I paid the check, and we stood up, my body telling me how long I had been sitting in that chair. Dinner had definitely transformed into the longest date I had ever been on that didn’t include us rolling around naked in my bed. The crazy thing was, I didn’t want it to end. I could have sat there all night listening to her talk about her life, her dreams of traveling, and what she loved about Philadelphia. This had definitely turned into something more than what I thought it was going to be, and I was happy about that. I walked Reese outside and turned to her, smiling.

“Would you like to come back to my place and have another drink?” I asked, hoping the answer would be yes. “I don’t live far from here.”

“Oh, um, I can’t tonight,” she said, hailing a cab. “I have to go to work in the morning, and I need to be getting home. But thank you so much for this date. It’s been really lovely and surprising.”

She leaned forward and kissed me gently on the cheek, lingering for several moments. I could feel the heat surging through both of us, and I wanted to reach out and kiss her deeply, but I refrained. She was tender and fragile in a way, and I didn’t want to scare her off after getting her to loosen up as much as she had tonight. I didn’t know what to say to the fact that she didn’t jump at coming to my house, so I stood there, watching her blush.

“Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me,” I replied, slightly disappointed.

She climbed into a cab right after pressing her warm lips to my cheek once again, and she disappeared into the city traffic. The valet had already contacted my driver, who was sitting in front of me with the car, waiting for me to climb inside. To say that I was slightly disoriented by the way the date had ended would be an understatement. No one ever said “no” to coming back to my place. Then again, Reese was not your typical girl, and her turning me down no longer made me feel like I had no chance. She was so intriguing and mysterious, and I wanted to know more and more about her.

I climbed into the backseat of the car and watched as my driver shut the door. I pictured her sitting next to me. To my surprise, the image of her in my head didn’t show her next to me for one time only. I imagined her by my side like it was part of a normal routine. We weren’t even dating at this point, but I was starting to feel comfortable with the idea of being around her on a regular basis. I didn’t know what this girl had done to me, but there was no way that I was going to be able to leave her alone after this night together. She had enchanted me with just how real she truly was, and I knew that I had to continue to try to get her in my life… and my bed.

I sat back in the seat as the lights of the city passed me by and we came closer and closer to my penthouse. My imagination raged, thinking about her body, the way she moved, and how she had no preconceived notions or personal agendas. She just presented herself exactly as she was. She was sexy, grounded, and sweet, and I could tell she had a total heart of gold. It was completely blowing my mind how much I was into this girl, but instead of running away, I was dead set on keeping her firmly in my life. Still, I knew none of my normal tactics would work. I knew that I would have to learn to bend and move if I wanted to get her to stay.

When I got to my penthouse, I went upstairs and sat down on the couch, looking down at the remote. I flipped on the television and found a movie, smiling at myself for taking the time to relax. Reese was already affecting me in a positive way, and there was no way I was going to let this girl get away.

Chapter 8

Reese

It had been several days since I’d gone on the date with Blaine, and I couldn’t get him off my mind, not that he would really let me with his sweet texts and beautiful flowers. Friday at the office was my favorite day, the day that we really gave the pups some attention, groomed

everyone, and played with the kitties for several hours. We prepared for the weekend crew to come in and took care of everyone, and I got to really get in some good fur-head time. On a normal day, I was so inundated with paperwork and normal care duties that I was losing the ability to really spend time with the animals, something that was important since it was the entire reason Leena and I started this business to begin with.

Lenna and I had arrived at work at the same time, exchanging smiles and going about our normal routine, getting the bathing and grooming stations all set up. It was our time to get prepared for the day, both mentally and physically, and we seldom started conversing until the first animal was on the table. Today, we were going to start with Bruno the Mastiff that would take both of us to wash. He was huge, but he was the sweetest and most loving dog I had ever met. I had fallen in love with him when we first started the business, and he had been coming to us for a couple years now, whenever his mom and dad had to go out of town.

I looked down at my phone as Leena poured the shampoo on Bruno’s head, laughing at his big face. He hated baths, but he would sit still for us since he knew he would get a treat afterward. I put my phone back in the pocket of my scrubs and reached up, massaging the soap into his fur.

“You going to tell me who you have been texting all morning?” Leena asked.

“I think you know.” I smiled, glancing over at the two dozen roses scattered about the office.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Leena replied. “He has brought you out of your shell. When are you guys going out next?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He hasn’t asked yet, and to be honest, I’m really nervous about it. I really like this guy. He is sweet, generous, and is so very patient with me. On top of that, he has been doing things like relaxing, watching movies, and taking care of himself all because I told him that it was important. It’s like he really listens to me when I talk.”

“Wow,” she said. “You sound like you really like this guy.”

“I know,” I sighed. “And that is part of the problem.”

“Why in the world would that be a problem?”

“He’s already asked me back to his place once,” I said. “If I continue to see this guy, I am not going to be able to continue to just blow him off when it comes to going to his place, especially since I keep trying to tell him that sometimes, just being out of the public eye can make you so much calmer. I don’t know what to do.”

“I think that is bullshit,” she replied. “I think you know exactly what to do, but you are scared.”

“I mean what am I supposed to say?” I asked. “Do I just come out and tell him that I am a virgin?”

“Your virginity has been this evil ghost that’s haunted you your entire life,” Leena said, grabbing the spray and washing the soap out of Bruno’s fur. “You’ve let it control every relationship you’ve tried to have. Instead of focusing on this amazing bond that you’re developing, you’re missing all the good parts of the honeymoon period of a relationship because you are too worried about sex. For someone who doesn’t have any, you think about it more than any girl I know.”

“It’s important to me,” I said. “I mean, I’m not saving myself for marriage or anything, but I’ve waited this long, so I don’t see why I need to just give it up to the first hot guy that shows me interest. It’s a delicate situation, and I want to make sure I’m making the right choice.”

“Personally,” she said, finishing up the hose down. “I would just sleep with him and get it over with. I think you’ll realize that it’s not as big of a deal as you’re making it out to be. Not only will that give you a physical connection to this guy, but it will open up your emotional relationship, too. He’s already shown that he is not in it just for the sex, so why not take it to that level?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “What if he gets it and then is gone?”

“Then you learned a lesson,” she said, pouring the conditioner onto Bruno’s fur. “And you have started taking control of your own body. Right now, whether you want to admit it or not, you are letting your emotions control you, or fear of emotions actually. If you sleep with him and he leaves, you need to know that you are able to take a step forward and really embrace your sexual side. Do it for you, not for him. It will make you a stronger woman.”

Tags: Mia Ford Romance
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