Page 63 of Four Dates and A Forever
“You said five,” he teased, but she didn’t smile.
“This isn’t a guideline or a rule. It’s a dealmaker or breaker, there’s no in the middle,” she said. “I can’t handle lies or empty promises of any kind. This is about more than honesty, it’s about keeping my heart safe. If you don’t feel it, don’t say it. If you can’t deliver, then don’t bring it up. Trust is hard for me, like really hard, but I’m willing to give this a try if you are.”
His eyes searched hers for a long moment but said nothing. When he finally spoke, she could hear the gravity in his voice. “I will never lie to you or disappoint you. I’ve been on the losing side, too, and I know how bad it can hurt. How it can make you question your own judgment. Your trust is safe with me.”
“And yours is safe with me,” she said. A sense of intimacy fell over them and the world fell away. The past heartache and disappointment vanished, and Elsie allowed her walls to lower and her heart to open. “How about you? Any rules?”
“Just one. As long as we’re together, you’re mine. No more first dates. No Walking Dead, no Mr.Lofty, no one else.”
She didn’t know how she felt about the possessiveness of being someone’s “mine,” but when he said it, it sounded more like a vulnerable admission than someone staking claim. It was the uncertainty in his eyes, she decided. An uncertainty that reached out to her and pulled her in—all the way in.
“And what about you? Are you just mine?”
“I’ve been yours since that morning in the bathroom.”
She blinked. “So you haven’t been with anyone—”
He shook his head. “Since the bathroom,” he repeated, and her heart slammed against her chest. She wasn’t sure what that meant but her belly fluttered like a thousand butterflies took flight.
“Just you and me,” she said, and his smile went wicked.
“Then, grab on to me, Red, because this is going to be one hell of a ride,” he said, resting his hands above her and nudging her up against the wall.
Chapter Fifteen
Dating Tips from Elsie Dodd
Don’t forget your pleasure passport.
There are so many places to explore.
The ride hadn’t even begun, and Elsie was already wet. From her head to her toes and all the spots in-between.
“I just painted this wall,” she said as he peppered kisses down her throat.
“My bad.” With a mischievous look, he took his hands off the wall and placed them on her backside. His paint-covered palms cupped each cheek and gave a squeeze, leaving two Rhett-sized prints on her ass.
She squeaked. “These are my favorite jeans.”
He gave another squeeze. “Now they’re mine.”
“This is my favorite shirt of yours.” He looked down and frowned when he realized he was wearing a faded U of O shirt. “It reminds me of that first night we met.”
“Had I known, I would have worn it the first day in the shower.” His hands went to her waist, and he popped the button of her jeans.
She looked around. Yes, the ground was covered with tarps, but everything else was bare. “We’re going to get everything all dirty.”
“We can’t have that.” With just his thumb and forefinger, he expertly pulled down her zipper, leaving behind not a single trace of paint.
“What happened to being a date first kind of guy?”
“There’s bubbly in the fridge. I brought home takeout. Close enough for me. Now, about how dirty you are.” He tugged at the waist and slid her jeans efficiently down her legs and she stepped out of them. Next went her hoodie, which he unzipped—with his teeth—exposing a sliver on bare skin as he went. Her body trembled with anticipation.
He languorously kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone, the valley between her breasts, stopping short at the red lace of her bra. With an appreciative groan he nosed the zip-up sweatshirt to the side, producing one beaded breast, then the other as the hoodie slid down her arms.
“Where to begin?”
He nuzzled one breast before paying equal attention to the other, going side to side, his mouth hovering over each nipple, over the soft cotton of her shirt, never once coming into contact. In fact, besides his breath, he wasn’t touching her at all. His paint-covered hands hung at his sides, his body a scant inch from brushing hers, his mouth taunting.
