I'd been joking. Most men would never let their girlfriend drive a brand new sports car. But then most men wouldn't be so quick to declare someone their official girlfriend, either. And many older men would be eager to show off their much younger woman publicly instead of having a casual pizza night at home.
I loved that Warrick was unique. He put his own spin on the world. Maybe it was that he had spent so many years in the lab with machines instead of people.
His house was certainly grand, yet unpretentious and comfortable. As we ate pizza and had a glass of wine in his spacious earth-toned kitchen, I saw he was clearly more at ease at home.
His manner of speaking changed when he left the lab and entered his house. Perhaps it was a shift from constant analysis to relaxation mode. Maybe he felt he had to put on a different persona when he was the boss.
Warrick poured us each another half glass of wine, then we went to the couch in a small den. He switched the huge flatscreen to a fireplace, turning the volume of the crackling to a soft murmur.
"I like the new cut," I said, running my fingers through his hair. "Finally got sick of it in your eyes while you're working?"
His adorable smile lit up his eyes. "I didn't want you to be seen with a scruffy guy. At work people forgive me because they know I'm an inventor and I'm kind of lost in my own head. But I want to be presentable with you in the outside world."
"I don't want you to change for me," I whispered.
He took my hand, slipping our fingers together. "No deep, fundamental changes. I think we're already great for each other. But I'm going to need you to guide me when I completely miss social cues."
He leaned in to kiss my temple. "Like, thanks for suggesting today that I was supposed to speak to everyone. That was overwhelming."
"Seriously. Did you know that you were almost a billionaire?"
Warrick shrugged, looking away. "I don't like to dwell on it. My father was really greedy with money. He set me up for success by paying for my education, and giving me seed money to start my first lab. I'm grateful for that."
He paused, running his fingers along my collarbone. "But Dad always flaunted his wealth, defined himself by it. I have all kinds of vague plans for labs and things I can build someday. Other than that…" He shrugged. "I guess I didn't realize how much it had been piling up."
Pressing my lips together, I stifled a laugh at the thought of excess money just "piling up". But sweet, scatterbrained Warrick honestly didn't care.
"I love that your first thought was to give everyone raises," I said.
"Pfft. They work almost as hard as I do."
"I still think it's sweet," I said saucily. "Just let me be impressed by your niceness."
"As long as you let me be impressed by your beauty, and light, and…" he gently tilted my head back to kiss under my ear. "This little nook right here."
His breathing changed as he felt the deep shudder roll through me as we kissed. Everything became steamy, heated, as we clung to each other, finally alone.
Then Warrick pulled back. "Brooke, I'm not expecting anything. I want to be with you as much as you'd like. But please – if I cross any lines, stop me."
My hands tightened on the back of his shoulders. "Thank you for saying that. I want you. But…"
His eyes softened as he gave me a gentle smile. "Not yet. Of course. I'm in no rush, beautiful."
His finger trailed around the neckline of my shirt. "Whenever the time is right, I would love to see all of you. Kiss you. Admire you. Know you through and through."
"Will you take your shirt off for me first?" The words popped out before I even realized what I had said.
From the sultry look in his eyes, he liked it. "Absolutely, sexy."
Warrick leaned back just far enough to untuck his shirt before unbuttoning it and slipping it off. I was instantly breathless. He was certainly not built like any inventor-engineer-tech guy I'd ever seen.
Layers of muscle filled out his already large frame, his huge shoulders seeming to take up more space now that they weren't restricted by the fabric. A string of small tattoos formed a ring around his bicep.
"What are those?"
He pointed to each symbol in turn. "They're the molecular structures of water, caffeine, adrenaline, and dopamine. When I was in university I decided that was all I'd ever fundamentally need."
His finger swirled over them, writing my name. "Now there is something in my life even more important."