My Kind of Perfect (Finding Love 3)

“Not why are you asking me out… Why did you change your mind about wanting a girlfriend?”

“You did,” he says, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I couldn’t see myself putting my heart back out there again, risking someone hurting me, until you.”

I swallow thickly at the seriousness of his words. “Thank you,” I tell him, not caring that we’re having this conversation on the blanket at the beach, surrounded by his friends. “I’ll be careful with it.”

“I know you will. Now, how about that date?”

“A date sounds perfect.”

Chase

“Screw the date. Let’s stay home.” I’m only half serious. The half that’s staring at Georgia, dressed in a sexy beige off the shoulder dress that stops mid-thigh and shows off every one of her perfect curves.

Georgia’s eyes go wide, not picking up on my joke. “Why? What happened?”

I cut across the room and pull her into my arms. “You look too damn good. That’s what happened.” I kiss the corner of her mouth, not wanting to mess up the shiny lip gloss shit she’s wearing. Later, I tell myself. Later, I’ll mess that shit up.

“You’re so cheesy.”

“I’m dead serious.” I glide my hands down her hips. Touching Georgia has become my favorite pastime, an addiction of sorts. She’s soft and smooth and everything about her is so damn perfect.

“Let’s go, silly!” she says with a giggle. She steps around me and I have the pleasure of watching her ass sway from side to side, her heels clicking across the wood floor, as she walks over to the front door.

“You coming?”

I quirk a brow, letting her comment settle in for a moment. Of course, she doesn’t catch on because she’s too damn innocent.

“Yeah,” I say with a laugh. “I’m coming.”

Twenty minutes later we arrive at Salvatore’s, a small Italian restaurant on the beach that’s reservations only. The hostess shows us to our table, which is outside, then leaves us with our menus. There are four chairs, and knowing I’m going to want to touch Georgia, I sit in the one diagonal from her instead of across.

“I’ve never been here,” she muses, glancing out at the water. It’s early fall, so there’s a slight chill to the air. Not enough to be considered cold, but enough to make it nice out.

“A friend of mine owns the place.” It’s how I was able to get a last-minute reservation. “We grew up in south LA together.”

Georgia smiles. “Does your mom still live there?”

“Yeah, she won’t move away from there. It’s the last place my sister lived.”

Her smile fades. “I’m so sorry about your sister. I can’t even begin to fathom what it would feel like to lose my sister.”

Not wanting the night to take a sour turn, I shake my head. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Don’t do that,” she says, taking my hand in hers. “I don’t just want the good, the fun… I want all of you. The ugly, the scary, the shitty. I want it all.”

Fuck, this woman. I raise her hand and kiss the tops of her knuckles. “Thank you.”

We spend our date going from topic to topic. We talk about our pasts, our families, what we want for our futures. We laugh and joke and it’s obvious the chemistry between us is there. The entire time we eat and drink and converse, we touch each other. I learn I’m not the only handsy one in this relationship, and I love that she can’t keep her hands off of me.

It’s honestly one of the best dates I’ve ever been on, and I know it’s because it’s with Georgia and what we’re doing here is real. I spent the last year faking it, thinking it was the way to go about getting over the shit that happened with my ex-wife. But all I was doing was hiding behind a bunch of fake as fuck hookups. I don’t regret it because they led me to this moment, but looking back I could’ve handled it better.

After we share a slice of cheesecake for dessert, I suggest we go for a walk on the beach.

“Actually,” Georgia says, swiping her tongue across the seam of her lips. “I’d rather finish this date at home.” Her green orbs burn into mine, and she doesn’t have to tell me twice.

“Check, please!” I yell jokingly, making her laugh.

The second we’re through the door of the condo, Georgia’s arms go around my neck and I lift her off her feet, carrying her to her room. I drop her onto the bed and then take a moment to look at her. The way her hair is splayed out across her pillow as she looks up at me with her trusting emerald eyes and her perfect, pink, kissable lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

Her mouth curls into a shy smile. “Come kiss me.”

“I will, but first I want to explore.” Once my mouth touches hers, it’ll be damn hard to stop.