“And I’m crazy about you.”
Lila sucks in a deep breath. Her soft expression hardens, and her tone grows serious. “Please don’t make me regret this.”
“This isn’t a hookup to me,” I confess. “You’re the real deal, Doc.”
She glances up at me. “We have to take things slow. Don’t rush me. Don’t push it. I’m not a puck bunny. I’m not going to hop into bed with you on the first date.”
A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. “On the second one, then?” I laugh, and she smacks me on the arm. “Duly noted.”
“You know what I mean,” she groans.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight.”
Chapter Seventeen
Delilah
Duke stands in the doorway, dressed in gray slacks and a black button-down shirt. His eyes travel down the front of my dress and linger at my breasts. I chose a strapless red dress that stops mid-thigh and scoops down in the front.
“Damn, Doc.” He puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. “You’re either trying to kill me or test your rule about no sex on the first date.”
“Oh, this,” I say, waving my hand at my side. “It’s nothing. Just something I found in my closet.”
After I dropped Max off at her dad’s house last night, I went shopping. I bought this for Duke, but he doesn’t need to know that.
He pulls me into his chest with his big hand on my back and plants a kiss on my lips. “You look beautiful, Lila. If I wasn’t pretending to be a gentleman tonight, I’d rip this dress off you and skip dinner.”
I laugh so hard, I snort. “Good thing you’re pretending to a gentleman, then.”
When I turn around, Duke taps me on the ass, causing me to jump.
“Hey.” I rub my backside, pretending it hurt.
He shuts the door behind him and follows me into the living room. Duke slides his hand to my stomach, and the other falls to my ass, right where he smacked it. He holds me in place, and every inch of my body hums with electricity.
“You’re testing me, woman,” he says against my neck. “I think I might have a medical condition.”
I laugh. “Since when?”
“I don’t know if I can get rid of this erection any time soon… Not with you in this dress.”
“That’s not a medical condition,” I point out with laughter in my voice. “That’s your body’s natural response when excited.”
“I don’t know, Doc.” He rocks his hips into me, so I can feel his length. “I think it might get worse as the night goe
s on.”
“Duke,” I warn. “We had a deal.”
He breathes against my neck, and I fall back into him, leaning my head back on his shoulder. My nipples are painfully sore and digging through the thin fabric.
“Excited, Doc?” He laughs and then runs his finger along the side of my breast.
I want him to keep touching me. It’s been years since I last had sex. Wow, that makes me sound pathetic. I was still married for two of the three years.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Is it dirty?” I can hear the smirk on his lips. “I like dirty secrets.”