Page 32 of Hungry Hearts

MAIA:Am I a crazy woman?

Fuck. I hope she realizes I’m not talking about her.

ME:Do you drive me crazy? Hell, yeah. So crazy I can’t focus for more than ten minutes without thinking about you.

Christ. Did I really just send that? We’re nowhere near ready for this admission. I may not scare her away with my sex talk, but this will surely have her running for the hills. Ignoring the stupid filter advice from the guys, I go back to Ryder style.

ME:Thinking about those lips. How soft and sweet they are.

Perfect. She can interpret it as her mouth or her pussy. Depends which direction her mind is going. Sweet or dirty. I kinda hope for a little of both. Both are true. I think about kissing her way more than I’ve ever thought about kissing another woman.

I’m not opposed to tongue action, but when I’m with a woman, that’s not the kind of intimacy I crave. Making her happy, making me happy, having fun, then going on our way. Kissing prolongs a lot of that.

Which is why I love kissing Maia.

MAIA:I think about you too.

Her confession knocks me on my ass. Figuratively, since I’m already sitting down. Surprisingly, I don’t break out in hives or drop my phone like it’s burning my hand. Hell, I think I’m turning into a grown up who’s interested in a serious relationship.

Only took thirty-three years.

CHAPTER TEN

I SHOULDN’T BE NERVOUSabout meeting Ryder for lunch. We’ve already seen each other naked, done the awkward morning after bit—albeit unconventional—had an impromptu coffee date, and have texted each other for hours.

My nervousness doesn’t come from wondering if he’s interested in me. He’s made it plenty clear he is. My nerves are about moving forward and making changes in my life. I didn’t think the time would come where I’d be ready, and I never expected the man to get me there would be anything like Ryder.

We’re complete opposites, and I don’t believe in the opposites attract trope. You need to have common ground with a partner. Similar interests and goals. Lifestyles and habits.

The only thing similar between Ryder and me is our desire for one another. While lusting after someone isn’t new for him, it’s a whole new experience for me. When the T stops on Copley Square, I get off and send Ryder a text.

I no sooner hit send when a deep voice speaks over my shoulder. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

Without turning around, I pocket my phone and lift my shoulder. “Felt like slumming it.” Ryder chuckles behind me, and I spin around. “Have you been waiting long?”

He traces my bottom lip with his finger. “Too long.”

Standing on a crowded sidewalk is no place for my lust to take over. I swallow it down and apologize. “The T was delayed in Chestnut Hill.”

A deep line forms between his brow. “You took the T all the way from Newton?”

“I don’t like driving in the city. It’s much easier to hop on the subway.”

“If I knew you were going to have to be on the subway for an hour, I would have picked you up.”

“No need. I don’t mind. It gives me some time to myself and I catch up on reading.”

“I would have picked you up.”

Which was one of the reasons why I didn’t mention this to him. I need to keep him away from my home and my private life. If he knew the story of my life, the sparks between us would go out faster than it started.

“Where did you decide for lunch?” I hook my arm in his, ignoring his heated stare, and start walking down the sidewalk with him.

“I don’t usually eat this early, so I thought we’d do brunch.”

“Brunch is my favorite. But we don’t have to eat now. I’m fine walking around.”

“Come.” He guides me across the intersection, and we talk about the weather and our favorite television shows—I can never tire ofFriendsreruns and he watches true crime documentaries—as we walk for a few blocks.

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