Page 84 of Starting Back
“That’s not true. What about that seafood place on the coast?”
He shook his head. “That doesn’t count. I mean a place where our meal is on a plate, not in a basket. As far as we’ve come and how fast we got here, there’s still a lot we need to do.”
“So,” I started, studying his face for a minute. “You want to date me now?” I chuckled, but his mouth stayed a hard, flat line.
“When I ran into you when you were on that date, at a table sitting across from another guy, I almost lost it. Not only becauseIwanted to be at that table with you, but because I never had the chance to take you out on a real date.”
“And I guess that’s why you sent drinks over,” I teased, cocking a brow. “The same drink you made for me the night we met. If I weren’t so mad, I would have appreciated the sentiment.”
“You weren’t mad. Flustered, frustrated, maybe.” He sat up, leaning in to brush my lips. “Nothing changed between us, the only difference was that I admitted it before you did. I heard you were stubborn.”
He swept the hair off my neck and painted a trail of tiny kisses down my shoulder. I shut my eyes as that side of my robe drooped down to my elbow, savoring the wet warmth of his lips as he sucked a nipple into his mouth.
“Who told you that?” I asked in a scratchy whisper, grasping the back of his head as he dragged openmouthed kisses across my chest.
“Everyone who knows you.” He slid the other side of my robe down my shoulder.
“You can date me if you want,” I joked, my eyes popping open when Leo weaved his hand into my hair, latching on to a fistful and tugging my head back.
“Let me be clear.” Heat rushed between my legs at his low growl. “OnlyIdate you. No more of these tools from the app, no more of anyone but me. Got it?”
“I never wanted anyone else, that’s been my big problem since I came back.” I straddled his lap and let the rest of my robe fall away. “Same goes for you.”
His hooded eyes widened as he burst out laughing.
“By now, all of Kelly Lakes knows I belong to you. And I’m very glad they do.”
I took his face in my hands and slanted my mouth over his. The kiss was slow and deep as Leo groaned against my lips.
I backed away, running my thumb over the bristles of stubble covering his jaw.
“Italian is my favorite food. Probably because that’s what I mostly grew up with. But tacos are a weakness and the only reason I agreed to that date you saw me on.” I smiled at the low moan escaping him when I wrapped my legs around him.
“Then I’ll take you for Italian next, and maybe after that, we can go back to that Mexican place where I can actually enjoy the food this time because you’ll be across the table fromme, where you belong.” He drew me closer, skimming a callused finger up and down my spine, goose bumps breaking out along its path from both his touch and the possessive burn in his gaze.
“Those kinds of nights will be rare. When I go out to eat, I usually have to check the menu for chicken fingers and French fries because I have two picky eaters who don’t allow me much variety.”
“I am very into chicken fingers and French fries, so all that sounds perfect to me.”
I sat back on my heels, squinting at Leo’s serene smile.
“You sure about that?”
“I’m sure about you,” he said, sliding his hands under my hips and pressing me closer to his chest. “Any time I can get with you, that’s perfect.”
THIRTY-ONE
KRISTINA
“Where are you going?” Emma asked from my bed while she lay on her stomach, her head resting in her hands as she observed me in the mirror.
“I’m going out to dinner, nothing big.” I smiled at her reflection as I coated my lashes with mascara.
When she scrunched her nose at me in reply, I couldn’t blame her for being confused.
When I met my dates from the app, the girls were with their father and had no idea what I was doing while they were gone. And even if they were here, I did not put even close to this amount of effort into how I looked.
Leo and I had plenty of sex, but he’d brought up a great point about not knowing the little things about each other because we didn’t have the time—and never expected to last past our hot and heavy beginning.
