Page 52 of The Rules of Dating

I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought it over. “So we’ll be, what, exclusively undating?”

Colby leaned back in his seat and smiled. “Exactly.”

The reality of my situation was that I either needed to completely disconnect from this man, or take the baby steps he was suggesting. Considering how miserable I’d been for the two weeks we didn’t see each other, I didn’t want to run away anymore. So I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea. We were doing well undating until I thought you were with someone else and then I stupidly went out with Eddie.”

Colby groaned. “Don’t even say that guy’s name, please.”

I smiled. “Okay, but you have to promise never to mention the threesome you missed out on.”

He lifted my hand to his lips, dropping a sweet kiss on the top. “Deal.”

Too soon, we were back at my shop. I was the first one to arrive, so we stood in the doorway, just the two of us. Colby weaved his fingers with mine and swung our joined hands back and forth. “I wish undating ended with a kiss,” he said. “But unfortunately, that’s not the tradition.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Undating ends with a sniff, not a kiss.”

I giggled. “What kind of a sniff?”

“Ah, I’m glad you asked. Let me demonstrate.” He leaned in and buried his face in my hair, brushing his nose slowly up my neck as he inhaled until he got to my ear. Then he let out a warm breath with a groan. “God, you smell so fucking good.”

Every hair on my body stood at attention. I was about five seconds away from breaking the undating no-kissing rule already…until a voice blinked me out of my stupor.

“Get a room,” Deek grumbled. “Some of us have to get to work.”

I pulled back like someone had splashed a bucket of cold water over my head. “Oh, sorry.”

Deek chuckled. “Let me through, and I’ll open up instead of watching you two. Besides, hetero voyeurism isn’t my thing.”

Colby chuckled. “I gotta get going before Brayden kicks my ass, anyway.” He looked to me. “Undate tomorrow night?”

“Okay.” I smiled.

“I’ll call you later once I figure out the details.”

I waved as he went down to the building’s residential entrance. Deek had his key out already, so he stepped in front of me and unlocked the door. “So I guess my air-conditioning trick worked?”

“I knew you did that!” We walked inside. “You’re such a jerk. Colby thinks I did it so I’d have an excuse to see him.”

Deek grinned. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’m glad everything worked out and you guys are going to give dating a shot.”

I shook my head. “Oh, we’re not dating. We’re doing something he calls undating—kind of spending time with each other without the pressures of dating. But we’re not going to see other people while we do that.”

Deek bent his head back in laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“The fact that you’re dating this dude and don’t even know it.”

CHAPTER 12

Colby

On Saturday night, I picked up Billie from the shop after work for our undate. I hadn’t told her what our plans were, but we wouldn’t have to go far because it was right upstairs.