“Ice cream?” She cups my cheek. “You’re perfection, Taysom Reed.”
And the look she gives me, before turning away, is pure sweetness.
Her shower is brief, which is helpful. I had to open my freezer and cool my face off twice because I couldn’t stop thinking of her in my shower. Also, I’m glad the cleaners came this morning. She deserves a clean bathroom.
She walks out a few minutes later, wearing the outfit combo I was hoping she would choose: a replica of my college jersey in size youth XL (don’t ask me how I got it, but probably from some event in college) and the smallest shorts I could find, but even with the drawstring tied tightly, they still kind of drown her. Still, her strong, white legs and her beautiful hair, darker since it’s wet, do funny things to my insides.
“You clean up nice.” I step to her, wrapped up in her scent. I know she used my body wash and shampoo; there weren’t any other options for her. But it smells different on her.
“I think I got it all off.” She rotates her arm to look at her elbow. “Do you see any places I might have missed?”
I tug her to me, my thoughts darkening. “No, but I’d be honored to look.” Heat sears through me to her and back to me and I grasp her wrist and hold her arm out to the side, softly caressing it. “Nothing on this arm.” My fingers slide over her skin and rub, once, twice, before letting go of that wrist and grasping the other. Her eyes soften and her lips part just a little. My gaze drops to her other arm, so white against my own olive-toned skin. “You’re in the clear here.” Except now my voice breaks and I’m finding it difficult to sound normal.
I rotate her around, and lift her wet hair, sliding my finger along the back of her neck. “No ink back here.” I swallow hard. I want to press a kiss to her skin, anywhere will do. Does she know how insane she makes me feel?
I spin her back around and this time her eyes widen, and then she glances down at my mouth. I ache to kiss her.
“What about your legs?” I ask, holding her knee and sliding it up gently. I take a step back, cradling her foot in my hand as I inspect the skin of one of her legs.
“Green would be better than this pastiness,” she says with a groan.
“What are you talking about? It’s like ivory.” I lift her other leg and do the same. I rub against the front of her knee with my thumb. “It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
I drop her foot and she goes on her tiptoes. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she brings her lips to mine. It’s soft, questioning. Gentle.
When she pulls away, there’s uncertainty in her eyes for one brief moment. And then…her face crumples.
“I—I shouldn’t have done that.” She presses the back of her hand to her lips. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you…mad at yourself for that? Because you shouldn’t be.”
I step to her and she backs up, so I put my hands up in surrender.
“I’m not…built like this,” she says.
“Like what? What do you mean?”
“A one and done situation. A fling.” She cringes. “I don’t know what to call it. And it’s not a big deal. It’s just a simple kiss.” She looks like she’s trying to convince herself.
“I don’t want a one and done, Charlotte.”
It’s like she doesn’t hear me. She starts to pace. “Your eyes were all smoldering, you know? It was intense. And…I thought maybe you…I’m not like you. I don’t date. Like, ever. Honestly, I probably went on three dates my whole time at SAU and then since then, only a handful. All first dates. No second dates.”
I feel my eyes widen. I knew she didn’t date much, but I didn’t expect that.
“And so, I don’t just kiss and forget about it.”
“I don’t either. I told you I don’t date, either. I haven’t for a few years.”
“Well, you have good reasons for that, with your busy football schedule. My reason? People don’t ask me out a second time, so there must be something wrong with me. I’ve been on a few dates where I couldn’t do the activity the guy had planned because of my hips.”
She shakes her hands, like she’s trying to ease some pain, to flick off something that hurts.
“That must have been hard.” I grab her hands in mine and squeeze them gently. “Can I ask you out a second time?” I press a kiss to her knuckles. “And a third and a fourth and a fifth?”
She gives a slight shiver. “Asking me out a second time implies we’ve gone on a date already.”
“Maybe we can say the taco night was our first date?”
