Rachel reaches across the table and touches my wrist. I look up at her and she smiles. “I hope it’s not too selfish of me to say, but I’m really glad I met you. I’m glad you left Detroit and moved here.”
I smile. “I’m glad I met you too, bunny, because being with you has been absolutely delightful. But okay, that’s enough about me.” I take her hand and kiss the back of it. “Tell me about your career. How does someone get into physical therapy?”
Rachel giggles. “Well, I’ve always wanted to do something to help other people. One of my aunts is a physical therapist, and she got me interested in the field, and showed me in the ins and outs. And luckily for me, everything just clicks. Both the studying and the hands-on practicums really resonate, and I feel lucky that I’ve found a career that makes me happy and also pays reasonably well. I’ll never be rich, but I can definitely be comfortable.”
I can’t help but smile. I’m thirty-five years old, but I’ve never been with a girl who had these kinds of goals. Usually, I’m around women who can’t even plan the next two weeks of their lives, but Rachel’s not like that. She’s got dreams and ambition, and I respect that about her.
Our conversation is light for the rest of the meal, and after I pay the check, we drive back to her apartment complex. My truck idles at the curb, and it’s time for Rachel to head inside, but she seems just as reluctant as I am to end the date. Instead, she takes my hand in hers and smiles sweetly. Her fingers are soft and small, and I practically grow hard right there at the driving wheel.
“You know,” she begins, “I was worried that the way you made me feel last week was a fluke. I convinced myself that I’d see you and you’d see me in real life, outside of the Krazy Kat, and we’d just be disappointed in each other. But that didn’t happen, and if anything, I feel like we really get along.”
I squeeze her hand. “If you want this,” I say, “I promise you that I’ll do my best. I’m not a perfect man, but you’ll always be safe with me, bunny.”
She smiles and nods. “I believe you.”
Then, I lean toward her across the center console, and capture those soft lips with mine. The kiss is gentle at first, but then she surprises me by running her tongue over my bottom lip, teasing and light. I groan, opening my mouth to meet her tongue with mine, and the kiss deepens quickly. My hands find her waist, pulling her across the seat towards me, and she slips her hands under my shirt, tracing over my six pack.
But there’s no way for us to get hot and heavy in the cramped space of my truck. Actually, we could, but that would mean that her neighbors would see her screaming and writhing as she rides me to completion, and I don’t want to get her evicted. Instead, I pull away before things get any more intense, breathing hard.
“You’d better skedaddle, bunny,” I whisper, “before things go any further.”
She pouts but eventually nods in agreement. She gazes at me for a while longer, and then, apparently remembering where we are, opens the door and hops out.
“I’ll text you,” she says with a sly smile. “Because I’ll definitely need more of that pizza.”
I grin back. “It’s a date, buns. Now shoo.”
With that, Rachel walks back to her apartment, those hips waggling at me the whole way. I stare hungrily and wave goodbye once more as she lets herself in. Then, I collapse with my head on the steering wheel. It took at act of God not to ravish her right here, but I did it. I was a good man and demonstrated that I’m interested in more than her body, even if right now, those luscious curves are all I can think about.
With a snort, I start the truck and pull away from the curb. What has this woman done to me? I’m addled in the brain and lust fills my veins whenever I’m around the sexy woman. Yet, I can’t get enough of Rachel, and that’s how I like it.
7
Rachel
* * *
A month passes, and by this point, Damon and I are officially dating. We’ve had dinner at a fancy restaurant, we’ve gone to the movies, and we’ve even attended a lacrosse game hosted by the Prescott Lacrosse Club, which was really fun, if a bit uppity.
But tonight is the first time we’re just going to relax. It’s significant because we don’t have any pre-planned activities. We’re just going to enjoy one another’s company, and I’m looking forward to it.
I put on a pair of ripped blue jeans, a long white shirt, and a jean jacket. Then I fluff out my hair while looking at my reflection. It’s the same Rachel, but also different too. There’s a flush to my cheeks and a secret smile to my lips, as if I’m a woman who’s well-loved, and the truth is that I am. Damon adores me, and I’m over the moon about the fact.