Five First Dates (Sassy in the City 2)

“Ew. That’s gross and manipulative.”

“Very.” My gut told me I was right. There wasn’t much other explanation for it. The oven beeped and I stood up to put the pizza in. “It’s a fifty-fifty shot that text wasn’t an accident either. He sounds like a guy who wants to be in charge of everything, all the time.”

“That makes me feel like I need a shower.”

I put the pizza in to bake and returned to the couch. “Who’s on deck for your next date?”

“Dakota’s choice. He’s a club DJ.”

Cool enough job, but not enough power to be a total dick. That could be bad for me. “When is that?”

“This week. Then in a few weeks I have Grant and Leah’s engagement party to go to.” She put her feet on the coffee table. “God, I just realized Yates will be there. That was so dumb. I should have just met him there and then decided if I wanted to go out with him. Now I’m going to spend the whole time avoiding him.”

Sully had started to cry and root around for Savannah to feed him, so she eased up her sweater and unhooked her bra. We’d had a couple of discussions about the etiquette of nursing. She’d been trying to hide herself, using a blanket or leaving the room. I had told her there was absolutely zero reason to do that in her own home. That I respected and understood she was doing the most natural thing on earth—feeding her child.

I meant that. One hundred percent.

That didn’t mean that seeing her bare flesh didn’t make my mouth dry. Because it did. But I was glad that after only a couple of weeks she felt comfortable enough around me to be at ease with it. Of course, on the flip side, it also meant she had me solidly in the friend zone.

Being Mr. Nice Fucking Guy was backfiring on me and I hated it. I was starting to think I would be better off getting her so hot and turned on, that she begged me to fuck her.

That sounded way more fun than listening to her talk about other guys.

But I was still enjoying being around Savannah, hanging out with her, getting to know her better as an adult, so I needed to calm down and be a little patient. My cock didn’t agree.

“It’s going to be a big engagement party, right?” I asked. “There will be a few hundred people there. You can avoid the ass— I mean, him.”

“I just am annoyed that I have to spend the whole time thinking about him instead of having fun and celebrating Leah and Grant’s happiness.”

Jana and I had already talked about the impending engagement party. She’d wanted me to make a play to go with Savannah as her plus-one but I’d said that wasn’t going to fly since I hadn’t met any of her friends yet and I was needed to stay at home with Sullivan. But now… maybe I had an in.

“Want me to go with you? Show this guy someone finds you totally hot. It will annoy him you have another date so soon.”

Savannah eyed me. “God, that’s actually really tempting.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“Why would you want to go to a party with people you don’t know?” she asked. “And have to pretend to think I’m hot.”

“I know you, that’s enough for me. You should be able to enjoy yourself without worrying about some guy with zero manners. And I don’t have to pretend you’re hot, because you are. Hot.” I studied her, wanting to bury my hand in her hair and pull her to me. “I don’t need a watch to tell me that you’re gorgeous.”

She bit her bottom lip, teeth sinking in that delightful flesh as she turned to me. “You don’t have to say that. Or take me to the party.”

“I don’t say anything I don’t mean. Just like I don’t have to tell you you’re gorgeous and I don’t have to go to an engagement party. I want to do both.”

She patted my knee in a way that was so friendly and non-sexual it was frustrating. “You’re very sweet. It would be fun to show Yates I’m not sitting around at home in need of a date. I think he thought he was doing me some sort of favor. I’d need to find a sitter for Sully. I have used a woman a few times in the past that was good. One of my co-workers recommended her.”

“Give her a call and see if she’s free.” I stood up to check on her pizza before I showed her how my thoughts were the exact opposite of sweet. “Want me to grab your phone?”

“Sure. It’s in my purse.”

I brought her the purse she’d tossed down by the front door and left it beside her. I went into the kitchen and pulled out the pizza. I was a guy who liked to eat healthy but cauliflower just can’t be pizza. It’s too far of a reach. “You know,” I said to her from the kitchen. “If a crap vegetable like cauliflower can reinvent itself as pizza, anything is possible. It’s the ultimate dreams-are-possible food. It’s very inspirational, though gross.”

She laughed. “I like cauliflower! In all its forms.”

“It smells like socks when you cook it.” I set the pizza on the top of the stove and didn’t think it looked very appealing. It looked pale and limp. “But I guess everyone has different tastes.” As I dug through the drawers to see if she had a pizza cutter, because it seemed like if anyone would have one, Savannah would, I heard her greeting someone on the phone.

It sounded like she had called the babysitter.