Page 58 of Bargain with the Bachelor
She giggled, sounding shaken and a little nervous. Her hands exerted more pressure, and I managed to take a half-step back, though everything in me objected.
“Well, you know, I don’t sleep with someone on a first date—and definitely notbeforethe first date,” she said.
“Right. Of course.” I breathed like I’d just finished a five-mile sprint, struggling to rein in my charging desire for her.
“Kristal?”
“Yeah?” she answered, still sounding breathless herself.
“Would you like to go out with me?”
She laughed and slapped at my chest. “You’re bad.”
Grinning I said, “I’m serious. I do want to take you out. Tomorrow night if you’re not working then.”
“What about the pact?”
The phone in my pocket rang, and I pulled it out, silencing the device before slipping it into my back pocket again.
It was my brother Jack. If it was important, he’d leave me a message. In any case, I’d get back to him later.
There was no conversation in the world more important than this one. After years of longing, I was on the verge of getting what I’d always wanted.
“I’ll talk to the guys,” I said with a shrug. “We’ll work it out. They’ll just have to understand. I mean, they won’tlikeit… they all have crushes on you—”
“Really?” Kristal interrupted, sounding incredulous. “Is that really true?”
I nodded. “Pretty much. Everyone except for Reid. But I have dibs. I saw you first.”
Her head tipped to the side. “At the charity ball?”
“In seventh grade. Mr. Allen’s language arts class. Third row, second desk, red dress. You should wear red more often, by the way. It looks amazing on you.”
A pretty blush spread across her face, followed by a smile. “Yes.”
“Yes what? You’ll wear more red?”
“Yes, I’ll go out with you. Tomorrow night. It’s a date.”
I couldn’t help myself—I did a fist pump. “Finally. It only took, what, seventeen years?”
She laughed. “Yeah, but who’s counting?”
I was.
Kissing her lips softly once more, I left the room, already planning for tomorrow night.
I wasn’t quite sure what our first date would look like yet, but I did know one thing.
Whatever it took, I’d make it worth the wait.
Chapter Seventeen
Out to Dinner
Kristal
I was still tingling when I woke the next morning, smiling dreamily in the bathroom vanity mirror as I applied my makeup and got ready for work.
