Page 25 of Unofficial

"No pressure. It just felt like we were doing more than just kissing out here on your porch."

"I do, but I don't," she admits. "My body's going to hate me for it, but I need more time before I let you inside. Anyone inside, not just you specifically. Not that I'm seeing anyone else. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

He just smiles and nods his head. "You are. Are you nervous?"

Yes, but not for the reason you probably think. "I guess."

"Just because I come inside... your house... doesn’t mean anything will happen. I feel like I ruined our date, and I want to make up for the lost time."

"You didn't ruin the date," she says and holds her free hand to her cheek. "But if I let you inside, with how I feel right now, something will definitely happen."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

As her eyes glance down, she notices the bulge in his jeans and knows he wants more to happen as well. She groans and leans against the house. "Yes, it would."

"Why?"

Her hand drops from her face and lets out a big sigh. "Because I don't want to regret it."

"You think it'll be that bad? I know it's been a while since my last relationship, but I can assure you, I have never gotten complaints."

Jess laughs. "No, I don't think the sex would be bad. I have a feeling it would be pretty damn great if your kisses are any indication, but I don't want to regret going too fast. Not after what I went through last time."

"Oh," he says and drops her hand. "I see."

"It's nothing personal, Landry. I just... I went off of my feelings, not my head, last time, and I opened up my heart too early. And my legs. They kind of went hand in hand, and it was really great until it suddenly wasn't. I may not have spent four years with him like you did with Amber, but it was a huge slap in the face to know I was planning a future with someone who saw me as nothing more than a longer-term fling. And, as much as I don't want to admit it, I think my heart’s still a little bruised and gun-shy."

His face locks with hers. "What are we talking about here, Jess? Six months to a year?"

Fear washes over her, and her anxiety kicks up another few notches. This is what she was nervous about. Her feelings for Landry have been all over the place, but in this moment, she worries she might scare him off. "Do you have a specific timeframe you're hoping for?"

"I like you. And I think my attraction to you is more than obvious, but more than that, I like being around you. There's something endearing about the fact you don't seem to shy away from calling me out, and you've forced me to face something in five dates I've avoided for two years. But I also don't know that I'm willing to pay for someone else's mistakes."

"It's not a punishment. And I'm sorry if you feel like it is-"

"How long, Jess?"

"Sixty days."

His eyebrows raise, and she also has no idea where that number came from. It just kind of came out.

"Sixty days?"

"If you can't wait that long, I get it."

"No, I can wait that long. It was better than I was expecting."

"Really?"

His lips find hers again. "I told you, I like you. If you need me to wait sixty days to help you feel comfortable that I'm not looking for just a longer-term fling, I'm more than happy to put in the work."

Her heart flutters as he kisses her again and jumps off the porch. "You're running away?"

"Baby, if I don't put a little distance between us right now, I might explode. I think you're in the same boat I am, and I don't want you to backtrack on your conviction because of a sexual need. I mean, yeah, of course I do, but I don't want to be a regret you have."

Jess watches him wink before he climbs into his vehicle and drives away. Sixty days. Why the hell does she want to put herself through this kind of torture?

Chapter Ten

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