by K. C. Crowne
“Thanks,” Grace said. “It’s a blind date tonight, so I’ll need a little time to get ready.”
That piqued Nancy’s interest. “A blind date, huh? That’s how I met my ex, believe it or not. How are you feeling?”
Grace let out all the air in her lungs. “At first I wasn’t sure about it. I mean, who goes on blind dates anymore? But now that I’ve had some time to sit with the idea, I’m actually kind of excited. And Hayden here talked me into it.”
“That right?” Nancy asked as she leaned over the counter to help the girls eat.
Time for some major acting. “Yeah! I thought it sounded fun. And knowing Grace if there’s one thing she needs in her life, it’s some excitement.”
Nancy popped a spoonful of food into Lily’s mouth. “Well, as long as it’s the right kind of excitement.” She took one more look at the girls before standing up. “Alright, that should do it for me. You two need anything else before I head out?”
I exchanged a glance with Grace. “Nope – I think we can handle it from here.”
“Cheers. See you Monday.” She was off with a smile, gathering her things and heading out, the front door shutting echoing through the house.
“OK,” Grace said as soon as Nancy was gone. She checked the time on her phone. “It’s a little after five thirty. I’m thinking I can help with the girls and get them put down before Chris gets here at seven.”
“Wait, he’s coming here?”
“Yeah. Is that a problem? I can tell him to meet me if you want. But he’s not coming over coming over – he insisted on picking me up.”
“You know what?” I said as I poured a cup of coffee. “Don’t even worry about that. I can handle the girls from here on out if you want to start getting ready now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Sure. Come on,” I flashed her a smile. “You really think you’re going to start getting ready at six thirty and be ready at seven?”
She grinned, then rushed over to give me a big hug. Her slender body pressed against mine, her breasts against my chest…it was enough to make my cock twitch to life so quickly that I had to put my hands on her shoulders and gently break the hug so that she couldn’t feel my hardness.
“You’re the best. I’ll just be in my room changing, so if there’s anything you need…”
“Don’t you worry about that – the ladies and I will be just fine.”
One more smile, and she was gone. Once I heard the door to her room shut, I turned to the girls, fresh cup of coffee in hand.
“Well, girls,” I began, “What do we think? On a scale of one to ten, how much of an egg am I being?”
Rose smiled, Lily’s full attention on her meal.
“I don’t blame you,” I said to Lily. “If I was getting foie gras for dinner I’d be all about it too.”
I sipped my coffee, staying near the girls while they finished their meals. When they were done around six, I cleaned up and, sure enough, the ladies were on the verge of falling asleep in their highchairs. I scooped them both out and brought them upstairs. As I passed Grace’s room, I heard some 80s hair metal playing from under the door as she finished getting ready. I changed the girls and put them to bed, setting up the baby monitors. When six thirty came about, I was downstairs having another cup of coffee – as if my nerves needed it.
“Alright,” Grace called as she hurried down the stairs. “I’m finally ready.”
She stepped into the kitchen, and I just about made an old school spit take with my coffee when I saw her.
She looked so good that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She had on a clingy, form-fitting dark blue cocktail dress and matching heels, the dress clinging to her every curve and showing off a body that had been sculpted to perfection by a rigorous exercise regimen. The fabric strained against her round breasts and pert ass, the sight of her nearly causing my cock to rip through my slacks. It was all I could do to not salivate like a hungry dog.
“This isn’t too much, is it? He said the place was nice, but not formal nice.”
“You look great.”
Understatement of the freaking millennium.
“Thanks,” she said. “He texted me and said he was going to be showing up a little ahead of —” She paused midsentence, taking her phone out of her purse. “Shoot! He’s here.”
“Someone’s eager,” I said.
“I guess he’s excited to see me,” she said with a shrug. “See you in a bit! And if anything comes up with the girls let me know ASAP – I’ll come right back.”
“We’ll be fine,” I tried to sound reassuring though I felt anything but fine about her going out with another man looking like she did.
“Do you mind getting the door?” she asked. “Willow’s texting me right now and I want to type something up to let her know what’s going on.”
“Uh, sure.”
She locked her eyes onto her phone and started typing. Nothing else to do – I went to the front door and opened it.
And there he was right on the other side, flowers in hand. He was tall, a little on the gangly end of the spectrum, and dressed like a bit of a dork in khakis and square toed shoes.
“Uh, hi,” he said, clearly not having been expecting me on the other side.
“You the date?” I asked.
“I’m Chris. Who are you?”
Before I could answer, Grace popped into the room. The guy’s eyes lit up at the sight of her.
“Hey! Chris!” She came over and gave him a friendly hug, the two of them sharing introductions. “So, can I have two seconds? I just need to freshen up and then we can go.”
“Yeah, of course!”
Grace turned to leave, and Chris couldn’t resist feasting on her ass with his eyes.
Part of me had wanted to go easy on the guy. But him ogling her like that had me feeling all kinds of protective.
“So, what’s your story?” I asked.
“My story?”
