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“That does sound good. For our second date,” I say and push my stubborn-ass through the pain to cross the finish line before her.
∞∞∞
“I can’t believe you,” Riley says as I walk her to the entrance of her apartment building.
My knee is swollen with molten lava. Riley hasn’t figured it out yet, but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up this rouse.
“This old body still has a few miles left on it.”
She laughs. “You’re forty-two not a hundred and two. I think you have more than a few miles left.”
She might not say that if she could feel the way my knee cap is trying to tear its way out of my skin.
“This is me.” She stops outside her building. “It’s not too late. I could still bake you those banana nut muffins.”
My heart screams at me to say yes but my brain begs me to get home and ice my injury.
“I’d love to but I should probably get back and check on the shop. My store manager is going to be pissed at me for taking a six-hour lunch.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t realize you had to get back. You should have said. It would have been a great excuse to get out of going on that stupid hike.”
It’s sweet how protective of me she’s been all day. If I was a smart man, I would have let her. But I had to be stupid and let my ego take over. And for what? To miss out on a nice day and now, a nice night with the most amazing woman.
Taking her hand, I pull her to me.
She resists. “I stink.”
“So do I.” With my arms around her, I lean down and kiss her. Forgetting her previous concern about her hygiene, she presses up on her toes, deepening the kiss as she parts her lips and lets me in.
“Come inside,” she pleads when our lips break for a breath.
Fuck me. If I wasn’t so concerned about it ending with me in an ambulance, I would. Fuck, I want to so badly. But there’s no way. My knee needs ice and rest. And the things I want to do to her are far from restful.
“Add it to the list for date number two.”
If she’s upset, she doesn’t show it.
Riley reaches up kissing me again before saying goodbye and disappearing into the apartment lobby.
And I go home to lick my wounds and figure out how I’m going to avoid doing more events like this in the future without losing Riley like I lost my wife.
