“I…”
I should have rescued him. He was my friend and he’d been caught off-guard. But I wanted another chance to hang out with him, and now that I’d gotten over being afraid he wouldn’t like me in real life, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
“Well, uh,” Milo scratched the back of his neck, shifting Orion’s weight to keep a firm hold on him as he settled in for a nap, drooling into the rust-colored sweater Milo was wearing today. “If, umm. No pressure, obviously, but if youwanted—”
“Perfect,” Dawn interrupted. “You can go tonight. Roxie’s coming over to talk nursery decor, you don’t wanna hang around for that.”
Milo shrugged at me, still stroking Orion with a single finger. It was too dark in the shop to be sure, but I thought I could see the hint of a blush along his cheekbones.
“I’ll pick you up at… seven?” I asked, looking to Dawn for confirmation.
“Six-thirty,” Dawn corrected. “See you then.”
* * *
“So.”Dante appeared behind me in the bedroom mirror, Nebula perched on his shoulder and grooming his stubble. “I did his full chart and you’re so,soin alignment but there’s this one little communication thing so I’m going to offer you some free advice.”
“Dante…”
Dante raised a hand as I pulled the t-shirt I was wearing off and turned back to my pile of possibilities.
“Give him positive feedback when he does something you like and you will reap the rewards.”
“That’s normal behavior,” I said, sorting through my options. “You tell people when they’re doing a good job.”
“Okay, but you are not vocal in bed,” Dante said.
My mouth fell open.
“How do you—”
“You’ve got that whole tough outer shell going on, it’s a crab thing,” Dante interrupted. “Trust me. Positive feedback. He’ll feel competent, which will make him feel sexy, and people who feel sexy are better in bed.”
“I’m not planning to—”
“Yeah you are,” Dante interrupted again. “You nearly drooled on the table watching him lick brownie crumbs off his lips yesterday. And you should be. He’s the perfect thing for you. You’ve got a crush on him that’s visible from the goddamn moon and he’s only in town for a little while, so it’s not like you’ve gotta worry about him being around all the time if things don’t work out. No pressure. Have all the satisfying, fulfilling,incrediblesex you deserve for as long as he’s here, consequence-free.”
“You’re assuming he’s interested.”
I looked in the mirror and stripped the second t-shirt off, making a face at myself.
“Comeon, I know he’s interested. You do, too. And what are you doing right now if not getting dressed for a date? I’ve never seen you worry about what you wore before in my life.”
“What if people found out?” I blurted out.
Dante had to know I was thinking it. Hehadto.
Nebula jumped off his shoulder and onto the bed as he sat down, curling up right in the middle like this was her apartment and I was graciously being allowed to share it. Which was approximately how all cats seemed to feel. Didn’t help that there were four of them now.
“So what?” He shrugged. “You’re allowed to date.”
“Do you know how many people have come into the bakery just to tell me what they thought of me breaking up with Brady?” I asked.
“They love you,” Dante said.
“I know!” I said, louder than I meant to. “It’s just… I don’t know.”
Dante raised an eyebrow.
