Page 26

We ate dinner, with Joshua complimenting my homemade sauce and the variety of vegetables in the giant salad I made. After we were finished, I served us each an apple fritter for dessert, which we ate with a cup of herbal tea.

Through it all, I couldn’t help but think about that kiss we’d shared earlier.

“Mabel.” Joshua got my attention with the rough tone in his voice.

“Yeah?”

“I think I should sleep on the couch tonight,” he said, his face filled with regret.

“Why?”

“Because if I sleep in my bed with you, there’s no way I’m not going to want to make love to you.”

My heart tripped a little at his phrasing, but then I was distracted by my panties incinerating.

“What if I’m okay with it? What if I want to have sex too?” I asked, choosing my words deliberately.

He stared at me for a long, charged moment.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to sleep with me just because you’re staying here,” he said. “I know we were taking things slow.”

I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing.

“Do you remember the way you went down on me and made me come so hard on your desk that I forgot my own name?”

“Yeah that was just last night,” he reminded me wryly.

“I’m done taking things slow and I don’t feel obligated, Joshua. I feel desperate for more.”

“It’s just that… I don’t know if I can have you just once, Mabel.” His eyes darkened with intent. “I may never get enough of you. I’ve never felt this way about someone before. Everything with you is different. Everything.”

My mind went back to the catty comments from the woman at the bakery. I guess he could be more than a one and done guy if the person was right. Then again…

“I’m not really looking for a relationship right now Joshua,” I said.

I held up my hand when he started to respond.

“But I would be up for us having some fun together and seeing where things go from there.”

I paused, then added. “To be clear, I mean sexy fun.”

I thought he might argue with me, but instead he said, “How about we clean up and head to the bedroom then? I think I want more than an apple fritter for dessert tonight.”

Joshua

Iwas nervous.

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt nervous before sex. Then again I’d never had sex with a woman I was in love with before. Not that I could share that little tidbit. Mabel had been clear about where she was, and I had to respect that. I wasn’t going to pressure her.

But if things continued going well with us, I planned to do my best to change her mind. If I thought she was really not interested in a relationship with me or anyone else, it would be one thing. But I was certain her experience with her ex-husband was more of a barrier than her feelings for me.

That was okay. I was a patient man. I could wait until she was ready.

We cleaned up the kitchen, packing up the leftovers, then Mabel let Esmerelda outside to go potty while I replenished her food and water. Esmerelda was a fussy little dog. Mabel had shared that the pup refused to drink water if it had been there for more than a day and refused to eat food when she could see the bottom of the bowl.

Once we’d finished in the kitchen, I took Mabel’s hand and led her into the bedroom. It was only seven-thirty, but I couldn’t wait anymore.

“Oh wait, there was garlic in the pasta sauce and on the bread,” Mabel said. “I need to brush my teeth.”