to look up at him. “Is that allowed? Threatening your biker badass man into doing your bidding?”
“It won’t work for you, but it sometimes works for others.”
I snorted. “Oh, I see how it is.”
He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Hope you’re in the mood for steaks.”
“I’m a vegetarian,” I said, and bit my lip to keep from giggling.
“Fuck me,” he snapped. “You are?”
“Nope.” I glanced at him again. “But thanks for being so easy.”
Now, this is where I finally figured out that I had to stop shock bombing him because every time I did, I ended up on my back, his hands on my waist, and the very real threat of peeing my pants way too close a reality.
Then, before I actually did soil my drawers, I was kissed to the point of breathlessness, and left wanting more and more. I smiled against his lips and ran my fingers through his hair. “This is really hard.”
“Ya think?” he said with a groan. “We can take care of that right now, baby. My bed’s incredible.”
“It’s been a week,” I said.
“So?”
“So, it’s too soon, Austin. I need to know this is going to last before we jump into bed. I’m not like Kim. I can’t have sex and move on.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “We might need to stick to public outings then.” He sounded mad.
“Whatever you need,” I said.
Austin climbed off me and left me lying on the sofa. I stayed put, listening to him opening cabinets, and then slamming them closed. This lasted for a little while... until I felt like I could talk to him without yelling or crying. I sat up and unzipped my boots, removing them before padding into the kitchen.
