Page 60 of When the Time Is Right
She was usually a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of girl, and it wasn’t a novelty to see Lex dressed up and ready for a night out, but this was so much fucking more.
“You look gorgeous,” I said, the words coming out gravelly even to my own ears.
She tucked a rogue wave behind her ear and smiled. “I wasn’t sure if I should dress up or not. This was kind of in the middle.”
I didn’t claim to be an expert on Lex’s wardrobe, but when you spent as much time together as we did, you noticed things. And I’d never, not once, seen any of the laid-back, sex-kitten-at-a-sports-bar attire she was wearing now.
“Is that new?” I asked.
Her cheeks pinked. “I might have swung past the mall after I woke up from my coma today. You know, on my way to take Beep—”
“Boop,” I corrected.
“Right. Boop to the vet.”
Oh no, Alexis Lawson had not been sitting around all day, trying to get out of our date. She’d been out at the mall, setting fire to her debit card in order to find the perfect outfit for our date. And fuck me, she had succeeded in mouthwatering, hard-on-inducing, spectacular fashion.
I thrust the roses in her direction. “Here. Put these in some water and let’s get out of here before I decide that I also fuck before the first date too.”
She squeaked and snatched the roses.
I chuckled as she all but jogged to the kitchen and hastily shoved them into a vase. And yeah, while she was on the move, I did a little ogling of her ass too.
When she returned to the door, she nervously toyed with her long chandelier earring. “They’re beautiful. Thank you. Let’s go.” She stood there staring at me, more than likely waiting for me to move out of the doorway, but I didn’t budge.
“C’mere, Alexis,” I rumbled.
She swallowed hard. “I am here.”
Reaching out, I caught her hand and gave her a gentle tug. She stumbled into my chest and I looped my arms around her hips, bringing our bodies flush. She was stiff for a single breath, and then, with her exhale, she melted into me.
“I don’t want you stressing about tonight,” I said. “I’ve been messing with you all day about the things I want to do to you tonight and every single bit of it is the God’s honest truth. Especially now that I’ve seen you is this fucking dress.”
She smiled, and as ridiculous as it might have been, my whole world lit up.
“But if you don’t feel comfortable, or if you want me to stop making jokes, then just say the word. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if tonight ended in my bed, but that’s not why I’m here. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered, her hand sliding up my chest before hooking around my neck. “But, um, my overnight bag is already in the back of the Chevelle.”
It was my turn to grin. “That’s my girl.”
Pressing up onto her toes, she kissed me soft and slow. It was too short and not nearly deep enough for my liking, but I’d take whatever scraps she was willing to throw me.
“I’m not stressing,” she murmured against my mouth.
I slid a hand down to her ass. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
We eventually made it off her porch. And after a brief argument about who was driving the Chevelle, which by the way I won after pointing out that if she drove there was a solid chance my fingers might make their way up her dress, things settled down. Come to find out, being on a date with your best friend wasn’t weird at all. Short of holding her hand and stealing kisses at stoplights, there wasn’t much difference in being on a date and just hanging out.
We stopped for dinner at the mom-and-pop barbeque restaurant outside of town. There was no pomp or pretense of her ordering a side salad and water or me pretending I knew a damn thing about red wine when the waiter handed me the menu. No, on this date, she ordered the brisket mac and cheese and I got a burger with fries. She even giggled as I wiped sauce off her chin.
We’d been talking about going to the new drive-in since it had opened, but with it being over an hour away, we’d never made the time. Though, when tasked with deciding where to go for this date, a road trip with Lex was never a bad time. We ordered two brownies à la mode from the concession stand and ate them while The Rock tried to save all of humanity on the big screen.
We laughed more than we watched the movie.
Then we kissed more than we talked.
We danced under the stars during intermission with all the other couples to old 50s and 60s music that played through the speakers.
