Damn she loved the look of this man.
He wore an old leather jacket that fit firmly to his shoulders and made her want to peel it right off him. His legs were encased in faded denim, but the jeans weren’t too old with holes or anything—just perfectly fit to his legs in the ideal blue. The black boots he wore only accentuated the sexy bad-boy image that made her heart beat even faster.
He’d put a knitted beanie on his bald head since it was still a bit cold outside despite the fact that it had warmed up some that day. Of course, with Denver weather, it could drop below freezing tomorrow and then be almost shorts weather the next day.
“Wow,” she whispered, and he grinned at her.
“You’re pretty wow yourself.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. His eyes were bright, as if he wasn’t sure how he’d ended up here either. Of course, she was probably just projecting.
“So…you want to come in?” She bit her lip. Why was this so awkward? This was Sloane. They saw each other practically every day. He was in her shop more often than not just to talk. Or in Sloane’s case, to grunt and mumble unless something was truly important to him. They knew each other…so why did this feel different?
Because it was different.
He tilted his head, studying her face. “If that’s what you want. I have reservations at Illusion in a bit, but I can move that if you want to do something different.” He grinned again. “I didn’t actually ask you what you wanted to do after all.”
She let out a breath. “We did this a little backward, didn’t we?”
He shrugged. “So what? We’re doing this, whatever this is, our way. That’s all that matters. So, why don’t you go put a jacket on and we’ll head to Illusion. We’ll figure the rest out when we do.”
She nodded, oddly warming at his words. She liked the use of the word our. She hadn’t been an our in far too long. As soon as she got her jacket and purse, she locked the door behind her and stood on the front porch with Sloane. He slid his large, calloused hand over hers and she licked her lips.
He’d touched her in the past, of course; slight caresses or a small pat on the back.
But he’d never held her hand.
This was happening.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice low, deep.
Was she ready? She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready, but here she was, with Sloane, as whole as she could be and about to take a leap.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “Yes, I am,” she said a little more clearly.
He met her gaze and gave her a nod. “Good.” With that, he led her to his truck, a very sexy extended cab with thick tires for the winter. She knew he also had a bike he used whenever it was warm, and she’d always imagined riding behind him, her thighs wrapped around his body as they rode.
She blushed, annoyed with herself for even blushing in the first place, and pushed those thoughts from her mind.
Date first.
Sex later.
As soon as Sloane got into the cab, he raised a brow at her. “Either you’re cold from standing outside too long with me or you’re thinking dirty thoughts.”
She snorted and waved her hand. “I forget you know me so well.”
He licked his lips. “Does that mean you’re thinking dirty thoughts?”
This was Sloane, she told herself once more. She could be herself.
“So what if I was? You’re sexy, and I was thinking of your bike.”
He smiled then, his teeth white against the tan of his skin. “When the weather gets warmer, I’ll take you for a ride.”
Of course, her mind immediately went to the thought of riding him. And then the idea of her riding on his bike in general. Did he mean that he wanted her with him, as in with him, on that bike or was it just a friend thing?
And why the hell was she thinking so hard.
“Stop thinking so hard.”
She gave him a side-eye as he drove. “Stop reading my mind.”
“I can’t help it. It’s just what we do.”
“True,” she mumbled. “What are we doing, Sloane?” She hadn’t meant for that last part to come out, but she apparently couldn’t hold it in.
He let out a sigh and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, as evidenced from the whiteness of his knuckles.
“I’m taking you out. We’re going to eat, talk a bit, then we’ll figure it out.”
She pressed her lips together. “And? And what then? I mean why now? Why did you wait until Brody asked me out to do anything?”
He let out a little growl then pulled over to the side of the road. Her eyes widened as he put on his flashers and turned to her.
“Okay, let’s get this straight. You and I? We’ve been circling each other for a while now. I know it. You know it. So let’s just say it.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right about that, but—”
“I’m not done.”