“Everything I’ve learned about you, every word from your mouth, digs me a little deeper in the whirlpool that is uniquely you, Ainsley. I want nothing more than to prove I’m worth taking a chance on, but I will give you as much time as you need to feel comfortable with that too. And if you decide I’m not worth it … then I will respect that one hundred percent.” He reaches across the table, grabbing my hand as my breathing gets a little unsteady.
“But make no mistake, my goal here is to date you and see where this goes. I think it’s pretty obvious how attracted I am to you, but I wanted you to know where I stood before anything else happens. This is more than sexual to me. I’m sorry for what happened in our room. I got carried away, and I needed a minute to get my head back on straight so I didn’t say something impulsively stupid yet again.”
His tone is so earnest, and his confidence is something I haven’t really seen from him. It’s wildly attractive, as if he needed to be more so. It seems I haven’t been very clear on things either, so maybe it’s time I change that. Fortune favors the brave, isn’t that the saying?
“I-I…” I clear my throat again, trying to get my thoughts clear. “I’m really nervous about starting something with someone I work with, let alone my boss. If we were to do anything, I would want things to go really slow. I’m just starting over, and I don’t want to be put in another situation where I need to leave everything behind and do it all again. Hell, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, and I’m thirty-five! I feel like I’m in this vast state of transition, and I don’t really know what that looks like in terms of a potential relationship. I’m nervous about starting something if I’m not one-hundred-percent sold on staying in Bluebell Falls too.”
“I’m more than okay with that. I’ll go at whatever pace you want; you can control everything in that respect, and we can just see how things go. You know I would never threaten your job, right? If things don’t work out and you need some space, we can have less contact. Hell, I can have Rina be your point of contact for work so you’re able to keep the stability. I never want you to feel like you need to quit because of the potential we don’t work out. And I’m willing to try this even if you don’t want to stay. That’s something we can figure out if the time comes.”
I chew on my lip, really taking in his words. He’s saying all the right things, but can I trust him?
“I promise, all I want to do it make sure you’re happy, even if it’s not with me, but I want the chance to see if we work.”
I’m not sure where this version of Ledger has come from, but he’s very convincing and charming.
“If I say yes, where do we go from here?” I ask.
The smile that spreads across his face is breathtaking as he squeezes the hand he’s still holding.
“If you say yes, then this is officially a date if you want it to be.”
“Then this is a date,” I declare, feeling shockingly secure in this decision.
Dinner was a fucking blast. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun with anyone except Larkin.
The two drinks I had were enough to make me feel loose but not drunk. Thank God too, because I need to keep my head around the man who is currently walking me backwards into the elevator.
His hands on my hips send sparks all over my body, and our vow to go slowly is dangerously close to being broken.
“Ledger…”
“Ainsley.” He smirks as he presses the number for our floor.
“You’re a tease, you know that?” I say with a laugh.
“I just had the best night in far longer than I can remember. Sue me for wanting to be close to you for a minute,” he whispers in my ear as he nuzzles into my neck gently.
“Well, when you put it like that…” I run my hands up his muscled arms.
The elevator dings, signaling we’ve reached our floor, and we step back from each other like we’ve just gotten caught in a classroom in high school.
Clearing my throat, I step around Ledger and head to our door, needing the space before we reach the point of no return right there in the elevator.
We’re both silent as we walk into our room before Ledger finally breaks it.
“I think I’m going to grab a quick shower, unless you need the bathroom first.” He’s suddenly changed back to the shy, slightly awkward Ledger I’m used to, and I feel back to normal. It’s a strange comfort, but I’m finding I like this side of him a lot.
“Go for it.”
He nods and grabs some clothes from his bag before walking to the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.
I finally take a full breath and plop down onto the bed.
Holy shit, either he’s extremely sexy right now, or I’m just horny as hell.
I can’t tell, but I know that I’ll need to do something about it tonight in order to keep my head on straight. Good thing I came prepared, even if I don’t actually turn it on.
I realize I don’t know what a quick shower is to Ledger, but I’d rather be changed before he struts out of the bathroom wearing God knows what. Jumping up, I find my tank top and shorts that I usually wear to bed and keep my eyes and ears on the bathroom, looking for any sign that he’ll come out when I’m half-naked as I strip out of my dress and put on my pajamas.
