“It’s unexpected, but is it unwanted?”
I realize what he’s asking. I’ve spent the last eighteen hours thinking about him constantly. He’s consumed my thoughts and his touch ignites my body. I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t want to let it go.
“No, it’s not unwanted. I can give you a chance, but we move forward with caution. I don’t mean we have to go at a snail’s pace, but I don’t want to jump into anything too quickly. I want complete honesty between us and I will not tolerate being the other woman. I won’t be walked all over.”
His eyes become liquid and his mouth moves up at the corners. “I can do caution, honesty, and slow. But you need to know, I won’t tolerate being the other guy either. I’ll work on my jealously with Finn and his roommates, but no one else, Raven. You’re too sexy for your own good and I can only handle so much.”
“Okay, Declan, we can give this a chance.”
He kisses me quickly on the lips, “Can we eat now?”
I jump down and get some plates. “Sure,” I say as I smile at him.
*****
“How did you know my two favorite choices?” I ask him as I shove the eggroll into my mouth.
“The first night we met, you ordered your Shrimp Fried Rice, but then shared the Cashew Chicken with Finn. I thought maybe you would share with me.” He shrugs his shoulders as he starts to eat.
“Are these your favorites too? Do you even like them?”
“I wanted to make you happy. I was a total jackass.”
I don’t say much as we finish dinner. He tells me how busy he has been with the band the last few weeks. It sounds like he and Cooper are taking on a larger roles trying to market the band to larger venues. The Steamroom brings in a decent college crowd, but Nashville is a music hotspot and there are several areas for growth and publicity. Sayge agreed to play Thursday and Saturday nights at The Steamroom, but different venues and more exposure would reach a greater audience.
I tell him about my schedule and some extra stuff I’ve been doing. I started taking modern dance class on Monday nights at this little studio I found around the corner from campus. I had grown up dancing, but I quit last spring when Finn and Robbie came home from Iraq. I was finishing Emory and wanted to be home on the weekends as much as possible. He listens to me as he cleans up the leftovers and we move to the living room.
“Um, Declan, I was starting a movie when you broke in earlier. I’m not sure if it is the kind of movie you would be interested in.”
He raises his eyebrows, “What movie?”
Magic Mike.
“Your plans tonight were to sit around and watch a movie about male strippers by yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Well, don’t let me stop you. Let’s restart it.”
I bite my lip. I’m already hot and worked up from him. There’s no way I can sit next to him during this movie. “Let’s choose something else.”
“Why? Are you embarrassed?”
I think about lying, but I don’t have it in me. I know my face is pink and I’m still biting my lips as I try to hide my obvious discomfort. “Yes, I think it would be awkward. Why don’t you pick something or we can talk some more.” Talking is the last thing I want to do, but I can’t tell him that I want to wrap myself around him again.
He stares at me for a few minutes, not saying anything. The room gets hot and I know he knows what I’m thinking. He finally speaks, “Why don’t we watch something on TV, maybe an On-Demand series or something.”
“Perfect! I’m going to grab a drink. You can pick. Would you like anything?”
He shouts ‘beer’ as I walk into the other room. I have to calm my nerves before I go back in there.
When I get back with our drinks, he’s settled in the middle of the sofa with the remote in hand. He chose “Modern Family.” “I thought we could start from the first one available and work our way through.”
“Declan, it’ll take a while to get all the way through, maybe even weeks. That’s the whole last season.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” He grins up at me and I decide I love this plan.
Chapter 11