It was more of a statement than a question, so I couldn’t help giving him a little hell for it even though I liked the sound of his plan. Still, I needed to be smart, and I didn’t think having sex with Vaughn within hours of meeting him was a good move—no matter how much I wanted to.
“Am I coming across as a sure thing to you?” I asked, my tone soft enough for him to know I was serious but not angry. “Because I’m sure there are plenty of women who’re down to go home with you on night one, but that’s not me.”
His lips twitched with amusement, almost as if he’d expected me to say what I had. “I’m not taking you back to my place to bang,” he answered.6VaughnNo one was more shocked than I was when the invitation for her to come home with me came out, but I didn't regret it for a second. I hadn't asked because I wanted to take her home and fuck her—obviously, I wanted to, but something told me jumping right to sex with her would be a mistake. That was why I hastened to assure her I wasn't taking her home to bang.
She gave me a cheeky grin. "Is that reverse psychology?"
I threw back my head and laughed. Allie was a fucking delight, from her beautiful head to the very bottom of her sexy-as-hell body, and her sharp wit was a major turn-on.
After I stopped laughing, I shook my head. "Nope, I'm serious. I want you to come home with me because I'm not ready for this night to end. I solemnly swear that there will be absolutely no sex."
I waited with bated breath as she thought it over for a few seconds. When she nodded her agreement, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Once I told the driver to go directly to my house, I wasted no time in pulling Allie into my arms and kissing her. The way it felt when our tongues connected was nothing short of explosive. It made kissing feel like it was brand new, like I'd never done it with anyone before her. I had, but not one of them came close to holding a candle to what it was like to kiss Allie.
We kissed the entire way back to my place, which was about twenty minutes away from the Vanity Fair party location. I was so wrapped up in Allie that I only realized we'd stopped when the driver knocked on the window of the door closest to me. I broke the kiss reluctantly, waiting a few seconds for Allie to compose herself before I knocked once on the window to let the driver know we were ready to get out.
Rather than have her put her shoes back on, I swept her up into my arms for the short walk to my door. When we got there, I set her down at the threshold as I entered the code. Only when I pushed the door open did it truly hit me just how significant the moment was. I'd never brought a woman home before Allie. In foster care, there'd been no such thing as having friends over for sleepovers, much less girlfriends, so I knew better than even to try.
Once I got out on my own, I'd rented a one-bedroom shit hole in south Los Angeles. I couldn't afford furniture, so I'd made do with things I found in the Craigslist free section. I'd had a futon mattress sans frame, two wooden chairs, a set of folding trays from the sixties, a seashell lamp, a fourteen-inch TV, an old VCR, and a threadbare Papasan chair.
Bringing girls home to that apartment wasn't on the agenda for several reasons. The shortlist was that crime was rampant in the neighborhood, there were roaches everywhere, and I lived like a pauper. Whenever the opportunity arose to spend the night out, I took it.
I lived there for five months before some assholes attacked me in the parking lot of my building. When they were done, my face was one giant bruise, I needed twelve stitches on my forehead, and I’d pissed blood for a few days. On top of that, they’d stolen my ancient Honda.
I’d had to call James to tell him I was in the hospital and needed him to come to get me because I couldn't afford to stay overnight, and they wouldn't discharge me into a cab. I'd never seen him as frustrated as he was that night or the day after when he put his foot down and forced me to move into his guesthouse.
He'd tried to help me for years, but I'd always been too stubborn to accept a handout where things like lodging or cars were concerned. He’d put up with it, but after the stabbing, he flat-out refused to sit by while I bit off my nose to spite my face.