Page 90 of The Downside of Love
Why am I so goddamn nervous?
We’ve been dating for months now, I’ve moved into her apartment, we spend every waking moment together when we’re not at work, and yet, here I stand, two tickets in hand and a nervous jitter shaking my bones.
For a moment, I think about not asking her, about just tossing the tickets in the garbage, acting as if I never even got them. But then again, I’m desperate to see what she would wear, how she would feel on my arm, being escorted under a salute of swords.
With a deep breath, I walk into our apartment and find Rory wearing an apron while tending to some steaming pots on the stove. When she turns to greet me, a giant smile crosses her beautiful lips, her entire face lighting up. God, I fucking love that look. I would go to work again just to come home to that face once more.
“You’re home,” she beams, setting a wooden spoon on the counter and coming to me. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me toward her for a toe-curling kiss. Her little body presses into mine as she takes my breath away. “I don’t like it when you work late.” She gently plays with my hair, running her fingers through it.
“I know,” I sigh, kissing her on the lips. “I hate working late too, but I do like the welcome home.” I play with the tie on her apron. “But what have I told you about this apron? It’s only supposed to be worn with nothing underneath.”
She giggles into my chest and pushes away, shaking her head. “And how many times have I told you I’m not cooking naked?” She rolls her eyes and walks back to the kitchen. I do my usual dressing down to my pants and T-shirt, keeping the tickets to the Air Force Ball in my back pocket.
I walk up behind her and look over her shoulder, into the pots. “Smells really good, baby.” I kiss her cheek and wrap my arms around her waist. “What are you making?”
“Beef stew and there’s cornbread muffins in the oven.”
I rub my stomach, so ready for dinner. “You spoil me.”
Turning in my arms, she rests her hands on my shoulders and lifts up onto her toes, looking for a kiss. I deliver. “I just like to make my man happy.”
I caress her cheek. “You do that with just your smile.”
Sighing into me, she slides her hands around my back and down to my ass where her hand rubs against the tickets. “What’s that?” she asks, just as my eyes squeeze tightly shut. Lifting them from my back pocket, she brings them into view and examines them. “What are these, Stryder?”
I pluck the tickets from her hand and nervously shift in place. “Uh, they are tickets.”
“Tickets for what?”
“Tickets for—” I swallow hard “—for the Air Force Ball.”
Her beautiful eyes widen in surprise. “The Air Force Ball?”
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck, nervous as fuck. “I, uh, was kind of hoping that maybe you would want to go with me. But if it’s not your thing, we don’t have to go. Just thought maybe it would be nice to take you out.”
She presses her hands against my chest and slides them up around my neck, the corners of her lips curved up. “I would love to go with you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” She stands on her toes and presses a kiss to my jaw. “Why would you think I’d say no?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. My mom always dreaded going with my dad, so I wasn’t sure if it was something you would enjoy.” Although now I wonder if she hated going because she would be wondering which women there my dad had had affairs with.The bastard. He probably took her just to make her feel uncomfortable.“There are a lot of speeches and shit, but after all that, there is dancing and food, and you get to dress up.” I circle my finger around a strand of her hair. “In all honesty, I really want to see you in a gown, dressed up just for me.”
Her fingers play with my hair. “Are you going to wear something fancy?”
I rake my teeth over my bottom lip and nod. “We’re required to wear our mess dress uniforms.”
She wiggles her eyebrows cutely. “Ooo, looks like I’m the one lucking out here. When is it?”
“This weekend.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, her hands pausing in my hair. “And you’re just telling me about it now? Stryder, don’t you know the kind of stuff a girl has to go through in order to get herself ready for such an event? You lived with Ryan; you should know.”
I cup her jaw and lower my lips just a whisper above hers. “You can go like this and be the most gorgeous woman in the room. You don’t need any of that pampering shit.”
“What if I want it?”
That surprises me. I press a kiss across her lips and say, “Then do whatever you‘d like, it’s on me.”
