It takes me by surprise and when we break apart, he explains. “It had been far too long since I’d done that. I hope you don’t mind.”
I smile. “I don’t mind. Actually, I was wondering what took you so long.”
He kisses me again, longer this time, then says, “That should last me until we get to the car.”
I laugh. I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way. I’ve wanted to kiss him this whole time but I didn’t want to appear too forward. I’m someone who prefers the guy to make the move. And Pearce keeps doing it when I’m least expecting it, which I find to be a total turn on. So that unexpected kiss just now? Extremely hot.
We return to the paved trail and walk back, hand-in-hand, to our cars.
“I know it’s still early,” I say, “but I’m really hungry. Would you mind if we eat now?”
“Not at all. What did you pick for dinner?”
“A little Italian place not far from here. It’s family owned. They have really good food.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go.” He leads me to his car and opens the door for me. I’ve never been in a Mercedes. This one’s brand new. It even smells new. And it’s immaculate inside.
I show him where to go and when he sees the restaurant he looks concerned. The outside does look kind of bad but it’s cute inside, with checkered tablecloths and candles on each table.
When we’re seated, I say, “This place isn’t very fancy, but like I said, the food is good.”
“I don’t need fancy.” He points to himself. “See? I didn’t even dress up this time. I ditched the suit and went casual.”
I start laughing. I didn’t mean to. It just happened. “That’s casual? Dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie?”
“This isn’t casual?” He’s completely serious.
“No.” I calm my laughter, but I’m smiling. “I would say what you’re wearing would be considered dressed up. Not casual.”
“What do you consider casual?”
“Jeans and a t-shirt.”
“I don’t own jeans. And I only wear t-shirts when I’m at the gym.”
“You really don’t own a pair of jeans? Not one pair?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Have you ever owned a pair?”
He stops to think, then says, “No.”
“You just don’t like them? Or what’s the reason?”
“They’re not proper attire for social gatherings.”
I almost laugh again but I hold it in. “What kind of social gatherings do you go to?”
“Fundraisers. Charity events. Auctions.”
“What about when you go out just for fun, like to the movies?”
“I don’t go to the movies.”
“What do you mean? Like recently? Or ever?”
“I’ve never gone to the movies.”
“How is that possible? Why haven’t you gone?”
“It’s just something I’ve never had the desire to do. It’s not that I haven’t seen movies. One of my friends in high school had a theater room in his house so I’d watch movies there. I just haven’t been to an actual movie theater.”
“So if you’re not into movies, what do you like to do for fun?”
“I go to the opera. The symphony. Plays.”
That doesn’t sound very fun but I don’t tell him that.
He smiles. “I know what you’re thinking. Those things aren’t exactly fun. And you’re right. They can be quite boring, although I do enjoy the symphony and I’ve seen several good plays.”
The waiter keeps walking by, like he wants us to order so I open my menu and Pearce does the same.
When I close my menu, Pearce says, “What would you like?”
“I’m getting the lasagna, but you don’t have to order for me. I can do it.”
“So you do find it offensive?”
“No, it’s not that. It just feels kind of strange. I’m not used it. Is that really an etiquette rule? That the man orders for the woman?”
“Yes, but like I said, it’s rather old-fashioned so if you’d like to order for yourself, go ahead.”
The waiter returns, and out of habit, Pearce starts to say my order but then stops and motions me to continue.
We have another perfect dinner in which the conversation flows seamlessly from one topic to another. I find Pearce to be very funny in his own unique way. I like his sense of humor. His funny comments come out of nowhere and are sometimes so subtle it takes me a moment to get it, but when I do it’s always really funny. He’s very smart. Even his humor is smart.
As we’re waiting for the check, I tell him the idea that’s been brewing in my head all night. “So I had this idea, but first I need to know something.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“Will you be asking me out again?”
He grins and reaches over to hold my hand. “I will most definitely be asking you out again.”
I sit there, quietly.
His smile fades. “Did you not want me to ask you out again?”
“I want you to ask me, but I’m waiting for you to do it.”
He smiles as he brings my hand up for a kiss. “Rachel Evans, would you go out with me tomorrow night?”
“I would love to, but I would like to pick the place we go.”
“And what place is that?”
“I would like to go to a movie. At a theater. And split a bucket of popcorn.”
“They sell food in a bucket?” He looks horrified.
I laugh. “Yes. They do.”
He nods. “If that’s what you would like, then that’s what we shall do.”
I swear, I’ve never heard the word ‘shall’ used so much in my entire life. Pearce uses it all the time.
“And before the movies, maybe we could go to the mall?”
“The mall?” The horrified look reappears. “Do you mean a shopping mall?”
“Yes.” I laugh again. “Please tell me you’ve been to a mall before.”
“I’m not sure that I have. I have a personal shopper who buys all my clothes and delivers them to my loft.” He pauses to think. “Actually, now that I think about it, yes. Back in college, I took a girl to the mall. But it was just one time and I haven’t been back since.”
