“Famous huh? I guess I could be persuaded.”
“Pay is having a sleepover with Aria tonight,” I said as he stalked toward me the short distance.
His eyebrows popped. “That’s nice.”
“It is,” I agreed, pretending as if my heart wasn’t trying to gallop out of my chest. “Now, I’m not ready for any sleepovers of my own, but I think a dinner with a friend, maybe a movie on a comfy couch after… that sort of thing might sound nice.”
Crew tilted his head as he tried to read me. “A friend?”
I shrugged casually, while feeling anything but casual. “I mean, you got to start from somewhere.”
I reached to take his hand, tangling our fingers together.
He smiled, and suddenly I knew I’d made the right decision. He was breathtaking when he looked this hopeful and happy.
“How about this: I go shower and then show up at your place for dinner. I think your couch is about ten times comfier than mine.”
I laughed. “It’s a very nice couch.” I squeezed his fingers and then let go. “Come on.”
I had no expectations, but I knew I would need to have a frank conversation with him about the extent—or lack of—my experience with men. I’d heard enough talk around the ranch that I knew he’d had some relationships before.
That meant that unless I’d read him terribly wrong, I’d be in safe hands. But he couldn’t make informed decisions without the knowledge.
That was what, about thirty minutes later, led us into a situation where I’d just opened the door for him and he’d padded inside in his socked feet after seeing my boots on the porch.
He inhaled the scent of the stew we were about to eat. I’d set my tiny kitchen table. It looked very nice, almost date-like.
“It smells amazing in—”
“I’m pretty much a virgin when it comes to guys,” I blurted out.
Chapter 16
Crew
It took me a solid sixty seconds to process exactly what Mal just said. When it did, two thoughts chased each other through my brain. The first I knew better than to say out loud, but fuck did the fact that he hadn’t had a lot of experience with other men make me happy. There was a part of me that was possessive and I loved that I’d be his first in a lot of ways.
I stepped closer and when Mal didn’t back away, I took a chance and cupped his face in my hands. He let out a breath and practically leaned into my hold. I couldn’t help the smile.
I said the second thing. “Oh, baby. You don’t even need to worry about that.”
Mal scoffed. “It's too early for pet names.”
“Fair enough,” I murmured, taking hope that he’d be open to them in the future. I was a fan of using them. “But really. Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk about everything and only take thingsas far as you’re comfortable. I said it the other day, and I’ll say it again. ‘No’ is a complete sentence.”
“I want…things. Just…maybe not yet.” Mal lowered his gaze and his face flushed. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was embarrassed or because he just wasn’t used to talking about sex. Maybe a bit of both. Either way, it was endearing in its way and I wondered just how far down that flush went.
“Good. We’ll get to all that. But tonight?” I slid my thumb along his jaw and with the barest pressure, tilted his head up so I could see those pretty eyes. “Tonight is just a first date. Getting to know each other more. Better. Maybe end the night with some making out before we part ways.”
I heard the swallow. Watched as his pupils dilated.
“How about we start with a redo of our first kiss?”
Mal blinked. “What?”
I pushed in closer. Just a little more and I could slip a thigh between his. But I thought that was too bold for the moment. Instead, I gave him a slow smile. “Yep. A redo. The way I see it, that first kiss was all anger and pent-up emotions. Don’t get it twisted. I will take those kinds of kisses any day. But I want a Mulligan. How about something a little more intentional?”
Mal’s gaze dropped to my lips as he licked his own. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to look into both of mine at the same time. Then he let out a breath and said, “Yes.”