“Yeah, what’s your plan with Grace?”
“Well, I was planning on taking her out to dinner and…”
“Because here’s the thing – I’ve known her since she was in braces. And if you’re one of those, what do they call them? Fuck boys? Yeah. If you’re one of those fuck boys who’s planning on getting her into bed and never calling her again, you’d better—”
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Grace stepped into the entry hall, an expression of total confusion on her face. “Hayden, I leave you here alone for two seconds and you’re talking about fuck boys?”
She sighed, blowing past me.
“Don’t wait up, Hayden.”
Then she shut the door and was gone. I stepped over to the bay window in the kitchen to get a look at this guy, not done with him yet.
Now, don’t be an arse, I thought. Can you really blame the guy for looking at her like that? She’s beyond sexy. He could be the perfect gentleman she’s been waiting for. Lord knows you’re not it.
As I was thinking those thoughts, I watched as Chris led her to his car and took the opportunity to give her backside another nice, long, up-and-down. I understood the urge like mad, but damn did it make him look all kinds of scummy.
He opened the door to his pearl-white Tesla, let her in, and soon they were off.
The moment they were gone I felt like a trapped animal. Relaxing and having a low-key night in sounded like the last thing I wanted. All I could think about was pervy little Chris getting her into bed, putting his hands all over her.
I couldn’t take it any longer. Rather than stew, I went to Ryan’s home gym after changing into my workout clothes. As I began my workout, the weights loaded on the barbell as I prepared to bench, all I could think about was that I’d almost certainly blown my chances with the woman I couldn’t get out of my head.
Chapter 17
GRACE
The date had been a disaster. No two ways about it. And the worst part was that it was just as much my fault as his.
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By the time Chris pulled up to the house, all I wanted to do was rush in there and forget it had ever happened.
But, of course, he wasn’t about to let me off that easily.
“Let me walk you up to the front door.”
Chris grinned at me, as if walking me up were a mere formality before he and I were in bed together.
“Oh, no, that’s all right. I think I can make it from here.”
He flashed me a cocky smile, that same smile that I’d been sick of since the second time I’d seen it. And I’d seen it many, many more times that night.
“I insist. It would be un-gentlemanly for me not to.”
Oh, we’re all about being a gentleman now? Could’ve fooled me with how many times your eyes landed on my tits tonight.
I wisely kept the words to myself, not wanting to make a dud of a date into anything worse. But one of the things about Chris that had really annoyed me over the course of the evening had been how insistent he was. He didn’t let me make a single, damn decision, as if he’d assumed that I was some airhead who needed a big, strong man to alleviate from my tiny, oh-so feeble woman brain the need to think about anything.
But I knew it’d be easier to just let him walk me to the damn door. After all, once I was on the other side that’d be the end of it. I could see what Hayden was up to, maybe steal some of the leftover takeout he’d likely ordered while I was gone.
“Alright. Sure.”
I placed my hand on the door handle, but before I could even pull it Chris was out, practically flying around the car to make sure I didn’t have a chance to sprain my delicate wrist by having to perform the unbearable manual labor of opening my own car door.
“Thanks,” I said, offering a pursed-lip smile once I was up and out.
The door was ahead a dozen or so feet up the stairs. After the night I’d had, it was about the sweetest sight imaginable.
“So, tonight was fun,” he said.
“It was…yeah, sure.” I knew I sounded like a total bitch after I’d said the words, but what was I supposed to do? Lie through my teeth and risk leading him on?
We stepped up to the front door, and my gut tensed as I realized what was coming next. I turned to face Chris and sure enough, his eyes were closed, his lips puckered and his face careening right toward me like a big ship trying to dock.
I’d been in that spot a few times before, so I pulled the standard move. I turned my head to the side, letting his lips touch my cheek. And once he’d gotten his smooch, I pulled my face away.
“So,” he said, the cocky smile on his face suggesting he hadn’t just been denied a real good night kiss. “How about I call you sometime soon?”
“I’m kind of busy this next week or two, but I’ll text you if I can.”
Once more he smiled as if he hadn’t been shut down.
“Perfect – talk to you soon.”
He flicked up his eyebrows before sauntering off. In that moment I was relieved that Chris was so clueless when it came to this stuff – it meant he was too oblivious to see what was really going down.
He waved one last time and I did the same. As he did, I was already mentally composing the “nice to meet you but I’m not interested” text I would no doubt be sending in the next few days.
Chris was soon in his car and on his way. Once he was around the bend, his headlights disappearing into the distance, I opened the door and stepped inside, relief washing over me as soon as I was back in the house.
“Wine.” I said the word out loud, as if I needed to confirm what I wanted. I’d only had a single glass while out with Chris, and now that the date was behind me nothing sounded better. After running upstairs to kick off my heels and a quick stop at the girls’ room to make sure they were sleeping safe and sound, I hurried to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of whatever had already been opened.
And as soon as I was seated at the kitchen bar, I got mad. But not at Chris.
At Hayden.
