I scrunched up my nose and fought back a protest as I hurried into the bathroom. While I washed my hands after, I stared at myself in the mirror above the sink and shook my head. I didn’t see what Isaac saw, but I liked that he seemed to like what he saw. I liked feeling desirable after so long.
Coming back out, I found Isaac chopping potatoes. He looked up at me and his eyes heated. A part of me, the part that hadn’t been out in almost two years, wanted to hide in the bathroom. The rest of me wanted to know what all that heat entailed.
“This is a lot different from how I thought my night would go.” I shrugged and sat down across from him. “Honestly, I’ve never really had good experiences with dating, so I’d kind of sworn off it after Hank came along. So, this is a little weird for me. Like, I can’t stop the urge to tell you that I’ve peed on myself laughing two times since I had Hank and I’m concerned that it’s going to happen again and it almost just did happen again. But that’s a really embarrassing thing to say on a first date, right? So, why did I do that?”
He put the knife down, and I could see he was fighting a smile. “I don’t think it’s embarrassing. Embarrassing is going to a birthday party for a baby to get a date. I’m the one who should be awkward right now, not you.”
“I got picked up at a birthday party for a baby, so really, I’m the awkward one.” I groaned. “I got picked up atmybaby’s birthday party.”
“So. For the record. I did pick you up.” He puffed his chest out and stroked his beard. “Prettiest lady at the party, too.”
I reached across to grab the cutting board and knife and preoccupied myself with cutting potatoes even as I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m already here; you can stop complimenting me.”
“I’m not complimenting you to get anything from you. I’m just stating what I see. And I like what I see, a lot.” He shrugged like he wasn’t saying anything big. “You’re mincing the potatoes.”
I looked down to realize I’d been cutting the same poor potato into tiny chunks. Dropping the knife, I cleared my throat and walked around the island to get to the sink to wash my hands. I was aware of Isaac behind me, and that awareness traveled down my spine in a tantalizing way.
Leaning against the counter next to me, he looked down at me and smiled. “I haven’t had a date in a long time, either. I’m rusty, I’m sure. There’s no pressure, though.”
My stomach fluttered and I felt urges that I hadn’t felt in too long. He was so attractive, and he was funny. I knew basically nothing about him, but there was no way I could get involved with him on a more serious level. Not with Julian potentially ever being in the picture. I couldn’t date him. I could only enjoy him for that moment and then go back to my life of focusing on Hank.
“You’re giving me an interesting look, Mallory.” Isaac stood up straighter and moved closer to me. “What’s on your mind?”
Even his ability to ask about my thoughts was sexy. The man was a complete package, from what I’d seen so far. I blew out a rough breath and turned to face him fully. “I don’t date.”
He grinned. “And yet here we are.”
“I can’t date you. I have Hank, and he’s my focus. Plus, the thing with your brother. That would be weird later.” Not to mention disastrous. “But I’m so attracted to you that I can feel it all the way down to my toes.”
Quirking an eyebrow, he absently rubbed his hand over his flat stomach. “So?”
“So, if…if you were interested in one night, tonight, then that would be okay.” I would spend a lot of time later thinking about my morals, but I felt like a guitar string pulled too tight. Something was going to snap. Being around a man I found devastatingly good-looking for the first time in so long and hearing him tell me he found me attractive, it was like setting off a bomb in my brain. A one-night stand, something I’d sworn off, felt like the answer.
“Spell it out for me, Mallory.”
I shivered at the gruff tone his voice had taken on. “Sex. Do you want to have sex with me tonight?”
He grabbed my hips and pulled me into his body, letting me feel the stirring that was happening south of his belt. “Yes. But I don’t think I like your terms.”
I couldn’t think with his hard body pressing against mine. I let my arms dangle loosely at my sides, unsure if I should touch him. “No?”
“What if I’m greedy? What if I want more than one night?” He leaned into me and brushed his nose along my neck. “What then?”
I tipped my head to the side to expose more of my neck to him. He was so hot against my body, and his breath on my sensitive skin was giving me chills of pleasure. “Only tonight.”
“Tonight, and then you reevaluate your plans.”
I smiled and finally lifted my hands to rest them on his shoulders. “Are you negotiating?”
“To get more of you, yes.”
“You don’t even know if you’re going to like this. I could be terrible at sex. I could have a hairy nipple hiding under my dress that gives you nightmares for years.”
“Reevaluate your plans after.” He stroked his hand up my rib cage and his thumbs teased the skin just under my breasts. “Please.”
I nodded, already too far gone. “Fine. After.”
With that, he pulled away and grabbed another potato. “Will you grab that onion over there?”
I stumbled. “What?”
“I promised you dinner. I’m going to cook for you still.”
I stupidly stood frozen, watching as he carried on like we hadn’t just made plans to have sex. “But…”
With a grin at me over his shoulder, Isaac amped up my desire even higher. “If I only get one chance to convince you to see me again, I’m going to make it count. Now, can I have that onion?”