“Okay, fine! Just stop talking about it!”
He laughed. “What’s wrong, Mav? You like the idea too much?”
I shoved him to the door without answering. Sometimes a guy had to take the fifth.
We took my car, since I was the one with a destination in mind. I started up my Mini Cooper and reversed out of the driveway while Damon fidgeted and grumbled about how little space there was.
“A perfect date would start in a truck,” he said. “I’m gonna have to dock points off your score.”
“Oh, you’re grading me now? Well, I put up with your truck on the perfect date for me, so you’re gonna need to grade on a curve.”
“Hm. Fair. I’ll allow it just this once.”
I snorted and flipped on my blinker, turning onto Silverado, one of the streets that would take us to the highway.
“We’re leaving town?” Damon said, surprised.
“Need to text some friends?” I teased. “Make sure I’m not going to leave you for dead?”
“If you wanted me dead, you could just do it while I wassleeping beside you. Not sure my friends can save me when we live together.”
“Good idea,” I joked.
He flicked my thigh. “Be nice. This is supposed to be a romantic date.”
“Did anyone say anything about romance?”
He blinked a couple of times. The thought had never occurred to him that I might not just try to wine and dine him. “Hmm. What could it be then? Monster truck rally? Ax-throwing? Ooh, maybe a barcade.”
I snorted, because I’d considered every one of those possibilities. I knew my man and what he liked, but I also wanted tosurprisehim.
“Nope!”
He continued with the twenty questions as we drove along, until finally, we reached the destination. I swung into a strip mall and his eyes flicked through the options.
“Ink Anarchy, Ball Breakers Pool Hall, or Blush…” He paused. “That’s not a makeup store, is it?”
I laughed. “No.”
The windows were blacked out, and the sign was in neon red. It screamed sex shop.
“So, uh, which one of these are we going to?” he asked.
“Why don’t you guess?”
He chuckled. “Oh, man. I don’t know. Maybe we’re just here to get a couple of drinks, or maybe…” He swallowed. “Well, you did give me that dildo that one time.”
“Mm-hmm, and youdiduse it too, and like it. Didn’t you?”
He squirmed in his seat. I hadn’t planned to buy him a sex toy, but now I was rethinking that plan.
“So, is that the best date ever? Sex toy shopping?”
I smiled. “Not unless you’re really good. Come on.” Iopened my door and got out. When Damon joined me on the sidewalk, I took his hand and led him into the tattoo parlor. “This is my epic date idea.”
Damon looked around in surprise. “Tattoos?”
“Matching tattoos,” I said. “If you’re game?”
