I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been until relief went through me. I’d basically cornered him earlier, so I hadn’t been sure if he was just agreeing because I overwhelmed him or because he’d actually wanted to.
The day was good. I had several clients so I was busy. Any idea of where you want to go eat?
There hadn’t been time to learn if he was on any kind of weird diet or just had a passionate hatred for fish. I’d met some people who automatically assumed everyone was on some kind of crazy weird diet so they hadn’t even thought to mention it.
I thought that telling me you didn’t eat meat, gluten, or dairy would be important, but evidently not.
I’m good with almost anything…and that’s not helpful to you at all LOL
He was right, but he had me chuckling as I texted back.
Yep. Not exactly a font of information there.
His reply had me laughing.
So you don’t want me to be mysterious? As your stalker I think I’m supposed to play it cool.
I could picture that teasing grin of his, slightly embarrassed, but still trying to put himself out there.
You were so mysterious I didn’t even notice you were stalking me. I’m thinking you should go for something more noticeable this time. Like talking lol.
As I read his reply, I imagined the blush that sometimes crept up his face.
You’re asking for a lot. Stalking is a solitary pursuit.
I didn’t want solitary. I wanted to get to know my funny stalker.
Well I’ve changed the rules on that…now what do you want to eat tomorrow lol don’t make me guess.
He messaged back quickly and I could almost imagine the smile on his face.
Oh, the quiet reader has a bossy side that matches those tattoos huh?
He had me very curious about his definition of bossy.
Yes, but you only get to see that side if you behave.
He made me wait longer that time, and I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Had I overstepped some invisible boundary? When my phone dinged, I smiled.
It’s a good thing you can’t see how red I am.
It was my turn to make a confession.
No I liked seeing you blush.
That had been the right answer, or at least not a wrong one, because he messaged back quickly again.
Not commenting on that lol…back to food…um…anything you don’t like?
Had he changed topics because he’d gotten uncomfortable or because he hadn’t known how far to take the flirting? I had a feeling it was possibly both. The question in his mind was probably how far to push the guy who’d thought he was straight until just a few days before. Getting back to what I was supposed to be texting him about was harder than I’d expected. Flirting with him felt natural…easier than I’d thought it would.
I’m open to just about anything. There’s a new place a few miles from downtown. It seems to have a mix of things so there should be plenty of options.
It wasn’t a chain restaurant, but I’d heard good things about it. Evidently, they had everything from steaks to fancy tacos, so we’d have to see how it tasted, but no one had said anything bad about it yet.
Sounds good. I think Eli and his boyfriend were there the other night. He said it was good if I’m thinking of the same place.
Do you want to meet over there or do you want me to pick you up?
As careful as people were in dating, I wasn’t surprised when he texted back immediately.
I’ll meet you there.
But then the follow-up made me smile.
Not because you look creepy or because as your stalker I’m supposed to be mysterious but I might have a late shoot depending on people’s schedules.
His job had to be a bit like mine in that normal hours didn’t always apply, so I could understand the need to be flexible.
What time do you want to eat? 7 sound good?
I was hoping that would be late enough for him, but we could make it later if he needed us to. I was just curious to see how it would go.
That’d be perfect. It’s been a long day for me so I’m going to head to bed but I’m excited about dinner.
Then just as quick…
Not that I’m trying to sound clingy or weird…I’m just a stalker not nuts.
Laughing, I wandered back over to the table and sat down.
Good to know. You go to bed, I’m going to work on my project for a while. I’ll see you tomorrow.
I wanted him well rested for our date, and something about his texts said he wouldn’t mind my being a little bit controlling.
Night bossy
Good night my stalker.
Words I’d never thought I’d say to anyone.
Chapter 6
Lane
“You’re wearing that?” Eli’s voice came from behind me and made me jump.
Turning my head, I continued getting dressed. “What? I look good in these jeans.”
I’d picked out my nicest jeans. Ones that weren’t too tight but showed off my ass and legs. I had a lot to learn about what Wilder was attracted to, but the jeans were a good bet either way. Hanging up on the rack beside me was a slim-fitting button-down shirt that looked great with the jeans.
