Page 6 of Falling for the Delta
Dash ran a hand down her spine, loving how she seemed to arch into his touch, like a cat would when being petted. “I need to get you inside, you’re freezing. I thought since we talked through dinnertime tonight, I’d make it up by taking you to one of my favorite restaurants tomorrow night. Do you eat steak?”
It seemed to take a moment for Holly’s brain to reengage, which made Dash feel ten feet tall. But he did his best not to smirk about it, even if he wanted to pound his chest and announce to the world that Holly was his.
“I don’t make it for myself, as I’m not the world’s greatest cook, but yes, I love a good steak.”
“Good. How does me picking you up at six tomorrow night sound? That should give you time to get home from work and change if you want. But don’t feel the need to dress up. This is a jeans-and-boots kind of place. It’s super laid-back.”
“That’s fine. But, Dash…tomorrow’s Monday.”
“And?” he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
“I just…you don’t want to wait for the weekend? Will you be tired?”
“I absolutely don’t want to wait,” he told her, smoothing a piece of hair behind her ear. Somehow in the last few minutes, the scrunchie that had been holding her hair back had come out and her long black hair was clinging to his chest as if it had a mind of its own. “I can’t wait to get to know you better, and every day that passes is a day lost.”
“Wow, um…okay.”
“Too much?” he asked, worried he’d moved too fast and was freaking her out.
“No. I just…” Her voice trailed off.
“What? Don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything. If you’re thinking it, I want to know about it,” Dash told her.
“I feel the same way. The connection I feel toward you is…”
“Intense,” Dash said, finishing her thought.
“Exactly.”
He wanted nothing more than to follow her to her apartment, go inside, and show her exactly how powerful their connection could be, but he took a deep breath instead and reached for one of her hands. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your apartment.”
Holly nodded and squeezed his hand. He walked her into her building and up to the third floor. He stopped in front of her apartment and watched as she unlocked the deadbolt and the doorknob. Then Holly turned and looked up at him a little shyly.
Not able to help himself, Dash leaned down and kissed her once more. This kiss was gentler than the passionate one they’d shared in the parking lot but no less heartfelt.
He forced himself to pull back and said, “Let me give you my number.”
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and within a few seconds, they were programmed into each other’s contact list.
“You gonna get a sub for lunch tomorrow?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Probably,” Holly said. “I know I should pack my lunch, but going out to lunch gets me away from the office for a while every day. I know myself; if I brought something to eat, I’d probably just eat it at my desk and I’d never take a break.”
“Maybe I’ll see you at the PX then,” Dash said, making a mental note to definitely see her at the post exchange the next day.
Holly smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Me too.”
Dash felt like he’d never smiled as much as he had tonight. It was a nice change.
The hardest thing he’d ever done was take a step away from her. He vowed the time would come, hopefully soon, when he wouldn’t have to leave her at her doorstep. That he’d have the right and the privilege of going inside with her. Or she’d come home with him. Though he had a feeling once he got her inside his small house, he’d never want to let her go.
Moving slow was never something Dash did well. Once he found something he wanted, he went after it with everything he had. Holly was definitely not an exception.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
“Text when you get home?” Holly asked tentatively.
