“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
He licks his lips, and his eyes search mine. His mouth so close, his body so warm, and I take a moment to savor this moment. The tension between us palpable, the lust seeping into a pool of need between us. Our touches, anything but innocent, the desire in our eyes about to explode.
I want him . . . bad.
“Then I’ll see you tonight. Text me your address?”
“Of course.” I swallow hard as he passes his thumb over my cheek once more.
I can see it in his eyes, the indecision. Is this the moment he wants, the perfect timing for a kiss? God, what is he waiting for?
“It doesn’t have to be a big moment, you know. You can just kiss me.” My lungs feel heavy, my legs tingling with need, my hands shaking as they grip him, clinging desperately to him, not wanting any distance between us.
Leaning down, I hold my breath, my stomach flipping with somersaults just as his lips press against my . . . forehead. He lingers for a second before pulling away and stuffing his hands in his back pockets, his chest pulling at the threadbare shirt stretched across his thick muscles.
“I’ll see you tonight, Adalyn.” He winks and takes off toward the cottage, making me more sexually frustrated than I’ve ever been in my life.
Deflated, turned on, and irritated, I get in my car, start the engine, and stare out the front window. Is this what it’s like to be with a man who doesn’t want me only for my body? If so, it’s the most sexually frustrating . . . yet exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced.
Now to get ready for tonight. I need to make it impossible for Hayden to NOT kiss me.
Damn it, I’m going to get that kiss tonight, and it all starts with a very thorough shower, shave, and then a much-needed shopping session.
* * *
“That dress is so hot on you,” Emma, my best friend, says as she flips through a magazine on my bed.
I look at my reflection in the mirror. “But do I want to wear a dress? Should I do something more casual? We’re just going to be here, would it be weird if I answer the door wearing a dress?”
Emma folds the magazine shut and leans forward, hands poised on her lap. “Let me ask you this. Are you doing your hair and makeup?”
“Of course, but I was going to go with a natural look with my makeup, not too much since it’s going to be late.”
Shrugging her shoulders and casually picking up the magazine again, she says, “If it were me, I would wear a dress and make it impossible for him not to stare at me. Works with Tucker every time, then again, he usually sees me in scrubs, so when I get dressed up, his eyes pop out of their sockets.”
“I don’t know.” I pull on the hem of the dress that reaches mid-thigh. “Maybe something more subtle. This is a little slutty.”
“Do the pink sundress. It’s more casual but still pretty and looks great against your tan skin. It’s going to pop, plus it gives you great cleavage.” Tossing the pink dress at me from the pile that’s formed on my bed, she says, “Put it on. Trust me, it’s the winner.”
Since there is no modesty between Emma and me, I take off the slutty-looking dress and put on the pink one. I adjust my bra in the cups of the dress and look in the mirror. Emma is right. It’s casual but pretty and gives me great lines.
“And if you wear your hair down in loose waves, add a touch of makeup, he’s going to be begging to kiss you.”
Before we started trying on dresses, I filled Emma in on my little kissing problem with Hayden. To say she was giddy over our budding relationship is an understatement. It took her at least five minutes to stop squealing over everything I said, and now that she’s calmed down, she’s bound and determined to help me get that kiss.
“He’s different than any guy I’ve ever been with. I could answer the door naked, and I’m pretty sure he still wouldn’t kiss me. I can tell he’s physically attracted to me, that doesn’t go unnoticed, but I’m shocked by his restraint. For some reason, I thought athletes were horn dogs, you know, all that adrenaline and masculinity pumping through them.”
“I think Hayden is exactly what you need.” Emma peers at me, true honesty in her eyes, the kind of honesty only a best friend can give. “Ever since I met you, you’ve been one and done with men, never really continuing past a first date.”
“Because none of them were worth it.” I shrug casually.
“Or maybe because you didn’t care enough to give the guys a second chance. But Hayden is different. I can tell you really do care about him.”
I fiddle with the right strap of my dress, adjusting the length. Up and down, up and down. “Maybe it’s because he’s one of the first guys ever to treat me the way my brothers always said I should be treated.”
Realization hits me as the words come out of my mouth.
It’s true.
