Her eyes lit up, like that was the best news. “You can’t open with that line and expect obedience.”
“Fair, but hear me out.” I pulled up my phone and showed her a list. “I know you’ve never been on a date, so I looked up the best first date questions to ask.”
“Preston.” Jordan’s voice went all soft and gentle. “That’s… I love that.”
“I want you getting the full experience, you know, before the defiling.”
She laughed, but then the waiter showed up and took our drink and dinner orders. Jordan rested her arms on the table, leaning forward and providing a deep view of her cleavage. “Give me those questions, Charming. I’m ready.”
“They aren’t like rapid-fire ones. No need to go to battle over it. Now, first question. Dog or cat person?”
“Ooh, that’s good. I’m more of a cat person. I like how they’remore independent. I love dogs, but I don’t want to be tied down. You can leave a cat alone for two days, and they’ll be fine. You can’t with a dog. What about you?”
I took a slow breath, trying not to analyze her answer. She didn’t like being tied down, that was fucking evident. Would she consider dating me beingtied down?Would we be exclusive? Fuccck. We never even mentioned it before, and now I couldn’t. Not on the first date. It’d freak her out. I forced a smile and ignored the worrying pang in my chest. I ran a hand over it, digging in. My skin had felt too tight today, like it was itchy. My head also pounded, but I figured it was nerves. “I’m more of dog person. Always had one growing up. I love the daily walks and frisbee in the park and how they’re so happy to see you every single time. They are balls of energetic sunshine.”
“You know, you’re kind of a ball of energetic sunshine… “ Jordan teased and nudged my thigh with her foot. “What about the next question?”
I cleared my throat, the damn tickle in my throat growing. I sipped water, suddenly feeling hot. Like, way too hot. Post-workout-clammy hot. Damn. I had to get my shit together. “Are you more of an indoor person or an outdoor person?”
“Indoor, without a doubt. Next.”
“Same,” I scanned the list of questions, debating which one to ask her as I took stock of what the fuck was happening. I felt feverish...which would be devastating. I’d waited years for a date with this girl, and my body was betraying me. I forced the heated feeling away, doing my best to hide my sweating. “So, no camping trips for the two of us?”
“No thank you. I’d do some glamping for sure, but me and nature are not best friends.” She leaned forward, like she wanted to get even closer to me. It was honestly cute as hell seeing her excited. Even with my body’s weird descent, she charmed me.
“This isn’t so bad! I like this!” she squealed.
“Were you worried about not enjoying a date with me?” I asked, a nervous edge to my question. I wanted her answer. I needed it.
She pursed her bright red lips and tilted her head, a gesture I knew well. “I always enjoy time with you when you aren’t on a date with another woman. It wasn’t about that. It was more nervous about a date. I usually just hook up with someone after a night out, not do the dinner thing first.”
“Mm, okay we need rules.” I held up my hand, a gross sensation in my gut. “I fucking hate thinking about you with another guy. Makes me feel a tad murdery. No more mentions of that, okay?”
Yeah. That was the weird feeling overtaking my body. Jealousy. Not… sickness.
“Jealous Preston is a fun one. I got a glimpse of it at the hotel, but now that we’re being more open about everything. I think we can have some fun with this.” Her eyes twinkled as she stared over my shoulder. “So if I went to the bar and flirted, what would you do?”
“This is a dangerous game, Jordan. You lost your shit when Price brought me a date. Don’t dish this out if you can’t take it. I happen to be a hot hockey player, so if you want to flirt and see how far you can push me, I’ll return the favor.”
Jordan’s lips parted, shock evident on her face. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would dare. I could definitely fucking dare. Here’s the thing,babe,I know you inside out. I’m not one of the boy toys you boss around. You want to play a game, then let’s play, baby.”
Her face flushed as she let out a sexy laugh. “Why is that hot? My god, Preston. How have you hidden this side of you for years?”
“It was always there. Trust me.”
“I think I’m starting to see it.”
“And do we like it or hate it or what?”
“Love it.” She wiggled her brows, her smile stretching across her face. She looked fucking happy, and it eased any stress I had to know I made her happy. One downside to knowing your date inside out was that you knew their tells. The second she was annoyed, I’d know. Or the minute she was distracted or wanted to leave, I’d know. There was a pressure to be her first date, and I wanted it memorable, but a bout of dizziness hit me. The room spun, and I ran a hand over my forehead, surprised to feel it pretty much on fire.
I never got sick. It had been years since I was sick. I refused to let this happen. I cleared my throat and closed my eyes for a few seconds in hopes it would settle me.
“Why do you look thoughtful and intense? Where are the rest of the dating questions?” Her smile fell a little, and she squeezed my forearm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m great.” I smiled, an ache in my temples causing me to wince. I had no idea what I did in a past life to deserve getting sick at this exact moment—on a date with my dream woman, but the signs were hard to ignore.
