Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

“Are you over him now?”

“Over and out.”

“Fantastic. Then perhaps you might start to notice me.” He threw her his killer smile that made her forget to breathe for a second. “When you’re ready, give me a sign. If you weren’t still dealing with such an avalanche of chaos, I’d have hunted you until you were mine. But I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to fuck this up. You’re precious to me.”

Hunt you until you’re mine.

How barbaric. And at the same time, it was kind of thrilling. His declaration stunned her. “Are you always this honest?”

“I’m not a flirt like John. I’m a simple man. And I’ll always be honest with you in the hope that someday, you’ll return my feelings too. Until then, I want you to know that you’re not alone. I’ll be your friend, your confidant, and one-man cheering squad.”

She searched his eyes and found sincerity in his deep emerald gaze. “You really like me, don’t you?” she asked in a small voice.

“Like?” Trent laughed. “Babe, you have no idea. But I don’t want to scare you so I’d better stop talking.” He motioned at the remnants of their dinner on the bench. “You done eating? Want to get going? You have work tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m done. I’m taking these leftovers home. You?” He also didn’t finish his sandwich.

“I’ve had enough. Cuban sandwiches are rather heavy for this time of the night. I probably could polish it off if I had an empty stomach.”

“I agree.”

As she helped him clean up their mess and put everything in plastic bags, Arielle received a few envious stares from women as they passed them.

What the hell am I doing? The thought sobered her. I’m with an insanely hot and kind-hearted guy and we’re just friends. Something is wrong here. If I go out with him right away, would that count as a rebound relationship?

Is this all going too fast?

But it’s not like I’m fragile.

I like him and he’s a nice guy. What do I have to lose?

As they walked back to the car, she was seriously thinking about what he said. Give me a sign when you’re ready. She guessed she was ready, but how would she let him know?

Oh God, this is awkward. She hadn’t dated since high school, so she forgot what the rules were. Were rules even necessary at this point? She and Trent had passed beyond that. She knew his parents and family and they were practically like a newlywed couple, without the sex.

Jesus! Just the thought of it made her blush even more.

Without thinking, she grabbed his hand, and Trent stopped and looked at her.

She totally forgot what she was going to say. “Um, sorry,” she squeaked. She tried to pull her hand away, but he gripped it tight.

“I’ll never let you go, Arielle,” he said.

Her heart raced. Did he know what she was thinking? Was she that transparent? This was kind of embarrassing…

But it was also what she wanted. She wanted to mov

e forward.

Out with the old. Embrace the new.

The new with him.

Oh, to hell with it, here we go. She cleared her throat. “Trent, I need to tell you something.” She motioned for him to bend down; he was so goddamn tall.

“Closer,” she said.

When he got close enough, she grabbed his shirt collar and kissed him on the lips.