I thought back to when Chris had first arrived, when I’d stupidly told Hayden to answer the door and greet Chris. Why did I think he would react in any other way than being the ass that he’d always been?
Once Chris and I had finally gotten on our way, I’d hoped the whole Hayden awkwardness would be behind us. And it was – for a time. But during the middle of dinner at that overpriced seafood place Chris had insisted on taking me to, a faraway expression had crossed his face.
“Who was that guy?”
I’d already known the date wasn’t going to be one to write home about. The moment he mentioned “that guy,” however, I knew whatever might happen between Chris and I was dead in the water.
“He’s a friend.”
As if explaining it like that would solve the matter.
“A friend?”
“Yes. We’re watching my brother’s kids.”
“I see. And you and he are just…two people who happened to be taking care of the kids together?” Chris had knitted his brow, a clear sign that he was skeptical about some kind of funny business going on.
Then it just went downhill from there. How the hell was any guy supposed to hear about a relationship like what I had with Hayden? Sure, it was platonic. But he was also a six-and-a-half-foot doctor who looked like someone off the short list to play the next James Bond. Not a man alive who could stand toe-to-toe with a guy like him and not get insecure.
I angrily finished the first glass of wine, occasionally checking the nursery cam app to make sure the girls were doing alright. Part of me hoped that they might wake up just so I could have an excuse for some baby time instead of sulking by myself.
Right about the time I poured my second glass of wine, I found myself wondering where the man himself was. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since coming back.
I didn’t have to wonder for long. The instant I dropped my behind onto the kitchen bar stool I heard the plodding of bare feet on tile floor.
And there he was.
Hayden appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, his eyebrows rising in mild surprise as he took in the sight of me.
And of course he was dressed in nothing but a towel, one low enough to hang down past the notches of his hips, his sculpted body on full display, every muscle from his broad, round shoulders to his thick, toned arms glistening with fresh from the shower water.
“Wow. You’re back early. Didn’t expect him to get annoyed with you that quick.” He followed this up with his usual cocky grin, then started toward the fridge. I said nothing as he took out a bottle of Gatorade and cracked it open. He drank, his Adams’ Apple bobbing up and down as he drained the bottle.
I was furious with him, but the worst part was that the sight of his perfect body was making me soaking wet.
“You’re a real prick, you know that?”
He knitted his brow in confusion as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he smiled, as if understanding what was going on.
“Oh, I’m just messing with you. If he wasn’t into you, then his loss. Guy had miserable taste in shoes, anyway.”
“No, it’s not that. You ruined the date!”
His perplexed face remained fixed on me as he tossed the empty bottle of Gatorade into the trash.
“Uh, what? Grace, I’ve been here the whole time. Not much chance for date ruining when you’re on the treadmill.”
“No, you just had to give Chris the business when he showed up. You made some stupid comment to him, and it made him defensive, and then that put a damper on the whole date.”
Hayden crossed his arms under his powerful, broad chest, and leaned against the fridge. It took all the restraint I had not to ogle his thick forearms.
“Listen, kiddo, I don’t know what happened tonight, but if you’re going to try to pin it on me you’ve got another thing coming. If you’re upset the date was a bust, then fine. Have a glass of wine and relax, take a bath. But do not storm in here with a chip on your shoulder.”
“Why did you
have to say it? Couldn’t you have kept your mouth shut?”
He shrugged. “Sorry. I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you’d be like this. Sorry for being protective.”
I rose, stepping around the bar. “I don’t need you to be protective. That’s what it’s always been like with you – standing in the way of me having a normal dating life.”
“What are you talking about?” Now he was totally confused. I didn’t care, and part of me knew I was being totally irrational.
Whatever.
“All I want is to have a normal dating life. To find some amazing man, to fall in love, maybe even settle down. But I can’t have that because you keep popping up in my life when I least expect it.”
“Grace, I—”
I had no idea how he’d even begin to respond to what I was saying. Maybe it was the wine, but I was ready to let it all out.
“And now, here I am, a nearly thirty-year-old virgin who can’t even get laid if I try!”
There it was, right out in the open.
“Wait…what? You’re a virgin?”
He was stunned.
At that moment, all the piss and vinegar vanished.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
It hung in the air, and as it did, I had a choice. Did I lie and hope things could go back to normal between us? Or did I tell the truth and possibly ruin it all forever?
I’d never been much of a liar.
“Because ever since I was old enough to like boys, I’d always hoped you’d be my first. And I know it’s stupid and I know I should’ve gotten over it, but I —”
I didn’t get another word out. Hayden grabbed onto my hips and pulled my body against his, our lips locking hard.
The moment he touched me, I knew it was all I wanted, that it had been worth the wait.
We kissed. We kissed long and deep, my mouth opening and inviting his tongue – an invitation that he happily took. His rich, musky taste flowed over my palate, his tongue teasing mine, his hands moving up and down my curves as the kiss stretched into forever.
I grew wetter and wetter by the second, and as arousal took over, I began to realize that this encounter wasn’t going to stop at a kiss.