He stopped at the door and looked down at her. “Remember this one day.”
“This?” she asked, looking up into his eyes, knowing without knowing how she knew, that something else was about to happen.
He leaned his head toward her, and at the same time she went up on tiptoe to meet him halfway. He pressed his lips tohers softly. He could feel the trembling of her body against his. “This okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. I haven’t been kissed in so very long. And it’s been even longer than that since it was meant out of attraction instead of ownership.”
He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her toward him, kissed her once, then twice more, before she opened her mouth and let him have access to her. Tentatively at first, his tongue searched for hers. When she responded without hesitation, he got bolder, kissing her more deeply, more passionately. His other hand came up to cup the back of her head as he took his time savoring her, tasting her. He nipped at her lips before pulling back and gradually opening his eyes to look down into hers.
Her eyes were still closed, and she was basically putty in his hands.
“I think I could kiss you forever and not even come up for air,” he said.
A small smile played across her lips. “But we have that huge steak to share. We have to at least come up long enough to eat that.”
Ronan laughed, then unlocked the door and led the way inside. As he walked with her right behind him, he reached out flipping on lights. “Make yourself at home, Giada. You’re welcome here any time, for any reason. Don’t even wait for an invitation, just come.”
“I’ll have to wait for an invitation. I don’t have a car.”
“Oh. Well. Just call and tell me to come get you.”
“I can do that,” she said, as she broke off and went into the living room when he went into the kitchen.
“You probably won’t have to because I’ll be hanging around all the time anyway.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Definitely.” He put the takeout in the fridge, then went into the living room. “Okay, so what are we watching?”
“I don’t care really. I’m just excited to be able to watch something that isn’t cartoons.”
“Hmm, how about something funny?”
“I can always use funny.”
He sat down beside her and scrolled through the movies offered. “Here we go. Let’s try this one.”
She nodded, and reached over, tugging her boots off.
“You know what? You’re staying here tonight. You’re not going home alone to lay there awake all night.” He got up and started out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“To get you something to change into.” Pretty soon he was back with clothes in his hands. “Here you go. A pair of shorts, a pair of sweat pants, and a teeshirt. Both the shorts and the pants have a draw string so you can make them at least not fall off you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Go get comfortable, and come back. We’ll fall asleep watching the movie.”
“I feel like I’m imposing. You asked for a date, not a house guest.”
“Did you hear anything at all that I said tonight?”
She nodded as she looked at him.
“I made my intentions clear. You are not an inconvenience in any way. You’re my focus. Go get changed.”
“Okay,” she said, going straight down the hallway, and ducking into the bathroom.
