He grinned and pursed his lips. “If you expect me to see a problem with this admission, honey, you’re talking to the wrong guy. I’m as hot for you as you are for me. You have no idea how bad I want to run my hands all over your body. The curves, your sultry voice, those plump lips and high cheekbones. Jesus, woman, you have a face of an angel and a body made for sin. And that’s nothing compared to the sight of your wild hair alone making my dick hard.”
I gasped and covered my mouth with a now shaking hand.
“Yeah, so if you’re expecting me to be sorry that you get hot and bothered around me, you’re gonna have to think again. Now, what I will say is, I’m willing to work with you on this six-dates-until-sex rule.”
“I’m reinstating the rule,” I fired off instantly. “The other night was a fluke. A one-time deal and look how bad that turned out.” I swallowed down the nerves coating my tongue.
“You mean to tell me you think after the other night—me having my mouth on you, almost tasting the sweet between your thighs, having already tasted your skin and mouth—that we need to take a step backward on the intimacy?” His eyebrows rose toward his hairline.
I frowned. “Think? No. I know. If you want to continue seeing me, I’m not going to be a wham, bam, thank you, ma’am woman in your life. I’m telling you I wasn’t in my right mind. Now I am. And this is only date number two, so if you want to get in there with me again, you’ll put in the time and effort.”
He grinned. “What about a barter? A compromise. Say half the time. I think that’s fair?”
“What!” I scolded him while taking up the dressing. “Date number three is next. That’s no time at all!” I frowned.
“Four?” He countered instantly.
I growled low under my breath and drizzled the balsamic over both salads. “This is a rule. Meaning it’s not open for negotiation,” I placed his plate and salad in front of him.
“Bet I can make you break your rule,” he stated with an arrogance I’d not seen on him before. And like everything else, it was sexy as all get-out. Dammit.
“Feel free to try but I’m convinced this is the right path. For me.” I set my plate in front of the empty space next to him and he looked down at the feast before him, then back up at me. “Eat up. It’s nice and hot.”
He smirked and cut into the eggs benedict first. “Okay, honey, I’ll play by your rules, but you mark my words. You’re going to be begging to break them before the six dates are up.” His confidence was also insanely attractive, but I kept that to myself.
I smiled wide and put my hand out for him to shake. He took it in his. “Deal.”
“This is going to be fun, babe. So where do you want to go on our third date?”
* * *
I strolled along the aisle of wedding dresses, picking through them alongside Evie and Suda Kaye.
“And he agreed to this six-dates rule?” Suda Kaye asked, positively scandalized by the fact that I was making a man that could have been Henry Cavill’s double wait to seal the deal. “How does that work for you?” She pulled a huge fluffy dress out of the line and held it up in front of Evie then shook her head. “Too princess,” she surmised and shoved it back.
“Kaye, not all women hop into bed the first night. She had a momentary lapse of judgment and doesn’t feel right about her actions. And besides, some people like to get to know a person before becoming intimate. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Evie added delicately.
Suda Kaye scowled but even on her it was cute. “What better way to get to know a guy than to sleep with him? If he sucks in bed, move on. He’s not marriage material. You don’t want to be saddled with a bad lover for the rest of your life.”
I couldn’t help but see her logic. She made a lot of sense. “In the past I’ve been burned by guys who just wanted to sleep with me and then move on to the next best thing. I’m over that. College basically burned me out on sex for the fun of it. I want a man in my life. A relationship. Someone I can go out with, build a life with. What you and Cam and Evie and Milo have.”
Evie grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “You will find that. I’m certain of it. If it’s not Kyson, then it will be another man. Though if Kyson is willing to put the work in, that says a lot about his character.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but he thinks he’s going to get me to break the rule. He tried bartering for half the time.”
Suda Kaye shimmied her hips. “I just knew that guy was a smart one.” She pointed at me. “I want in on his bet.”
Evie rolled her eyes then pulled out a simple sheath dress that would have looked great on a woman twice her age. “This is pretty.” She showed us both.
Suda Kaye and I exchanged a glance before we both looked at Evie and shook our heads.
“Evie, I’m getting the feeling you’re into simple, sleek and elegant. I’m sure there’s a way to do that without being too mature,” I shared a little hesitantly.
“Absolutely. That’s a grandma dress, sissy.” Suda Kaye stated her unfiltered opinion flat out.
The three of us kept looking. Evie’s wedding was three weeks away and she didn’t have a dress to wear. They were doing it on the bluffs at the Native American reservation, where I would also meet my maternal grandfather for the first time. I was beyond excited and terrified at the same time.
“What’s Milo wearing?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s going to be so perfect. He’s wearing black jeans, black cowboy boots and a white dress shirt with a new black blazer. He’ll have a handmade bolo tie his mother is making and plans to have his hair braided down the center. On each side, they’ve chosen to weave in these amazing feathers. One of the Navajo tribeswomen makes these amazing decorative headpieces that fall in line with their tradition. One of the elders will be marrying us in full celebration attire. I cannot wait!” She pressed her hands in a prayer position at her chest.
“It’s going to be epic!” Suda Kaye added. “Now we just need to find the perfect dress.”
Evie’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not into any of these. They’re too church wedding, or princess-like. Too much fabric and satin.”
As she and Suda Kaye picked through the next section, I spied a cream-colored slip of fabric across the store in the cocktail attire section. I went over to it and pulled it out. The dress had the tiniest spaghetti straps at the shoulders that fell into a triangle bodice. The front was set in a soft fabric with small beads woven over the cups and rib cage in a dainty, elegant design. There was a satin ribbon that tied at the waist about an inch thick. The skirt draped all the way to the floor in loose chiffon. It would look amazing against a desert backdrop and still be elegant, unique, simple and stunning. All things I’ve come to learn about my big sister Evie.