It was a good date outfit, so I wasn’t sure what Eli was going crazy over.
He just stood there shaking his head, half-naked, dressed in black lace panties and a matching fitted tank top. I’d been right when I’d thought the shoot might be in the late afternoon. But the timing had worked out perfectly, because I could head over from the studio to dinner and still be on time.
“The clothes are fine. Boring, yes, but you looked good when you came in. It’s those that I have a problem with. What are you wearing?” He looked like he was either terribly offended or had seen a spider.
“Your drama is starting to leak out all over the floor.” The underwear wasn’t that bad.
The black boy short underwear was cute and comfortable, but not exactly sexy—or feminine, which was what had caught Eli’s eye. I wasn’t exactly shy, but I was more conservative than Eli when it came to how I dressed. Most of the time, people would’ve never guessed I had sexy feminine things underneath my regular clothes.
That was how I liked it. I didn’t need to stand out or be flashy, that just wasn’t who I was.
“Those are not I’m going out on a date with a sexy tattooed hunk underwear. Those look like you have the flu and had to stumble to the doctor’s office.” Eli’s eyes dragged down my body, in an almost clinical way, like he was trying to analyze me. “You said this was a date. This isn’t some kind of I’m going to pretend to just hang out with the straight guy so I don’t make him uncomfortable thing, is it?”
Sighing, I gave up trying to get dressed and let my jeans fall back around my ankles. I probably looked ridiculous, but everybody else was in a similar state of undress, so it didn’t matter. “First of all, even if it was, it’s none of your business. You promised you weren’t going to butt in. Remember?”
Eli rolled his eyes like I was ridiculous. “There’s not butting in and then there’s letting you torture yourself, those are two different things.”
“I’m not going to debate that with you. But no, this is a date. I just don’t want to overwhelm him and we haven’t had a chance to talk about more personal things. I told you that I wasn’t sure how much experience he had with men, and I didn’t want to surprise him.” From what he’d said and hinted at, Wilder had never been in a serious relationship with a guy.
Surprising him with interesting things on a first date seemed like a bad idea. Not that I thought we were going to get naked on the first date. I liked the guy, but I wasn’t going to rush. But I also wasn’t going to be caught in a situation where things got out of hand and I got naked—and oops, I’m wearing red lace panties.
Nope.
“If he’s someone that you have to hide who you are from, he can’t be Mr. Right. And he probably shouldn’t even be Mr. Right-Now.�
�� Eli got wound up about a lot of topics, and I could see I’d hit on one without realizing how it would sound to him. He kept going without pausing, not letting me get a word in.
“I understand about hiding things from your family, lord do I understand that, but this is different. You shouldn’t have to hide who you are from someone you’re dating.” I got how difficult seeing it from my perspective would be for Eli. The idea that I’d hide who I was or what I liked from a date probably hit every button for him, but that wasn’t how I saw it.
“That’s not it; I know who I am and what I like. But there’s no reason to spring something like that on him before we’ve had a chance to talk about it. He knows where I work, and he probably has some questions. But just in case things go further than I expect, I want to have a chance to talk to him about it first.” Some things you just shouldn’t spring on a date.
I liked to wear panties.
I liked to get spanked occasionally.
I knew I was cute but I was a bit of a math nerd and I played DnD with friends a few times a month.
There were lots of things you just had to ease people into. There wasn’t anything wrong with that. Wilder was already dealing with a lot. I didn’t see a problem with taking things one step at a time. I knew to Eli it would sound like excuses for hiding who I was, and maybe he was right. But it didn’t feel like that.
“You shouldn’t have to hide who you are. He’s sexy, but—”
“Who’s sexy?” We’d both been so wrapped up in the discussion that I’d missed Roman coming over. He wrapped his arms around Eli and pulled him to his chest, a wicked grin on his face. “Are you up to something, Brat?”
Eli sighed, leaning into Roman. “Not yet, but if I get into trouble, it’s Lane’s fault. He’s being ridiculous.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at Roman. “I’m not the one being ridiculous.”
Eli butted in, turning his head to glare at Roman. “He’s hiding what he likes from his date.” Then the death glare focused back on me. “And I don’t think you should go in there looking all vanilla.”