“We don’t have to spend long there, unless you want to eat dinner there. They have a lot of restaurants to choose from.”
“Since you seem to be planning this date, you go ahead and pick. I’ll plan the next date.”
I smile. “So you’re asking me on another date?”
“I am. Are you accepting?”
“Yes. I find you quite charming, Pearce Kensington. Although the fact that you’ve never been to the movies is a bit concerning. But we’ll remedy that tomorrow.”
The waiter brings the check and Pearce sets some cash out. “So earlier you said you had an idea. What was your idea?”
“I want to introduce you to some things you haven’t done before, like going to the movies. But that’s just a start. I have all kind of things in mind for you.”
Dammit. That sounded dirty and I didn’t mean for it to. Maybe he didn’t take it that way.
“I’m intrigued.” His sly smile says that he took it that way.
“I didn’t mean that—”
“I know you didn’t. Go ahead.”
“I’m not going to tell you what I’ve got planned. You just have to go with it. Are you up for it?”
“I will try most anything once, so yes.”
“Great! So should we get out of here? It’s still early. We could go back to my apartment.”
I hope he doesn’t take that as an invitation for sex. That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t want to say goodbye to him yet, so I thought we could hang out at my apartment.
He agrees to it, not showing any signs that he’s expecting anything. I guess I’m not sure what those signs would be, but he’s been a complete gentleman the whole time I’ve known him so I don’t think he’d pressure me into doing
anything I wasn’t ready for.
“Just drop me off at my car and then follow me,” I say as we’re driving away from the restaurant. “My apartment doesn’t have a parking lot so you’ll have to park on the street.”
We go back to the museum and I get in my car and drive the short distance back to my apartment, with Pearce following behind me. When we arrive at my building, Pearce scans the neighborhood.
“Just lock your car,” I tell him. “It should be fine.”
He meets me on the sidewalk. “I’m not worried about the car. I’m worried about you. I don’t like this neighborhood, Rachel. It’s not safe.”
“There’s always police patrolling the area, so it’s usually okay. I try not to go out at night.”
I let him into the building and we walk up the three flights of stairs.
“There’s no elevator?” he asks as I unlock my door.
“No, it’s an old building.”
When we get inside, he inspects my door. “These locks aren’t adequate. Someone could easily break in.”
“What are you, a security expert?”
“I know a lot about security. When you have my kind of money, you have to be extremely cautious.”
I pull him into my apartment and close the door. “Well, I have almost no money and nothing valuable so no criminal would want to break in here unless he wants my cupboard full of mac and cheese.”
“Rachel, I’m not joking about this. You need to get better locks. And an alarm system.” He walks over to the window. “And in a neighborhood like this, you should have bars on the windows.”
“Pearce, I don’t need any of that. I’ve lived here for over a year and never had any problems. I don’t have anything to steal.”
“Yes, but there are other reasons a man may try to break in.”
I know what he means and it makes me shudder. “That won’t happen. I keep my doors locked.”
“Let me get you some better locks and an alarm system.”
“No. I’m fine. Really. I’m good friends with the girl next door and we keep an eye out for each other. Speaking of her, I wanted to introduce you to her. She’s been gone a lot lately. I’m not sure if she’s home. I’ll call her quick.” I do, but she doesn’t answer. “I guess she’s not there.”
When I hang the phone up, I turn and see Pearce looking at the trophies on my bookcase.
“Those are for swimming,” I tell him.
“When you told me you like to swim, I thought you just meant in the summers at the local pool. I didn’t know you swam competitively. And won.” He points to my medals. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
I meet him by the bookcase. “Because I really miss it, so I don’t like talking about it.”
“You don’t swim anymore?”
“I do, but not as much as I used to. In high school, swimming was my life. It’s all I did. And I swam all through college, and as you can see, I did pretty well. But then I moved here, and between school and work and other stuff, I don’t have time to swim. And if I get that grocery store job, I’ll have even less time.”
He leads me over to the couch to sit down. “Rachel, don’t take another job. One is enough.”
“The museum doesn’t pay enough. I need something else.”
“Would you consider letting me give you some money?”
“No. I’m not taking your money. You didn’t think that’s what I meant when I said I didn’t have money, did you? Because I wasn’t asking for money. I swear, that is not what I meant.”
“Of course not. But if you need some help—”
“I don’t need help. I’m good.”
My parents taught me to never take handouts. To work hard and only buy what you can afford. So although I’m struggling to pay my bills, I wouldn’t feel right taking money from Pearce, or anyone else.
“Well, the offer is always there.”
I pick up the remote. “You want to watch TV? This place doesn’t have cable but I can usually find something to watch.”
I turn to see him looking at me. It’s more than a look. It’s heat. Desire. Attraction. I know because I feel it too. I was trying to ignore it all night because it’s very distracting, but now it’s front and center, lingering between us.
