Page 17 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
“Listen, I’d like to take you out sometime. No pretend dating. Just you and me and a nice dinner at whatever restaurant you recommend. Let me take you on a date—a real one.”
My stomach flips at the idea of a real date with the man I’ve been unable to stop thinking about since the moment he freed my hand at the hotel.
I open my mouth to answer him, but nothing comes out.
* * *
Aaron
There’s no doubt in mymind that I want to spend more time with Paige. I haven’t had much luck with dating in the past, probably because it’s so hard for me to connect with other people. Fred is still the only person who truly knows me, despite how many times he’s tried to set me up.
But I can tell from the expression on Paige’s face that she has some reservations about me.
When I ask her on a date, her eyes widen. She sucks in a sharp breath, her shoulders rising an inch closer to her ears. I doubt she thought to do it consciously, but her eyes drifted to the stairs and up to Noah’s room.
If the reason she doesn’t want to date me is that she really is worried about her son, I can respect that. I would have done anything for a parent who cared about me like that when I was little. I still would.
And I’m prepared to prove to her that I can be there for him, too. It will take time, but I’ve always loved little kids. Noah is special, even I can tell that from the few interactions I’ve seen with him.
Surprise gives way to something deeper as Paige remains quiet. Her brow furrows. She clasps her hands together, twisting her fingers as if she can wring the answers from them somehow.
I’m tempted to take her hands and squeeze them, but I force my body to remain still until she has had time to process.
Finally, a cloud passes over her face. The easy smile she had in the living room is gone, though the flush from the wine still clings to her creamy skin. She takes a step away from the door, cold air rushing into the space between us.
“Aaron…”
I quirk an eyebrow, waiting for the rest of her excuse. Her voice drips with resignation, making it obvious what comes next. I just don’t know what reason she’s going to give me, what I’ll have to work with.
“Thank you for your help. With everything.” She blushes and rubs her wrist, reminding me that she has been on my mind all week. “I just don’t think I want to date right now.”
“Are you sure about that?” I keep my distance from her, just as she wants. But I’m not about to let her off the hook so easily.
“That date was the first time I’ve dipped my toe in the dating pool for fifteen years. I married my high school sweetheart and then…” she trails off. “I thought I wanted a casual relationship. I thought I wanted to explore that part of my life again, you know?”
She lets out a humorless laugh and shakes her head, as if the idea of being a woman with needs is ridiculous.
“Now, I don’t want to date anyone for another fifteen years,” she says softly. Her eyes don’t meet mine anymore. She doesn’t look at me, even when I take a half-step closer to her.
The space between us is a chasm, but I can bridge it. Without a second thought, I reach up and brush my fingertips against her soft cheek. I trace a pattern from her cheekbones down her jaw and back again.
I tilt her chin up so that she has to look at me when I speak.
“A beautiful woman like you alone?” I shake my head. “You shouldn’t deny yourself companionship.”
“I’m not?—”
“Or pleasure,” I add, watching as the word warms her face. I have a brief glimpse of what her skin would look like flushed with pleasure. With something that my touch can provide.
I drop my hand from her face, but she doesn’t tear her gaze from mine. It’s all the encouragement I need to continue.
“If you want casual, I’ll do casual. But it’ll be during a dinner date on your next day off, which is on…?”
“Sunday,” she whispers.
“Sunday, then.”
All of this tension and closeness make me feel bolder than I have been since I stepped into her house. But Noah is asleep. Paige is right here in front of me, in her beautiful bridesmaid’s dress. I need her to know I mean business.
