Page 49 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

“As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve never been in love. I got tired of dating women, having sex, and having it lead nowhere.” Anthony rubbed his hand over his hair with a sigh, flustered. He’d only ever talked to Nick and Pike about this, and Pike had teased him about it. “I guess I agree with you to a point about how sex is only good when you’re attracted to each other, but I’m going to take it one step further. Sex is truly amazing when you’re in love with someone.”

Anthony braced himself for laughter or even mockery, but she simply took a sip of her coffee, cradling the cup between her hands.

“If you’ve never been in love, how do you know?” she asked.

“I can imagine it.”

Delilah took another sip, as if contemplating her next response. Finally, she said, “So you’re not having sex until you’re in love, which you’ve never experienced, but you’re sure you’ll know what it feels like when it happens?”

“That is the plan.”

Delilah’s smile stretched across her face. “You are an extremely romantic man.”

Anthony chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but I want something special. I just don’t want to rush in or force it. I am looking for something natural, without any complications and drama, so I wanted to drive you to Boise and get to know you better. I’m incredibly attracted to you. You’re smart. Funny. Unique. Gorgeous.”

“Thank you. I—I feel the same way about you.”

Anthony leaned across the console toward her. “You don’t sound so sure.”

Delilah scoffed. “Well, it’s true.” Delilah reached out, her hand trailing over the skin of his cheek. “Thank you for telling me all that.”

“Of course,” he murmured, turning his head to kiss her palm. Her warm flesh trembled against his mouth and he resisted to urge to nibble her skin, or they might never get out of there. “Do you think we can get on the road now, or do we need to lay everything bare right before we leave?”

Delilah smiled softly, booping him on the nose before she settled back into the seat and put on her seat belt. “I think unless you tell me you have a clown kink, we’re good.”

“Clown kink, huh?” he said, pressing the button to start the engine. “I’m afraid to ask why that’s your deal-breaker.”

“The title isn’t self-explanatory?”

“Good point.” Anthony backed out of her driveway and spun the wheel to the right, heading for the main road out of town. “Wanna grab your pastry out of the bag?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll wait until I’m on the main highway.” Anthony kept his eyes on the road, listening to the bag’s rustle as he passed all the shops on Main Street. “When was the last time you visited your parents?”

“The weekend before Halloween. I try to go down at least once a month, depending on what I can afford.”

“You’re a substitute teacher, right?” he asked. “Are you still writing?”

Anthony saw Delilah turn toward him out of the corner of his eye. “You remember that?”

“Why not? I’ve never met anyone who writes magazine articles. I always think of those kinds of writers living in a loft in New York, using a typewriter by an open window, hearing the sound of car horns, listening to their music of choice.”

“I’m impressed you’ve given this so much thought,” she laughed. “I prefer writing in bed on my laptop or iPad, the sound of instrumental pop music in my ears.”

“Yours sounds less stressful.” Anthony took in the scenery around them, watching the pine trees give way to sage brush and meadow. “I’ve always loved reading, but I’m not into classic literature. I need a decoder ring to figure out what they’re saying.”

“Let me guess, not a Shakespeare fan?” she teased.

“Not if I can help it. I like modern books that are action-packed. If I’m going to read, it will be for entertainment.”

Anthony heard a crunch and Delilah’s moan as she took her first bite of breakfast. “I did not realize how hungry I was. Do you like audiobooks?”

“I’ve never listened to one before,” he said.

“The narration has to be enthralling, or I’ll lose interest, but I’ve found it’s an amazing way to keep up my reading goals.”

“Maybe we can find one to listen to together if we run out of things to discuss.” Anthony didn’t think that would happen, mainly because there were open-ended issues they needed to discuss from last night.