He hasn’t answered me about the TV. And before I can say anything, his hand slides under my hair, around the back of my neck, and he leans in and kisses me. I drop the remote and kiss him back, letting him know I don’t want him to stop at just one. I want more. I need more. His kisses are amazing.
I lie back on the couch and he follows, not breaking the kiss. I feel his breath over my lips and I part them, inviting him in. His tongue moves slowly over mine as his hand trails from my neck down to my breast, gently cupping it while teasing the center with his thumb. A tingling heat fills my core, concentrating between my legs.
I undo his tie and slip it off, then unbutton his shirt. As I do, he kisses the side of my neck. I glance down at his chest. It’s smooth and muscular. I run my hands over the defined ridges of his abs, then make my way up to his broad shoulders and slide his shirt off. He sits up enough to take it off, then lies over me again.
We continue to kiss, my body heating up even more as the minutes go by. His kisses are slow, deep, sensual. Combine his expert kisses with the way his hand is moving skillfully over the fabric of my dress and it’s almost too much. I’ve never been this turned on before, an aching need building inside me.
He’s holding himself up with one arm but our bodies are still touching and I feel his arousal against my leg. Out of instinct or pure desire, I push my hips into him. He shifts so he’s between my legs and presses into me. It only intensifies that aching need, making me want more of him. All of him. I’ve never done it this soon after meeting someone. I used to think it was wrong. Part of me still does. But right now, with Pearce, it doesn’t feel wrong.
I reach between us to undo his belt.
“Rachel.” He says it over my lips. “No.”
No, as in he doesn’t want to do it? I’m confused.
“You don’t want to?” I stop and look at him.
He squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them again. “I want to more than anything, but…it’s too soon.”
I sigh. “I know. And I normally don’t do this, but something about this feels right.”
“I agree, but I still think we should wait.” He raises his brows. “Maybe just a few more dates?”
I smile. “I don’t know what difference that would make.”
He sits up on the couch and pulls me up next to him and looks into my eyes. “I know we just met, but I feel something for you that I’m not quite sure how to explain. But it’s good and I like it and I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to mess it up. But sex can sometimes do that. So I think we should wait a little longer before we go there. Even if it’s just a few more dates.”
I nod. “You’re right. We should wait. I just got carried away. I wasn’t lying when I said I normally don’t move that fast. It took six months before I did it with my first real boyfriend. And that was in college. It was my first time.” I look away, embarrassed I just admitted that.
He turns my face back to his, smiling at me. “Did you really wait that long?”
I glance away again. “Yes. And I only did it because I felt like I had to. I didn’t think my boyfriend would keep waiting. Of course, later I found out he was cheating on me the whole time. After that I decided I should wait until I’m in love. My next serious boyfriend didn’t come along until senior year and even then, we waited several months before…you know.”
Why am I telling him this? He doesn’t need to know this!
“So you were in love?” he asks.
“No. I just thought I was.”
“Have you ever been in love?” he asks in a cautious tone, like he doesn’t really want the answer.
“No. I haven’t.”
A week ago I would’ve answered differently. Before I had that talk with
Shelby, I’d convinced myself I used to be in love with Adam. I did so because I thought I had to have loved him. Why else would I have dated him for that long? And agreed to marry him?
“Have you?” I ask Pearce. “Ever been in love?”
“No. Never.”
“Good.” I say it without even thinking. Why did I say that?
“Good?” Pearce is smiling at me. “And why is that good?”
“I didn’t mean to say that. I don’t know why I did.”
He holds my hand. “You’re right. It’s good neither one of us has been in love. If we had been, it’s likely we never would’ve met.”
I smile at him. “I’m really glad we met.”
“I am too. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“Shelby said the same thing.”
“Who’s Shelby?”
“My neighbor. She’s crazy, but in a good way. We’re friends. We hang out a lot.” I hear a door close in the hall. “Hey, that’s her. Do you want to meet her? I really want you to meet her.”
“Then, yes, but I need to put a shirt on.” He stands up and starts putting it on.
I watch him button it up. “I really like you without the shirt.”
He leans down and gives me a kiss. “I guarantee I’d like you without that dress. But that’ll have to wait for another time.”
He helps me up and we walk out in the hall. I knock on Shelby’s door and she answers.
“Hi, Shelby, is this a bad time? I know you’ve been gone a lot so—”
“It’s not a bad time. Come on in.”
“I brought someone with me. I wanted you to meet him.” I step aside and Pearce appears next to me. “Shelby, this is Pearce Kensington. The man I met at the lecture series. And Pearce, this is Shelby. My friend and neighbor.”
They look at each other but don’t say anything. I understand why Shelby doesn’t. Pearce is so hot he tends to make you forget to speak. But I don’t know why Pearce is so quiet.
“Are you two going to say anything?”
Pearce clears his throat. “Yes, sorry. It’s very nice to meet you, Shelby.”
He shakes her hand.
“Nice to meet you too,” she says.
And then more silence. This isn’t going how I thought it would.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Needing Her Page 11