“Hi.”
“Coffee?”
“In a minute,” I said, still running my fingers through his wavy chestnut hair. Normally I liked short hair, cropped close to the scalp, but his wavy hair was the perfect length to grab and pull and it was clear he enjoyed it.
“Have a headache?” he asked.
I shook my head. “You?”
“Too soon to tell,” he groaned. “You know? I still need to cash in that prize.”
“What?” I swallowed hard, stiffening in his arms.
“You, in a dress, reading your favorite story.”
I laughed. “Right. One day.”
“I have a proposition.” He rolled over, pulling me with him and settling my face on his bare chest. The man did things to me. Last night was hard to forget.Intimacy. I hadn’t experienced that. I felt like I had stood naked and let him have his way with me, instead, I’d simply been honest and open.
I forced myself to relax. “Proposition?”
“Come with me to this snobby auction I have to go to every year with my parents. It’s a silent and live auction. Make it bearable for me. Wear a pretty dress, hold my hand all night, drink expensive champagne, and criticize the items up for sale with me. Please?” He pinched my chin and forced our eyes to meet. “Besides, I want the privilege of being the man with the prettiest date.”
It was cheesy, but I couldn’t stop the butterflies swarming my stomach at his words. “Trask.”
He groaned. “I love it when you say my name.”
I laughed. “Trask, I’m not naïve. I know your parents are not big fans of mine.”
“They don’t like anyone.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“Since when have you backed down from anyone?”
I rolled my eyes. It was true, in a sense. Part of me wanted to go just to see their reaction. But I didn’t want Trask to have to deal with the fallout. I told him as much.
“There won’t be a fallout. My parents will bite their tongues and be polite.” He sat up, pulled me with him, and turned me so I was sitting cross-legged in front of him. “Please. It’s the night before Christmas Eliza. We’ll go, I’ll smile at all the people my parents want me to, and we can be on our way.”
I sighed and ran my hand through his hair again. I couldn’t help it! Between its softness and the look on Trask’s face, I couldn’t stop myself. His eyes closed, and he leaned into my touch and I liked the power I had over him. “On one condition.”
His eyes snapped open. “Name it.”
“I need a safe word.”
He raised an eyebrow, “What kind of night are we having?”
I blushed furiously. “That’s not—” I put my hands over my eyes. “That’s just what Rosalie and I say. It’s something we can drop into conversation to let the other know we are uncomfortable. So, if I say the word ‘negative’ I’d ask that you step in. Either take over the conversation or steer it away. And if I look you in the eye and say ‘red’ that means I want to leave. It would make me feel much more comfortable knowing I had a way out of the situation.”
He clasped my hands in his. “Sounds reasonable to me. You always have an out, code words or not, you can interrupt anything and tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
I nodded. “I’ll take that coffee now.”
It was probably the best morning of my life. We drank coffee on the couch, in our pajamas, talking about everything and nothing. He made me pancakes and eggs and we spent the rest of the morning and through the afternoon working. I managed to send in a few more stories and accept a few publications; he worked on his senior capstone project. We didn’t say anything to each other for hours while we were both absorbed in our own projects, but it felt like I’d gotten to know him even better in the silence.
I caught him smiling at me. “What?” I asked.
“I could get used to this.”