I wondered if she knew how her words made me feel. She liked my kisses. She liked me. I mattered to her. I felt ten feet tall.
“Can I take you out to dinner?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I want to take you on a date.” I looked down at my casual jeans and shirt. “I guess not a proper date, but I’ll make up for it next time.”
“You don’t have to be in a suit for it to be a proper date, Reid. I like casual. I have to be dressed up all week for work, so it’s nice to relax on the weekends.”
“What’s your favorite food?”
“Hmm. Chinese or Italian. I love them both.”
“There is a great place a couple of blocks from here. Awesome Chinese. Small and casual. After, we could take a walk and get ice cream. For some reason, I always want ice cream after Chinese food.”
Her eyes glowed. “Me too!”
I held out my hand. “Okay, BB. Let’s go.”
Becca studied the menu on the wall, her nose scrunched in thought. She looked adorable, and I kissed the end of her nose. “Make up your mind.”
“I never know what to get, so I get the usual, then I wish I had tried something different.” She nibbled on her lip in frustration.
“Get a triple scoop.”
“I can’t eat that much ice cream!”
“I can. I’ll get a triple, you get a double, and we’ll share. Five flavors.” I nudged her forward. “Now pick.”
Ten minutes later, we were strolling down the street, hands clasped, eating ice cream. My huge cone contained chocolate peanut butter, marshmallow fudge, and moose tracks. Becca had banana fudge and black cherry. All of them were awesome. I ate faster than Becca, and she kept slapping my hand away from grabbing her cone. Laughing, I yanked her into my arms and kissed her in the middle of the street, not caring who might be watching. She tasted of ice cream, happiness, and life. Simply being with her made me happy. I had never known a feeling like it in my life. She clung to me as if she felt it too. When I lifted my head, I gazed down at her, mischievousness making her eyes dance with delight. Ice cream dripped down my hand, and with a sexy smirk, she licked it off my skin, her tongue lingering on my fingers. I groaned and shook my head.
“Tease.”
She shook her head slowly. “No, it’s a promise.”
I rested my forehead on hers. “You can’t say things like that to me.”
“I think I just did.”
“I want you so much,” I pleaded to her skin.
“I told you there’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
I laughed and stood back, trading cones with her. “Unless I explode.”
She giggled, the sound teasing but still seductive. “I won’t let you explode”—she slid her hand into my back pocket and squeezed my ass—“unless it’s in the very best way. I promise.”
As we walked, I licked the cone, needing to stop the ice cream from cascading down the sides. She watched me intently.
“I can hardly wait to see what you do with that tongue on me.”
I almost swallowed said tongue. Choking, I mock-glared at her. “What did I say about not saying stuff like that to me?”
She snickered, trading cones once more. “I love seeing your reactions, but I’ll stop if you want.”
I studied her. She was happy and laughing. I felt lighter, more at home with myself than I had my entire life. I liked how her hand felt resting against my ass. I enjoyed how she felt nestled into my side. I loved tasting the ice cream her tongue had licked.
I caressed her hip. “Nope. Keep it up, BB. I’ll pay you back one day.”
She winked. “I’m looking forward to it.”
We stopped to listen to a street musician playing his violin on the corner. His bow flashed as he wrung out notes I didn’t know a violin could play—he was wickedly talented. I finished the last of my ice cream, then polished off Becca’s. As the music continued, I stood behind her, linking my arms around her waist, tugging her close. I rested my chin on her head, letting the spirited music drift over me. Becca’s fingers tapped out the beat on my arm, and I tightened my grip. It felt right standing with her, and I enjoyed the feel of her warmth. After the music faded, I reached into my pocket and tossed a couple of bills into his open violin case.
“Awesome, man.”
He grinned. “Thanks.”
We strolled away, getting closer to Becca’s place. At the corner where the coffee shop and corner store were located, the old woman was outside, fussing with her buckets, lifting them to carry inside for the night. I hurried forward, lifted the last two buckets, and followed her inside.
She beamed at me, her face a crisscross of wrinkles, like that of a well-worn map, a lifetime of smiles etched into her skin.
“Your girl?” she asked, tilting her head to the door.
I glanced at Becca who was watching, curious. She had a small smile on her face, observing me talking to the flower lady.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “My girl.”
She bent and searched the buckets with fingers knotted with arthritis, pulling out a rose in a deep red. The petals were full and lush, a perfect specimen of the flower.
“You give. One is romantic.”
“She will love it.”
In an odd gesture, she reached up and patted my face. “I think you good boy. You deserve.”
“Can I help you with anything else?”
“No. Flowers are inside. I close now.”
I stepped outside, hearing the door lock in place behind me. I handed Becca the rose. Delight spread across her face, and she burrowed her nose in the blossom, inhaling deeply.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She stepped closer, gazing up at me. “For someone who claims he has little experience, you are very good at this dating thing.”
“Yeah?”
She slid her arm around my waist, tipping up her head. “Yeah.”
“I think it might have something to do with the person I’m with,” I replied. “You make it easy, Becca.” I ran my fingers down her cheek. “It’s all you, BB.”
She pressed her mouth to mine.
“I’m good with that.”
I was as well.
Reid
It was difficult to leave Becca. But I knew if I stayed, things were going to progress and fast. She was right when she said there was no rush, but still, being alone in her apartment and close to her was too much of a temptation.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked and picked up my bag, stalling for a few more minutes of her company.
“Laundry, some grocery shopping. Then I’m meeting Cami and Emmy for coffee in the afternoon. They’re going to show me a couple of places to shop.” She smiled. “You?”
“A few errands and I’ll probably go into the office.” I lifted the bag to my shoulder with a shrug. “I have lots of stuff I can work on, and I wasn’t there today. In fact, I’ll probably do some work when I go home. I like to work at night.”
“You work a lot. Do you go in every weekend?”
“Typically. I’m a night owl. I don’t need much sleep.”