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He let out an awkward little laugh and sat back, his hold loosening on my hand. “Let me guess. Next, you’re going to say it was fun, but we should go slow.” He jerked a shoulder. “I’m okay with that. You can call the shots on how fast we go. Or if we go at all.”
I shook my head and reaffirmed the link of our hands. Already, I wasn’t sure how I’d go through my day without his strong fingers holding mine. “No, God, no, you think I’m trying to brush you off?”
He shrugged again, saying nothing.
“Were you not there last night when I was screaming?”
“Veronica.” His flush was the absolute best. “You weren’t screaming.” He cleared his throat. “Exactly.”
“Bub, I know when I’m screaming, and trust me, I’m still hoarse today. You’ll believe it when I stick my face in this water pitcher here.”
He didn’t respond, just detangled our hands long enough to refill my glass from the pitcher. Making me smile all over again.
“No need for that. Water is free.”
I gulped it down before fumbling for his hand again. Pathetic, Dixon. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“What?”
“How we met, what happened last night, it was all so wonderful, but God, we haven’t even gone on a date. I’ve never done—all that before a date before. Hell, even before we ate dinner.”
“Me either.” He stared down at our joined hands before looking up at me again. “I have to think with the weeks online, we were building up to it. We didn’t need all the usual rituals because we’d skipped some steps.”
“Yeah. That’s logical.”
What wasn’t logical was that I wanted every step with him. Every half step, every quarter step. I didn’t want to miss a single thing when it came to my Murphy.
And see, there was another problem. Screaming for a guy didn’t make him yours.
Even if both of your hearts—the emotional one and the horny as hell one—were saying oh, yes, it does.
Ivy returned with the coffeepot and some chatter about the kitchen being backed up because the senior club had come in early and were being extra demanding today, since Mr. Ferly’s dentures were giving him trouble and he’d returned two breakfasts so far. We commiserated with her and chuckled as we sipped our steaming mugs of coffee once she’d left.
“I’m sorry this isn’t going very fast.” Murphy glanced at his watch. That he even still wore one charmed me as much as so many other things about him. “I don’t want you to start work without a good breakfast. Maybe we should—”
“Don’t worry about it.” I waved off his concern. “Lulu is working the early shift today too and she’ll get some stuff started. I’m never late. Besides, once I tell Macy I got lucky last night, she’ll give me the morning off.”
Okay, probably not, but at least she’d be cool about an extra half hour since I always pre-baked enough for the coming apocalypse. None of our customers would starve, that was for sure.
Murphy coughed into his hand. “You have that kind of relationship?”
“Sure. Women gotta stick together, man. Any night that doesn’t end in a battery-operated party is a victory for all of us.”
He grinned and shook his head. “I mean, to talk about such personal things.”
“Oh, yeah. She’s probably the closest thing I have to a bestie. I have lots of friends, just not a ton of close ones.”
“Because you’re easy to be friends with. Everyone wants to get to know you.”
I tilted my head. “You think so?”
“Of course. You’re like Sage—”
I sort of growl-coughed into my fist and his brows li
fted. I set down my coffee and waved my other hand. “Wrong pipe. Carry on.”
Instead, he leaned forward, his expression intent. “Before Ivy comes back, I want you to know I’m still on-board.”
