“Stop this, Maddie. Stop this.”
She hated how pessimistic she had gotten in the past few years. The dates she’d been on before had been awful. No doubt about it. No matter how bad it had gotten, she had remained confident she’d find someone. Only now, she was the one spiraling into the deep pool of doubt and depression.
She looked in the mirror.
A few strokes of mascara and some lipstick were all she wore. She was never someone who know how to really doll herself up. She had opted for a pair of jeans, her nicest, along with some boots and a checkered shirt that she had left a few buttons open.
Bull had said casual, and this was what she had chosen.
She’d left her hair down, and because of how heavy her hair was, it remained flat. To get any real volume, she normally had to curl it. The glasses were by her bedside cabinet, since she wore contacts.
Maddie left her bedroom and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself a drink of water. She had read drinking water before a meal, and even after a meal, helped the feeling of fullness start.
She finished off the first pint of water, then poured herself a second. With that done, she cleaned and washed the glass.
She entered her sitting room, sat down on the sofa, and stared at the clock.
He had three minutes left to arrive.
Maddie hated how hopeful she was as she watched the clock tick. Time was already moving. She was older this second than the last. A constant moving force. Each time the clock hand ticked, it was another moment wasted.
When the clock finally landed on seven, she knew he wasn’t going to show up.
She got to her feet, intending to get changed, when her buzzer sounded.
Maddie frowned and walked over to the door. She clicked on the buzzer. “Hello,” she said.
“Maddie, it’s me. I can’t believe this piece of shit actually works.”
“Bull?”
“Who else? You got multiple dates set up? Are you going to let me up?”
“You came.”
He chuckled. “I told you I would.”
She hadn’t believed it.
“Are you going to let me come up?” he asked.
“No, I mean, I’m coming down. Give me a minute.” Maddie let go of the buzzer and looked around her apartment. She didn’t want him coming up here. None of her dates had made it to her apartment.
Her hands shook as she grabbed her bag and keys. She took the stairs down and saw Bull waiting for her outside. He hadn’t seen her.
Should I go?
Nerves hit her hard.
Bull turned around and held his hands out. He wore his leather cut, a pair of jeans, and his trademark white shirt. She wondered if he owned shares in the white-shirt-making business or something like that.
Smiling to herself, she took a step toward him, then another, and another. She was out the door and in front of him within seconds.
“You came,” she said.
“I did come, and I’ve got this,” he said. He held up a daisy. It was a single large daisy.
“It’s beautiful.”
He tore some of the stem off, moved close to her, and slid it in the front pocket of her shirt.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know why, but I was expecting you to have your hair pinned back.”
“Do you not like it?” she asked, running her fingers through her very boring hair.
Bull stood in front of her, stroking her hair out of the way, curving his hand around her face, and drawing her close. He pressed a kiss to her lips, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I do.”
Her heart raced. Already this date was winning points way before they were getting started.
“I’m going to let you off tonight as I’ve brought the car,” Bull said and pointed at his car. “One day though, you’re going to need to learn to ride at my back, baby.”
Maddie groaned. “I’ve never ridden on the back of a bike before.”
“Don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than you might think. You have an expert right here.” He tapped his chest and winked at her. “I’ll talk you through everything when it’s time to ride a bike, but for now, your ride awaits.” He got to the car and held the door open for her.
“You’re going to have plenty of practice to ride my bike at other times.”
She nodded and was pleased she wasn’t going to have to deal with riding his bike tonight. She wouldn’t be able to handle those pesky nerves of hers. When the time came, he was going to want her to hold on to him. Not only that, what if she toppled them both over? That could end up being the worst date of all.
Bull closed the door to his car and rounded the vehicle, then got into the driver’s seat. The car was much better than his bike.