to conquer mine.
By the end of the day, more satin and lace was coming my way then I’d ever know what to do with. So when it got here I’d put it on and let Dallas decide. Neither of us had been in a serious relationship before, but he was way ahead of me in the sex department. The girls insisted I let him take the lead.
“Stop worrying. He wants you,” Kiera said, sitting in the parking lot outside our apartment. “And anyway, you don’t even know what you like yet. Explore. I mean, look at the jungle gym you get to climb. Experiment. Don’t judge things before you give them a chance.”
“It’s not that.” The apartment sat dark above us. Kiera wasn’t coming in. She had a date with Trina at The Pizza Pub. Dallas should be here anytime. Déjà vu overwhelmed me in a sickening wave. He let me have what I wanted, and I hoped he didn’t leave me waving as he left me in the parking lot.
I went upstairs, wishing I had some of that lingerie now. I’d wear it like armor. Instead, it was just me. I wasn’t sure what time Dallas would arrive. As a contractor, his job was similar to ours at the shelter—we couldn’t leave at five on the dot. The day finished when the job was done.
Needing to keep myself busy, I took veggies out from the freezer to make a stir fry. We didn’t have anything fresh, and I needed to make a trip to the farmer’s market. Kiera had an ongoing punchline, making fun of Granger Falls, but I loved it here. The little town bustled with life. We lived right in the middle of everything. On weekends I’d lure Kiera down to the market, bribing her with a cup of coffee. I hadn’t been recently, even before all hell broke loose at Christmas. I wouldn’t go alone, and Kiera had been busy with Baron.
I pictured walking through town with Dallas, hand in hand, as I ate my dinner. Someday I’d love to have a booth at the market, selling mittens, scarves, and blankets. But now, the shelter needed me, and that was more important. My new project was to make sweaters for the dogs. We’d dress them up, put their pictures up on the website, and help them get to their actual forever homes.
The knock on the door awoke the butterflies in my stomach. It’s a beautiful thing, I reminded myself, to feel this way about someone. Don’t be scared of happiness. But that wasn’t exactly it. The Channings had an open invite to our apartment, the door was always open for them. So I had no idea what would greet me.
Dallas’ brow was slicked with sweat, and that unhuman green-gray glow back. He stood with his hands in his pockets. The only thing that didn’t look sick was his eyes. They swirled with an untamed fury that made my butterflies scatter.
“Are you all right?” I ushered him in, taking his jacket. A dark triangle dampened the back of his shirt. He didn’t say a word as he sat on the couch. I prepared for the burn before I touched him. “What can I do?”
“I want to kiss you, but the room is spinning.” The last word slurred, and I didn’t wait for an invite. I moved into his lap—I was getting used to the heat—and kissed his forehead. Dallas moaned, leaning back on the cushion. I had a couple ideas of things to do with ice cubes that I’d try once we settled. I’d do anything to make him feel better.
“Did something happen or is it just because we were apart?” There was no way I had that kind of effect on him, that simply being separated from me would weaken him. I nestled my head on my shoulder, not realizing how much better I felt when we were together until now.
Dallas put his arm around me and sat up. “We need to talk.”
I jumped away. No . That couldn’t be good. The little devil, that frenemy that was on a never ending sleepover in my brain jumped up and down, holding up handwritten signs with every worst-case scenario she could come up with on such short notice. I knew better. She’d been working on this little project all along. I wondered which one was worse: being
By the end of the day, more satin and lace was coming my way then I’d ever know what to do with. So when it got here I’d put it on and let Dallas decide. Neither of us had been in a serious relationship before, but he was way ahead of me in the sex department. The girls insisted I let him take the lead.
“Stop worrying. He wants you,” Kiera said, sitting in the parking lot outside our apartment. “And anyway, you don’t even know what you like yet. Explore. I mean, look at the jungle gym you get to climb. Experiment. Don’t judge things before you give them a chance.”
“It’s not that.” The apartment sat dark above us. Kiera wasn’t coming in. She had a date with Trina at The Pizza Pub. Dallas should be here anytime. Déjà vu overwhelmed me in a sickening wave. He let me have what I wanted, and I hoped he didn’t leave me waving as he left me in the parking lot.
I went upstairs, wishing I had some of that lingerie now. I’d wear it like armor. Instead, it was just me. I wasn’t sure what time Dallas would arrive. As a contractor, his job was similar to ours at the shelter—we couldn’t leave at five on the dot. The day finished when the job was done.
Needing to keep myself busy, I took veggies out from the freezer to make a stir fry. We didn’t have anything fresh, and I needed to make a trip to the farmer’s market. Kiera had an ongoing punchline, making fun of Granger Falls, but I loved it here. The little town bustled with life. We lived right in the middle of everything. On weekends I’d lure Kiera down to the market, bribing her with a cup of coffee. I hadn’t been recently, even before all hell broke loose at Christmas. I wouldn’t go alone, and Kiera had been busy with Baron.
I pictured walking through town with Dallas, hand in hand, as I ate my dinner. Someday I’d love to have a booth at the market, selling mittens, scarves, and blankets. But now, the shelter needed me, and that was more important. My new project was to make sweaters for the dogs. We’d dress them up, put their pictures up on the website, and help them get to their actual forever homes.
The knock on the door awoke the butterflies in my stomach. It’s a beautiful thing, I reminded myself, to feel this way about someone. Don’t be scared of happiness. But that wasn’t exactly it. The Channings had an open invite to our apartment, the door was always open for them. So I had no idea what would greet me.
Dallas’ brow was slicked with sweat, and that unhuman green-gray glow back. He stood with his hands in his pockets. The only thing that didn’t look sick was his eyes. They swirled with an untamed fury that made my butterflies scatter.
“Are you all right?” I ushered him in, taking his jacket. A dark triangle dampened the back of his shirt. He didn’t say a word as he sat on the couch. I prepared for the burn before I touched him. “What can I do?”
“I want to kiss you, but the room is spinning.” The last word slurred, and I didn’t wait for an invite. I moved into his lap—I was getting used to the heat—and kissed his forehead. Dallas moaned, leaning back on the cushion. I had a couple ideas of things to do with ice cubes that I’d try once we settled. I’d do anything to make him feel better.
“Did something happen or is it just because we were apart?” There was no way I had that kind of effect on him, that simply being separated from me would weaken him. I nestled my head on my shoulder, not realizing how much better I felt when we were together until now.
Dallas put his arm around me and sat up. “We need to talk.”
I jumped away. No . That couldn’t be good. The little devil, that frenemy that was on a never ending sleepover in my brain jumped up and down, holding up handwritten signs with every worst-case scenario she could come up with on such short notice. I knew better. She’d been working on this little project all along. I wondered which one was worse: being
Similar Books
