Page 26 of One Night Stand After Another
His gaze clouded. “Why not? You made an entire sweater between Philly and here. Why not make one for me?”
Because it was bad luck, although they weren’t dating, so she wasn’t sure what the rules would actually be. Making a sweater for a boyfriend was a commitment. Everyone who knitted or crocheted knew that. If he didn’t like it, he’d feel like he had to wear it anyway, andbam. The breakup. Or maybe he wouldn’t wear it, and she’d get paranoid that he didn’t like it. And resent him for the effort it took to make the darn thing. Not that their arrangement constituted a commitment in the first place. He wasn’t her boyfriend. But she still wasn’t going to make him a sweater. “Nope.”
He brandished a skein of fingering-weight midnight-blue Merino wool. “Socks?”
She snatched it out of his hand and tossed it back in the bag. “Maybe—I don’t usually knit.” But he was right. That yarn was begging to become a pair of socks.
“Harumph.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Thank you.”
“That’s more like it.”
“I really did love those yarns, too.”
“I could tell. Watching you decide was painful. Way easier to just buy everything. There may be a couple in there that you didn’t see but I liked. A few surprises.”
She kissed him again. No one had ever bought her yarn except her parents. Flowers, yes. Candy? Sure. But never anything that made her heart sing with joy like the fine wool in her hand right now.
He pulled her in for a hug, and she laid her head on his chest, hearing the warm thump of his heart. An idea took shape in her mind, inspired by the way it literally felt like her entire body was smiling.
Better than flowers or candy. The sweater you wear when he really gets you. When he does something so thoughtful that you know you are the luckiest woman on the planet. A celebration sweater. Ladies, having a boyfriend isn’t the most important thing in life, but being truly appreciated feels almost as amazing as this sweater.
She could get used to this.
“You still in there?” Zane gave her a squeeze.
She nodded and pulled away.
“Hungry?”
“Starving.” She’d blown past hungry halfway through her yarn spree. “I think my stomach ate itself while I was shopping.”
“The restaurant is ten minutes away, and I already ordered a cheese board. Pretty good for day one, right? I told you I love a challenge.”
A challenge, right.This was a lark for him. And inspiration for her. Any emotions would be channeled into her art, not her heart.
She arched one brow. “The yarn is incredible, and you get bonus points for thinking ahead, but I’m not grading you until I taste the food.” She lifted her chin and spoke quietly in his ear. “Plus, the incredible sex last night could have been a one-off. So, I guess you’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning for my final answer.”
His chuckle surprised her. His arms stole around her again. Now his lips met her ear. “One-off? You have to count stitches, right? Math isn’t a problem? Because I’m pretty sure you meant a six-off, maybe a seven off, but if you want me to do better than that, I’m definitely up for it, especially if you keep doing that.”
She snatched her hands out from underneath the hem of his T-shirt, where she’d absently sought his warm skin.
Inspiration. A lark. Not real life. But she was definitely going to enjoy the hell out of it tonight—and maybe longer.
…
It took both of them plus Helen to haul the yarn to his truck. She insisted on putting it in the back seat so she could admire it, and then she snapped a photo. God, she was cute.
“So, where are we eating?” she asked, sliding into the truck next to him.
“A farm-to-table restaurant with excellent reviews.” And it was attached to a charming inn. He didn’t make empty promises. He’d spent half his time today planning their route, and the other exploring a website dedicated to female pleasure, which meant he’d been semi-erect for most of the day and had a half-dozen new reasons to give her to spend tomorrow with him.
He’d hit the limit of his ability to keep his hands off of her. Not distracting her while she was shopping had been torture, but worth it to put that smile on her face. He was starving and horny as hell. He jabbed the button to start the truck and then turned to look at her. “Dinner. Hotel. Naked.”
She grinned. “Amen.”
With that settled, he backed out and headed down the road.
