"We should probably order pizza."
I laughed, the sound breaking free from somewhere deep in my chest. "Yeah. Probably." But I'd lost my appetite for anything but Dawson.
"For the record?" He pulled back just enough to look at me. "Best first date I've ever had."
"Even with the kitchen fire?"
"Absolutely."
We ate our pizza sitting on his couch, close enough that our shoulders touched. And when he kissed me again, tasting like pepperoni, I thought maybe Carys had been right all along. Perhaps I was ready for this.
"What now?" I asked as we finished eating and I popped some gum in my mouth.
The silence that followed had me jumping up, wanting to do something to avoid having to say what I really wanted to do.
"I should clean up this mess, first." I grabbed the plates and rinsed them and put the pizza in the trash. Not knowing what else to do, I resumed my seat, hoping Dawson would say something.
But I could make the first move.
NINE
DAWSON
"What now?" Parker asked as he tugged at his ear. But as soon as he spoke, he got up and took care of the dishes and the garbage.
"We can clean up in the morning."
I knew exactly what I wanted but I'd made so many mistakes up until now, I didn't want to assume. "We could watch TV, read or head to bed early."
He jumped in. "I choose the last option."
I traced over the lifeline on his palm. "We have options. Option one would be we sleep in our separate beds or?—"
"I'm not tired, are you?" His long eyelashes fluttered.
"Not in the least."
Without saying anything, we both stood and I took his hand and led him toward my room. We paused and I thought he'd changed his mind. I was certain I stopped breathing in those seconds where neither of us said anything, but he gave me a shy smile and I led him inside.
I wanted this, more than anything, but I was so nervous I'd do the wrong thing, or I couldn't perform because I was so out of practice. Of course I'd dated but none of those relationships, if I could call them that, came close to being with my mate.
I'd already turned on a lamp so Parker didn't stumble into anything. I paused close to the bed, my hand still wrapped around his. There was a slight tremor in his fingers that mirrored the butterflies fluttering in my gut.
The lamp cast a soft golden glow over the room, highlighting the bed with crisp clean sheets. Nothing was out of place except a book placed at an awkward angle on the nightstand. To me, it was the most inviting spot in the world. It was my haven away from real life.
Parker looked up at me, his eyes wide and trusting, that omega vulnerability shining through even as he tried to play it cool.
"You okay?" I murmured as I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it.
He nodded, stepping closer until our chests almost touched. "More than okay."
That sent heat straight through me. I leaned down, claiming his lips in a slow kiss, the kind that started gentle but built like a wave. His mouth was soft and tasting faintly of the mint gum he'd been chewing after we'd finished our pizza.
I cupped his face with one hand, tilting his head back to deepen it, while my other arm snaked around his waist, pulling him flush against me. Parker melted into the embrace, a quiet sigh escaping him as his hands found their way under my shirt and his fingers splayed across my back.
Gods, his presence was intoxicating and I breathed in his scent, hardly able to contain the lust that bubbled inside me. It was almost as though he'd been made to fit right here in my arms. As an alpha, that protective instinct took over, but it wasn't about dominance. It was about cherishing him and making sure he knew how much he meant to me after my screw-ups.
We broke the kiss with both of us breathing a little heavier. Parker traced a finger along my jawline. "Dawson, I want this."
