Page 63 of The Good Guy on My Porch

In one swift move he stood and laced his fingers through mine, leading me to the couch. He cupped my cheek with his free hand. “I want to know everything there is to know about you, even the baggage, even the tedious stuff.”

I stared at his handsome face and his sympathetic eyes and hope flared in me. He wasn’t pushing me away like so many had before, he wasn’t complaining or asking me to deal with my mother on my own time. I squashed the hope as quickly as it appeared. There was no hope for us and I should probably walk out now, before things got any more intense, but I’d denied myself so much of what I wanted for so long, I couldn’t walk away from this. It would hurt when it ended, but I was certain Oscar would be the one to end it, that he wouldn’t be the one hurt. My mother was easy to deal with on day one, it was the constant, day-in day-out needs that drove a person insane. I put the phone to my ear and listened to it ring.

She answered right away, her voice breathless, panicked. “You’re late. Is everything okay?”

I reassured my mother while he listened. I lied to my mother and he didn’t flinch. I went through our nightly routine of reassurances, yes, the stove was off, yes, the door was locked, yes, the fire alarms were up to date, on and on and Oscar just listened without looking impatient or shocked. In fact, his expression was blank and still, impossible to decipher, and it made me nervous. I hung up with my mother and dropped the phone on the coffee table.

I climbed back onto his lap and dropped my lips to his, hoping to get back to what we’d been doing, but he didn’t kiss me back. My heart sank. Shit, my mother was too much for him after all. I leaned back and tried to climb off him, but again he had me locked tight in his arms. “I get it,” I said. “She’s a lot—”

He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me, but he pulled away far too soon. “I want to do this right,” he said. “I want to take you on a date, wine and dine you.”

“But you’ve already taken me on some of the best dates I’ve ever had.” I tried to push against the brace of his arms to kiss him again.

He grinned, but held me back. “They don’t count, because I thought you were with someone else. I want to take you out when I know you’re with me.”

“Okay, but I don’t know how you’re going to beat that stargazing.”

His grin widened. “How about getting naked under the stars?”

That image, something I’d wished for as I’d laid next to him under the stars, somehow made me want him more. I tried to kiss him again, sure his will would break if I could just get my lips on his, but he continued to hold me back. “We’ll go out tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Actually,” I said, tapping a finger against my lips. “It’s my turn.”

His grin faded. “What?”

“Yep, it’s definitely my turn to take you to do something you’ve never done before.” I wracked my brain, trying to think of the perfect first official date, but the truth was that there were probably a million more things he’d done than I had. Then it hit me, in all its cheesy, cliched glory. “Karaoke. You ever done it before?”

“Define karaoke,” he said, speaking slowly and carefully. “Because if singing in the shower counts…”

“Berap,” I buzzed my lips together. “It does not count.” I hopped off his lap, his arms now loose, and clapped my hands. “This is going to be so much fun.”

“Why do I feel like you’re enjoying my pain?”

“Because you denied me, Oscar, and you will pay for that.”

He tried to frown but a smile broke through. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here. Don’t I get credit for that?”

“Nope.” I sauntered to the door. “Not a single credit. A gentleman does not deny a lady.”

I was reaching for the doorknob when his arms landed around my waist and he pulled me back to the couch.

“What are you doing?” I shrieked.

“Being a true gentleman.” He put me back on his lap, pulled his shirt over his head and kissed me like he was starving for me, even after all our earlier kisses. I ran my hands over the warm muscles of his back. I loved the feel of him. I bucked my hips a bit, rubbing myself against his hardness. He groaned and dropped his hands to the hem of my shirt, sliding his hands over me in a way that had sparks flying from his touch straight to all my pleasure centers.

I broke our kiss and leaned back. “Just to be sure. This being a gentleman thing means you aren’t going to stop this time?”

“Not unless you ask me to,” he said, his voice raspy, his expression pure desire. “I’ll never be accused of denying you anything you want, anything that brings you pleasure.”

“I think I could get used to that.” I pulled my shirt over my head, unsnapped my bra and tossed it on the floor.

His heated gaze dropped to my breasts. “So, fucking perfect,” he said, his voice a deep growl. Then he dropped his head and sucked one nipple into his mouth. Pleasure shot through me like a bolt of lightning and I moaned.

He took his time, thoroughly loving each breast until I thought I’d go insane with need. “Please, Oscar.”

He looked up and grinned. “I love the look on your face right now.”

“It gets better if you stop teasing me.”

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