“I won’t let you down,” he says, like the fears in my heart have spoken out loud.
He repeats that again once we’re back on dry land as he drives me to my apartment.
“You’re quiet.What’s on your mind?”
“I’m holding part of myself in reserve and I wonder how is that fair to you?”
“You’re worried about me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a big boy.As evidenced on the yacht.”He grins.
I love seeing Locke’s playful side.
“Yes, you are, but what does that have to do with me not wanting to hurt you?”
“You’re not responsible for my feelings.You don’t owe me anything whether you want to be with me or not.”
“I thought you’d be pushy or demanding.”
“Ah…the Montclair rumor mill strikes again.So we’re clear, manipulation, mind games or demands in relationships, none of that appeals to me.Unless you demand I take you to bed.”
I laugh.
“Seriously,” he says.“That kind of shit is for self-centered assholes.A man who has to play mind games and manipulate and all that, he does it because he’s not worthy of the woman and he knows it.”
“You’re very wise,” I say.
“And good in bed.”
I laugh again and lean over to brush a kiss across his lips.“I’ll see you at the office on Monday.”
“Call me if you need me this weekend,” he says.
“It’s just laundry,” I say, stepping out.
“I’ve heard the spin of a washing machine can hit the sweet spot,” he says.
“Mmm…we’ll have to try that at your place,” I say.
“I use a laundry service.”
I raise my eyebrows.“Too bad.I think it would have been fun to try.Nothing ventured, nothing orgasming, right?”I close the door and start to walk away.
He lowers the window and leans across the seat, calling after me, “I’ll have a machine delivered today.”
I wave my hand without turning around.
When I let myself into the apartment, Jacklyn turns from where she’d been peeking through the blinds.“You spent the night with him?”
I head to the kitchen and grab a bottled water.“I did.”And I don’t regret a second of it.
She pats the sofa cushion beside her.“Let me live vicariously through your sex life.Mine is on the shelf.At this rate, I’m going to develop cobwebs in my girlie house.”
“I thought you started dating the guy at the coffee shop.”I sit and prop my feet on the coffee table.
She rolls her eyes.“The only thing he knew how to do that was hot was brew coffee.He wanted to have a discussion on sports and how this one baseball player knew how to hit a homerun every time he got up to bat.”
