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I got out and went to her side to open it for her, offering a helping hand again. Then I walked her to the door.
She turned with her keys in her hand and reminded me, “Saturday at seven.”
“I’ll be here.”
Leaning in, I brushed my lips against hers. I wanted more but kept it brief because she had told me slow was good. But when I started to pull back, her hands caught my shoulders and held me there.
My palm slid to the small of her back, and I dipped my head again to capture her mouth in a deep kiss. She gasped, and my tongue swept in to tangle with hers. This time when I let go, we were both breathless.
Her eyes were bright. “Text me when you get home.”
“I will.”
I waited until she was safely inside, then walked back to my car with the taste of her still on my lips. Only two dates in, and I already knew this thing between us could quickly become serious. And that only made me look forward to Saturday even more.
12
CELIA
On Saturday evening, Megan let herself in while I was finishing the tiramisu. “It smells like you’re trying to impress a man.”
“Just feeding one.” I smoothed the top and did not look at her. “There’s a difference.”
“Sure.” She dropped her bag and came around the counter. “What do you need?”
I nodded at the salad. “You can pull the vinaigrette out of the fridge so it’ll be room temperature if you want to be useful.”
“That saved you ten seconds,” she grumbled as she set the Mason jar on the counter.
“You know how I am when I’m cooking.”
“True,” she conceded with a smile. “So I’ll go find other ways to be useful.”
She grabbed some cleaning supplies and got out of my way. I’d already picked up, so the place wasn’t messy, but my best friend cleaned as a stress reliever, so I didn’t complain. Until she came downstairs with a smug look she didn’t bother to hide.
“What did you do?”
“Changed your sheets.” She picked up the throw blanket, folded it, and then smoothed the material over the back of the couch. “Just in case.”
My cheeks heated. “I am not having sex tonight.”
“I didn’t say you were.” She found the wine I planned on serving and uncorked the bottle so it could breathe. “But you’re allowed to want more than dinner. Fresh sheets just mean the option is open so you can see where the night goes.”
“Megan.”
“You’re already falling for him.” The teasing tone disappeared. “I can tell from how you talk about him.”
I opened my mouth and closed it because arguing was pointless when she was right.
“That’s what I thought.” She gave me a quick hug. “I’m so proud of you for putting yourself out there again.”
“He’s going to be here at seven,” I muttered, feeling a little misty-eyed. “And I still need to get changed.”
She bumped my shoulder as she passed me. “That’s why I’m here to help. But I promise I’ll be gone before he knocks.”
Inviting Megan over before Julian got here turned out to be the right decision, even if my thoughts kept drifting to the clean sheets now on my bed, thanks to her. When he knocked on the door five minutes early, my home was cleaner than it had been since I moved in, my hair and makeup were done, and the food was almost ready to serve.
“Welcome.”
