Page 30 of The Rules

She definitely did. When he’d shown up at her door in a white dress shirt and grey trousers, his jaw covered in dark, evening stubble, she’d thought that she’d picked quite perfectly.

Tomorrow night was her first official date with match number one. Christian, a lawyer from a prestigious firm in Dupont Circle. They’d matched at ninety-two percent and had both clicked “yes” to accept each other as one of the magic eight. It felt like a huge step, but for some reason, it wasthisthat had her stomach in knots: Dylan in her condo for the first time for pre-date number one. She found her palms were damp, and a tiny butterfly had taken up residence in her belly since she’d left the office.

Chill, Dani. You’ve done this before.

She swung her leg over Dylan’s lap, straddling him, and watched as his stomach muscles tightened under his shirt. She needed to get back a little control, remind herself what her goal was, and why Dylan was here. The way his lip curled up told her she was headed in the right direction. “Should we set some ground rules?” she asked, flattening her palm on his chest.

“You mean like safe words?”

“Um. No.” Her confidence shifted again. She wasn’t sure if he was kidding, but she let that drop. “I mean like no sleeping over.”

“Okay.”

“No cuddling afterward.”

Dylan laughed from his belly, then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him while she squirmed. “Veto. I like cuddling.”

“Dylan,” she said, pushing off of his chest. “The point is to keep a nice clear line. We already spend a lot of time together. It could get confusing.”

“Are you worried about me or yourself? Because you’re not the only one who has a date tomorrow night.”

A flash of his hand on Mia’s ass at the restaurant a few weeks ago played in her mind leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Uh uh.” Dylan wagged a finger, then pressed it to her lip. “Rule number three: no jealousy.”

“Jealous?” She laughed but it came out a little too high-pitched. “That’s ridiculous. But, since we’re on the subject, no sleeping with other people while we’re doing this.”

“Woah.” Dylan released his grip on her thighs like they’d turned to molten lava. “You’re the one who’s beholden to your boot camp rules. I’m not out here looking for a soulmate.”

“Stop saying it like that.”

“That’s the name of the app.”

She groaned. He was exhausting. “Dylan, be honest, are you in the habit of getting laid at the frequency I’m proposing?”

His jaw twitched as he sucked on his tongue. “That’s an awfully personal question.”

“I’m offering you a sure thing. Consistent sex for months. You want to give that up for the work it takes topossiblysleep with someone else?”

Dylan huffed a breath and scratched at his brow. “So we do this until you find the love of your life?”

“Eight dates. A few months. Or maybe you meet someone special—”

He cut her off with a throaty laugh.

“Stranger things have happened. If you do, we call it off. But until then, this is it.”

Dylan’s lips flattened into a pensive line. She tried not to fidget while she waited for him to decide the fate of her entire plan.

“Okay, Dani-pie,” he said finally. He tapped her butt, then squeezed. “No sex with anyone else. Now let’s stop the chit chat and get down to business.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t move.

“What?” Blood rushed to her cheeks. He was still looking at her, half-amused. This was supposed to be easy, why did she feel like a virgin on prom night?

“Do you need me to seduce you, Dani? Cause I thought it was pretty clear why I was here.”

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