Page 97 of Don't Bet On It
It shouldn’t have been possible to smile wider, and yet I did. “What do you think?” I asked in a soft voice.
“I want to know what you think.”
Of course she did. She wouldn’t be the first to admit she’d caught feelings. She didn’t have it in her. “I think that we might be doing more than fooling around.”
“You do?”
I laughed at her amazed expression and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Yes. It’s been months, Tallulah. I might havegone into this thinking that things between us were going to cool down, but that didn’t happen.”
“You still feel hot around me?”
“I feel hotter around you.” I paused a beat, debating, then exhaled heavily to center myself. “I don’t know where this is going. I want to find out, though. Honestly, what felt impossible when we started feels not only doable but like something I want to do.”
“I feel the same way.” She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. When she spoke again, it was in a soft voice. “I just don’t know if I’ll be any good at this. I’ve never had a real relationship that’s lasted.”
“Well, maybe we’ll figure that out together. I mean, we have the same interests. When I picture my gallery down the line, you’re there, right next to me.”
“I am?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Even if, for some reason, this doesn’t work out as a relationship, I would still want to be your friend.”
“And you would want me to do the gallery with you?”
“And the various studios.”
“But … it’s your dream.”
How could I tell her that my dream had expanded since getting involved with her? It was the same dream, only better because she was part of it. “It could be our dream” was what I came up with.
“Wow.”
I waited for her to say something else. When she didn’t, I smiled crookedly. “Is that all you’re going to say? Wow?”
“That’s all I can say right now. It’s all just … wow.”
I pulled her to me, marveling at the way she fit against my body. It was as if she was always meant to be there. Nobody else had fit me this way before.
“We don’t have to make any big decisions right now,” I whispered into her hair. “We can take it one day at a time.”
She buried her face in my chest and held tight, which was all I needed at this moment. She didn’t even have to say she wanted to try. I could feel it when I held her.
“Um, sorry to interrupt.” A gruff throat-clearing sound invaded the moment, and I looked up to see the delivery guy watching us with wary eyes. It was almost as if he expected us to strip naked and do it right there on the floor.
“Yeah?” I asked, confused.
“I need a signature … and then to get out of here before you guys christen that pottery wheel in a way I didn’t see coming.”
I had to bite back a laugh. Reluctant as I was to release Tallulah, it was for the best. “Absolutely.” I let her go and took the tablet from him. “The product is fantastic. Thank you for dropping it off.”
“No problem.” The guy grinned. “I think you’re going to have fun with it.” His eyes darted to Tallulah.
“Oh, I know I’m going to have fun with it.”Maybe for the rest of my life.
TALLULAH WANTED TO JUMP IN WITHboth feet and start working with clay. I had no supplies, however, so I suggested dinner and a shopping trip. Pottery making could wait until the next day. We both had shifts to work yet tonight.
She was disgruntled—I didn’t blame her—but she agreed, as long as she got to select the restaurant. We ended up at Netflix Bites, a restaurant located in the MGM Grand that had been on my list to take her to eventually.
“Oooh.” Tallulah shimmied on her chair, seemingly in a good mood despite having her pottery dreams delayed. My ego wanted it to be because she was more relaxed about us admittingthat maybe this wasn’t a temporary thing, but I couldn’t get ahead of myself.
