Page 30 of The Last Date

I nodded. “One or two. Yes.”

“What brought this on?” he asked slowly.

My fingers fiddled at the bottom of my skirt nervously. “The last date I went on, we realized off the top that we weren’t right together. Having kids was one of the factors. So I just thou

ght, you know, maybe we should get that out of the way first.”

“This isn’t a date,” he said quickly. “This is a last-minute hangout.”

“Why don’t you want to call it a date?” I laughed.

Oakley brought his forehead to mine, gazing into my eyes too closely with an indescribable heat. “We’ll have a proper date someday,” he said softly. “Just one. You’ll understand then.”

As we curled up and watched an old movie about blues singers, I started to really relax. Sure, Oakley was odd, and seemed to love being unusual. But he was letting me in bit by bit.

He was obviously falling as hard for me as I was for him. Relaxing into his arms, I decided to just go with the flow and try to stop overthinking everything.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

* Oakley *

Spending so much time with Sasha snuggled against my shoulder was absolute heaven. Just before midnight, I noticed that her eyes were staying closed for much longer than a blink.

Turning off the TV, I gave her a tiny shake. “Let’s go to bed, baby.”

Instantly her eyes snapped open, bright with excitement.

Leading her up the stairs, I took her bag. “I always want to be as open with you as I possibly can. We are not having sex tonight. It’s too soon.”

I almost questioned my decision when I saw how disappointed she seemed.

“You know how much I want you,” I grinned as I dropped her bag on the dresser. Seeing her things in my space gave me a larger thrill than it should have. I couldn’t help my domestic tendencies. “I need our bodies to relax together. For us to bond physically. Does that make me sound crazy?”

“A little,” she grinned. She looked around my large master suite, nodding with approval at the understated blue and gray decor.

Pointing to the blank wall over the bed, I asked, “Will you paint me something for that spot?”

Her instant smile was so sweet that it made me want to take a photo of it, and put that on the wall instead.

“Really?” she asked. “Maybe, if I get painting again someday and anything good turns out.”

“You’ve studied art so much,” I said, slipping off my socks. “Just let yourself go for it. We’ll get you a little studio. Where you could have a glass of wine or great coffee, crank some of that strangely mellow music you like, and just play with the colors.”

“That sounds like a blast,” she said, digging in her bag and pulling out light pink satin pajamas.

“Zoning out is the best way to be creative,” I said. “I do it all the time when I’m cooking…up new projects.”

Sasha suddenly looked shy, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should change in front of me. Sure, I’d already seen her naked, and the vision would be seared into my brain for eternity. But she was clearly still getting comfortable with me.

“The bathroom is right there,” I said.

“Okay,” she said, disappearing through the door.

Pulling off my shirt and pants, I left my boxer briefs on and got into bed, dimming the lights.

When Sasha came out, looking so ethereal with her blonde halo of her hair lit from behind, I realized that there was no chance I’d be able to keep my hands to myself all night.

She crawled into bed with me, immediately snuggling against my shoulder. Her sexy, lithe body was not still, moving against me gently as if she couldn’t find a position that brought us close enough together.

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