“One... two...”
“Yes,” I said, breaking through his counting. “I’ll have dinner with you. As long as you keep these”—I grabbed his hands—“to yourself during it.”
He slid his hand down the curve of my back and grabbed my ass yet again—the other cheek this time. I was going to have imprints of his fingertips permanently sealed onto my skin at this rate.
“You got it, angel.”
He’d told me to dress comfortably, so dress comfortably I had. Even as I was on the phone with my best friend, who had a last-minute freak-out over her flowers before demanding we move onto West.
“So, he’s coming with you?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Even though you’re not actually sleeping together anymore,” Allie confirmed.
“Yes.”
“Riiiiiiight.”
“What does that mean?”
She laughed. “It means I think you’re crazy. You’re probably in Vegas for another seven full days, max, and you’re worrying about this now? Just screw him, Mia.”
“You know, it’s getting ever more worrying that you, my virgin best friend, are giving me an increasing amount of advice about sex.”
“And I keep telling you. Just because I haven’t done it doesn’t mean I can’t tell you to do it.”
“Yeah, all right. Whatever.”
“Mia, obviously, you like this guy.”
“And that’s why I’m not having sex with him. It makes me like him more.” So did his laying me down and dancing on top of me, but that was beside the point.
“I just think you need to stop worrying. I know you’re the queen of all dating disasters, but honestly, I think part of your problem is that you take it too seriously.”
This from the one about to get married.
“I told you last week. If you’re really this attracted to each other, trying to ignore it is only going to make things worse.”
“They can’t get much worse.”
“You could be pregnant. That would be worse.”
“Why would you do that to me? You know I’m on birth control. And you know I don’t want babies yet. You’re the worst best friend ever.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I think you should go over there, thank him for dinner, and then get your nasty on.”
“I thought you were the sensible one in this friendship. If you start being the crazy one, I have no idea how I’m going to end up. You’re my voice of reason, and without the reason, you’re just...”
“Telling you exactly what you want to do?”
“Exactly. And I can’t. I told him I can’t. I told myself I can’t. I won’t do it, Allie. I am not going to take my panties off for that man tonight.” And he’s not slipping them to the side, either.
“Call me if that happens. If not, I’ll sleep well knowing you’ll sleep well, and I’ll see you on Friday morning.”
I pulled into West’s driveway. Despite his insistence to get me after my agreement, I’d put my foot down and told him in no uncertain terms that I would be driving myself.
Of course, part of the problem with that was that his nosy neighbor, Mrs. Evans, had seen my car, and she was running a bag of trash out to the can at the exact moment I got out of the car.
“Helloooo, dear!” She wriggled her fingers at me, a giant smile on her face.
“Good evening, Mrs. Evans,” I called back, holding my hand up in greeting.
“Dinner with dear West?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She excitedly pursed her lips. “Well, you two have fun, won’t you?”
“Thank you.” I smiled and waved again as she disappeared inside her house. Did she keep something by her front door for times like these?
West’s door opened almost immediately. He stared across the street for a moment before he even acknowledged my presence by pushing the door wide open. “She means well, but I think she has something by her door at all times.”
“I literally just thought the exact same thing.”
“Great.” He took my hand and pulled me up onto the step next to him. “Now, I know she’ll be watching, so don’t kill me for this.”
He clasped the side of my neck and dropped his mouth to mine. I’d expected him to do it, but I was shocked all the same. I leaned into him, practically melting against him as his lips moved across mine so tenderly and honestly that my toes curled inside my shoes.
I felt warm everywhere, and I almost forgot why I was fighting against this.
Almost. Not quite.
West pulled back from me and slowly opened his eyes. The raw honesty I saw reflected back at me clenched at my heart.
That was, perhaps, the realest touch we’d ever shared.
And we both knew it.
“I thought you said you’d keep your hands to yourself,” I said softly, breaking the silence.
“I did.” His eyes flipped from raw and emotional to playful in seconds. “During dinner. I made no promises about before or after it.”
“West Rykman, you are a sneaky little shit.”
He grinned, grabbed my hands, and pulled me into his house. He shoved the door shut behind me, and then he cupped my face and kissed me once more.