The duo decided to go back to Bruce’s place after dinner. He punched his address into her phone’s GPS system so she’d know where to go.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he told her as he kissed her softly on the forehead.
The tender gesture made her quiver and ache all at the same time. She slid into her car and started following her phone’s directions to his house.
Realistically, she could have ridden in his car. There was nothing wrong with picking up her own vehicle the next day, but Kayla wanted to be able to leave if things got weird. She wanted to know that she had a way out if it ended up being strange.
Well, stranger than she was comfortable with, anyway.
She flicked on the radio and waited for something good to come on. Song after song about romance and banging chicks blasted through her stereo as she finally pulled up to a large brick house with a two-car garage.
She parked in the driveway next to Bruce’s car and reapplied her lip gloss.
She was going to shine tonight.
Kayla stepped out of the car and made her way quickly up the sidewalk to the front porch. It was just a single step up to the house’s large, welcoming porch. She glanced at the swing and chairs, thinking that this would be a romantic place to spend a cool summer evening.
She tried not to picture herself sipping coffee on the porch as the sun came up.
Or drinking cocoa as the sun went down.
Kayla finally reached the door, but her heart was thumping.
What if she didn’t know what to do?
What if she made things awkward?
What if he saw her naked, but didn’t like the way she looked?
She could drive herself insane with all of her thoughts and doubts. She could go crazy with her insecurities.
Not tonight.
She couldn’t let that happen tonight.
Tonight was all about new beginnings and new experiences and trying new things and getting out of her comfort zone.
Tonight was all about Bruce.
She knocked on the door.
It was time for Kayla to meet her mummy.
EIGHT
He was already wrapped when she opened the door.
Kayla wanted to ask how he had changed so quickly, how he had managed to transform himself from a businessman to a creature from days past.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she reached up and touched his face.
And then they were kissing.
Kayla started to move toward the stairs so they could head to the bedroom, but Bruce shook his head and instead directed her toward a door.
Still kissing, he opened it to reveal a narrow staircase leading down.