Page 53 of Falling for Red
“Before Gabby, I had a couple of one-night stands when he was on dates with his girlfriends or whatever. When I was a mom, I never did. Though I did have this flirty thing going with the barista in my building.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Did you ever get his number?”
“No. Even though my ex had a girlfriend at the time, I knew he’d feel all sorts of ways if he saw another man texting me. He was more of a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ kind of guy.”
“You’re not meaning it like how it means in the military, right?”
“No. He’s straight.” She shakes her head, pausing. “I need to stop using that phrase.”
I nod, agreeing. Glancing at her, searching her face, I refocus the conversation. “What can I do to make you feel less scared … about us?”
“I think I just need time.” She sighs, setting her glass down. “You’re annoyingly perfect.”
“I’m not perfect.” I can be rigid. I shut down sometimes and am overprotective.
“I’ve been looking for the flaws ...”
“Well, you don’t want to do a home project with me, like assembling furniture. I can be intense to work with in that way.”
“I wouldn’t read the instructions anyway.”
I laugh, looking at her empty plate. “Can I hug you now?”
“Yes.”
The moment she steps into my arms, I wrap her up, holding her tight. And I know I’ll never stop wanting to hold her like this. And I want to keep showing her there is nothing to be scared of with me.
I don’t know when we fell asleep, but I know being wrapped up on the couch together is my new favorite hobby. I carried her into bed, and she didn’t even stir. Looking at the clock, it’s seven in the morning now.
It’s probably creepy that I’ve been staring at her for the last hour, thinking about how much I like her. Considering what our relationship could be.
“Morning,” I softly say. She hums like she’s not ready to get up for the day. “How do you take your coffee?”
“No latte?” she smiles, her eyes still closed.
“I don’t want to leave the house just yet.” I pull her into me, nuzzling into her. Last night our bond grew even more. Dinner, conversation, more episodes of the stupid dating show, and endless cuddling.
She rolls to her side, propping her head in her hand. “I don’t want to get out of bed.”
“We have eight hours left of vacation.”
She smirks, then her fingers slip into the waistband of my sweatpants. “Am I ending this vacation without seeing your dick?”
I bite my lip, considering if I should tell her about the gift I got her yesterday. Something I picked up before the grocery store. I roll to face her. “You’ve done so well with all your missions. Would you like another one?”
“If it involves your dick.”
“If you complete the mission, it does.”
She licks her lips. “What’s the mission?”
“The thing about missions is … you don’t always know what you’re getting into.”
Claire glares. “Can I have a hint?”
“It involves a toy.”
Her head tilts. “A butt plug?”
