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I bend down and let my lips barely glide against hers. She’s soft, sweet and unbelievably hot. She tilts her head to follow my act, pressing her mouth gently against mine. A sigh floats through her parted lips. It brushes against me, whisper-soft and totally feminine. The tip of her tongue darts out, sliding against my bottom lip. The action is bold and yet shy at the same time. It affects me more deeply than anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I know instinctively that it’s because it’s Jo.
Only because it’s her.
I force myself to pull away. It’s our first date, and I’m determined to show her that I’m not a man she can figure out. I’m different from the others.
She opens her eyes slowly, confusion easy to read on her face.
I bring my hand up, cup her neck, and let my thumb brush back and forth on her chin and along her jawline.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jo.”
“I don’t understand,” she whispers, clearly confused.
“I’m not sure I do either, sweetheart. I just know that I’m not going to rush this and I’m definitely not going to rush you.”
“It would be better if we don’t see each other again, Cooper.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not your kind of girl,” she whispers, licking her lips and looking down at the ground. “I’m not your type at all.”
She says the last part so low it’s like it’s a secret she hates to tell me. I don’t think it’s my imagination that I hear sadness in her voice either. I use my hold on her to force her to look up at me again.
“You don’t know me, Jo. You don’t know what I want. Don’t assume you do.”
“I know that you and I don’t mesh. You’re a fighter, living for the thrill of victory. You can have any woman you want on your arm and more than one at a time if you ask for it. Don’t deny that, Cooper, because that’s how fighters are. I’ve been around enough of them to know how it works.”
“You think you know me, but it’s clear you don’t, Jo,” I respond, my voice tight. She’s bringing up shit that she thinks has happened. She’s lumping me in with every other asshole she’s met.
“I’m the same today as I was in the past, Cooper. I like helping my uncle. I prefer being home on a Friday night curled up by the fire, reading a book instead of going out. I like cooking a meal at home instead of eating at the newest five-star restaurant.”
“Jo—”
“There’s nothing wrong with your lifestyle, Cooper. It’s just not for me. None of this,” she says, waving her hand around to take in the restaurant behind us. “None of this makes me happy. I want a husband who loves me, who sleeps beside me every night. I want a home… a family. I want babies.”
“Maybe that will be what I want eventually,” I tell her, hedging my bets.
I’ve never thought of getting married, never planned on it at all, and having kids has definitely not been on my radar. That’s not to say it couldn’t be. If Jo was involved? It could be a definite possibility.
“But I want that now. I want a man who feels like I do, who is at the same point in life. I’m young, but I want to enjoy my kids, I don’t want to wait to have them. I warned you before and you didn’t get it. I’m not your type, Cooper, and you? You can’t be mine,” she whispers. Then she opens her car door, sliding inside.
She’d slam her door shut, but my hold on it prevents her from doing that. I lean down to look at her and I know my expression is intense. There’s a lot I want to say, but she gave me a lot to think about and I can see this conversation has upset her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jo,” I tell her. I need her to know that, because this isn’t over.
“I’m not working at the gym tomorrow,” she responds.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening at your house.”
“I… You don’t know where I live.”
“I do. I’m bringing dinner. Don’t cook.”
“How do you know where I live?” she gasps.
I lean down and take her lips quickly. I wasn’t going to. I planned to have her want my mouth until the next time we were together, but I find that I need the memory of her kiss to keep me going until tomorrow evening. Still, it’s brief, and I barely explore her mouth. It gives me a taste, but I know if I kissed her like I wanted, I wouldn’t let her go home tonight.
“Tomorrow night,” I tell her, pulling away and closing her door.
I turn to walk away and I barely take two steps when she’s rolled her window down and calls out to me.
