I’ll never understand why Lex affects me so greatly. He can make me swoon with love, drip with lust, or, just like right now, melt with tenderness. He’s so ridiculously perfect, so absolutely touching, that I can’t understand why he doesn’t see it.
“I never despised you, Lex,” I truthfully say. “Notactually, at least.”
The warmth in his eyes makes me feel lighthearted. This could actually work out. Already, we’ve stepped into sharing and communicating, which feels momentous. More and more, I understand there was never another option than this. I was always coming back to him or him to me. What we have is unlike anything else.
“Was everything okay?” the waitress chimes in, breaking the moment.
I rip my eyes away from Lex’s entrancing gaze, looking at her instead. “Yes, it was delicious.”
“Do you want these in a bag?” she asks, pointing at the three empanadas we didn’t eat.
“Uh, yes. Sure.”
Lex insists on paying when she returns with our leftovers and the check. I don’t fight him on it, and once it’s sorted, we step out into the street together.
“I’ll walk you back to your place,” I offer.
“Chivalry demands I be the one walking you back to your car,” he counters.
I almost roll my eyes, smiling broadly at that. “That wasn’t a date, so there’s no need for chivalry.”
“Hm, true… I guess you can walk me back to my building, then.”
I’m still grinning when we begin our journey. I almost forgot how effortlessly charming he can be. No wonder I fell completely in love with the man. I never stood a chance.
We don’t walk particularly slowly, but we aren’t fast either. It’s like we both want to linger in the moment. But we’ll have more moments, won’t we? This is a new start, the beginning of something even more transcendent than last time. This could be the first chapter of a new story. The dawn of a life together.
If it all goes well, of course.
We reach my car too soon for my liking, but it’s better that way. Another hour with him, and I’ll beg him to take me to his bed and fuck me until my legs give out. And we’re not doing that. Not yet.
“Well, that’s me,” I say with humor as I step by my car.
“Weren’t you taking me to my place?” he wonders, pointing over his shoulder at his building’s entrance.
“Ah, fuck, right. Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.”
“It’s alright. I enjoy being chivalrous for you.”
“Only for me?”
His eyes narrow on me, his expression a little more serious than anticipated. “Yes, only for you, Andrea.” He pauses, and my heart flutters when his hand comes up to my face and grazes my temple. I’m almost hypnotized by his intense gaze as he tucks a stranded curl behind my ear, his gestures so tender it hurts. “No one else ever mattered before you, and no one will matter after you.”
Fuck …
“You’re not playing fair,” I say, my voice so feeble it’s embarrassing.
“That’s because I’m not playing. I never did with you.”
I legitimately lose the ability to speak. My throat is tight, and my tongue feels heavy in my mouth.This fucking man…
Something in his expression tells me he knows exactly what he did to me when he backs away.Not playing, my ass.Because I’m so fucking weak and starving for his touch and affection, I stare at his pink lips, wishing they could crash into mine.
He must understand exactly what I want, because he softly says, “Not until you ask me to.”
Then he stays right there, waiting for me to ask for that kiss I’m obviously craving. But we have to take this slow, and I promised myself I wouldn’t make it easy for him.
So I force myself to say, “Well, I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”
