Page 21 of Last First Love
But no, that goes against the entire spirit of Girl Club. I'm not about to be run out of my own home by a man who doesn't deserve to wield that sort of power over me. So that really only leaves me with one available option. And unfortunately, it's going to be a lot more work than a quiet night at home with a serial killer documentary. Although potentially less likely to end in a murder scene too.
With that comforting thought, I reach over and pull open my front door.
Ken Daniels startles, literally jumping off the ground at the sound. He turns to me and smiles sheepishly.
"Hey Lily. You weren't supposed to come out here yet."
I put my hand on my hip and jut it out to one side. Then I give him my very best K.T. death glare and say as mildly as possible, "You mean to my own front porch? How dare I."
He gulps. Guess the death glare lessons had gone better than I'd thought. Darcy and K.T. had mostly laughed about it earlier when I was practicing, but Ken seems to think I'm plenty scary.
I tap my foot as noisily as possible while I wait for him to come up with some sort of explanation for his fumbling presence on my porch. And then he moves closer, and around the side of him, I can see what he's been doing out here.
My porch now holds a little bistro set with a cheap tablecloth and a little votive candle. And two place settings. And a picnic basket on the porch right next to the picnic set.
He shuffles around a little bit. "Hang on. I'll light the candle." He pulls out one of those giant barbecue lighters and carefully watches until the wick ignites.
"What are you doing?" I ask, folding my arms and waiting for his explanation. And it better be a good one.
"I was hoping you'd join me for dinner." He flashes me a smile that lights up his entire face, and I can feel my heart racing at the sheer male perfection of him. I love that happy look on him. It suits him, but this is a different kind of feeling than the usual happiness he always exhibits. Except for that brief moment or two at the shoot when I swear he was looking at Thomas and Darcy with the same type of envy that I was feeling too.
"And why would I be having dinner on my front porch?" But I can't help it. I can already feel my lips quirking up into a smile. If this is his way of flirting, it's probably going to work.
He moves closer to me. Then his hand is on my hand, our fingers wrapped together in a perfect fit. I can feel heat blooming across my face again, and I tug to free my fingers from his but he doesn't let me go.
"Please Lily. I am so sorry about making a giant ass of myself earlier today. I promise you that it was unintentional, and I definitely did not mean to make you feel bad in any way, shape, or form." He pulls my hand until we're so close to each other that I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes.
"Okay. Apology accepted. But you really didn't have to go to all this trouble. A simple apology would have worked."
He moves closer to me, impossibly closer, until I can feel the warmth of his body. His proximity to me is making my pulse race. "There's nothing simple about what's happening with us, Lily. And you deserve more than simple. Especially from me."
My breath catches in my throat, and I lick my lips that have suddenly gone dry. My breathing kicks up again when I watch his eyes trace the movement of my tongue. His eyes sparkle in the remainder of the early evening light.
"Lily, is this okay?" His voice is rough and I have to wonder if he's maybe feeling a little bit nervous, exactly like I am.
I nod, then I say the first thing that comes to mind. "What did you make?"
He pauses, and then his eyes crinkle up into a smile. "You wanna sit down with me and find out?"
I eye him skeptically. "Here? On my front porch? Are we really doing this?" I shake my head, grateful for whatever good fortune has resulted in me still being dressed and wearing a bra when he showed up unannounced. Definitely not my regular routine, but everything about today has been crazy. Including the invitation to a porch picnic. "Who thinks up a porch picnic?"
He shrugs a little bit. "I do, I guess. Come sit down with me and find out what I've got for you."
I let him lead me to one of the two chairs at the bistro set. He holds my chair for me and then scooches it in to position me closer to the table. "Thank you," I manage to murmur, my face reddening again.
He sits across from me and clears his throat. He seems nervous, and somehow that makes this entire situation more comfortable for me. I'm almost always the most nervous person in the room, so knowing that he's feeling these jitters too instantly makes me relax.
"Soft or hard?" he asks, but I'm almost certain I misunderstood him because the words I heard don't make any sense. I mean, I'm definitely breathing hard. His entire fucking delicious body is hard. But even thinking about Daniels and the wordhardthis close together makes my face heat in painful splotches again.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
He coughs into his hand, stirring the little tiny candle flame. "Soft or hard, Lily?"
I'm sure I must look as confused as I feel. Is he talking about types of kisses? Sex? And why did I just have to think about sex while sitting across from the man who grew up into the walking, breathing version of every fantasy I’ve ever had?
"Daniels.” I finally manage to find my voice again. “What are you talking about? Soft or hard what?"
His mouth pops open in surprise at my sharp tone. Or maybe the lascivious undercurrent in my voice, because hello, I am definitely thinking about sex. And Daniels. And possibly maybe sex with Daniels.