Roman chuckled. “Isn’t that his decision?” Then Roman focused on me. “The tattooed guy from the coffee shop, right?”
I nodded. “Yes, and he’s already had to deal with a lot; I’m not even sure if he’s dated a guy before.”
“If he’s already dealing with a lot, then I can understand why you’re being cautious.” Roman leaned in and kissed Eli’s cheek. “You, my brat, have to let him handle things in his own way. If he starts changing who he is and becoming some kind of little Stepford boyfriend, then you may butt in all you like. Does that work?” Barely suppressed laughter flickered through Roman’s eyes.
I shrugged. “Works for me.”
I wasn’t planning on becoming someone else. I stalked him, but I wasn’t obsessed with him.
There was a difference.
If Wilder couldn’t accept the fact that I was a guy, or that I had some feminine things in my closet and a lot of feminine things in my drawers, then we just weren’t right for each other. I was going to give him a chance to figure that out, though.
Eli grumbled, clearly not excited about the deal, but eventually, he nodded. “All right, but you have to call me tomorrow and tell me how it went. And you can’t wait a dozen dates into the relationship to let him know about everything else. It’s not fair to you or to him, and you don’t want to give me an ulcer.”
“And then I’ll have to give you a red bottom while you’re locked up in the cage, because you’ll be driving everybody insane.” Roman chuckled and glanced at me. “So you’ll be doing everyone a favor if you don’t wait too long.”
No one at the company knew what the word boundaries meant. “I think you would be the only one happy in that scenario. But all right, as soon as there’s an opening in the conversation I’ll discuss it with him. I’m not an idiot. I don’t want to get too attached to a guy who will never fit into my life.”
So I was a bit of an idiot, because I’d been mildly obsessed with a guy who I thought was probably straight. And who could very well end up walking away because he was straight and curious. But I wasn’t so lost that I would become someone else for him.
* * * * *
Kiss on the cheek…hug…handshake. Even as I got out of the car and started walking toward the building, I couldn’t decide the best way to greet Wilder.
I was clearly overthinking it.
Part of me was hoping he would be late so I’d have a few minutes to compose myself. But of course, he was right on time. As I made my way to the door, I saw Wilder walking from the other side of the parking lot to the front of the building. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took a minute to just watch him.
Yeah, I was a stalker.
He was dressed very similarly to me. Jeans and a button-down shirt, but where mine were tight and fitted to show off a leaner frame, his were tight because of his muscles. The cuffs on his sleeves were rolled up, showing off his forearms.
Part of me wished he’d worn another T-shirt so I could see his biceps and the tattoos that wrapped around them. Had he dressed up for the date, or had he made a deliberate choice to cover them? I wasn’t sure. There was a good chance we were both trying to downplay anything different about ourselves to make the other person more comfortable.
He seemed to be talking to himself as he made his way through the parked cars. A last-minute pep talk? Maybe talking out last-minute nerves about going on a date with a man? No matter what, it made me feel less worried.
When Wilder finally saw me, he smiled and started walking faster. “Hey, how was the photo shoot?”
I relaxed at the easy question. “Great, not much drama and I think the pictures will turn out good.”
Wilder laughed as he closed the last few yards. “So does that mean drama is a usual occurrence?”
I nodded, chuckling. “Absolutely. When you get that many artistic types together in one room, it can go badly.”
Especially with Eli and Roman in the same space.
Wilder stepped closer and his arms widened, clearly going for a hug. Relief flooded through me to have the decision out of my hands, and I gave him a quick hug in return. It wasn’t as awkward as I’d been fearing, and as he pulled away, I wanted to curl back against him.
His arms felt solid around me and the warm strength of his body was perfect. As he stepped back, he grinned and gave me a teasing smile. “Was I the only one overthinking that?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “No, I didn’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
“I get that, but I don’t want you to worry about how I’ll respond. If something makes me uncomfortable, I’ll let you know. But really, I don’t think it’s going to be as…different as I thought it might.”
Chuckling, I couldn’t resist teasing him. “I’m not sure different was what you meant to say. How about weird, or strange, or freaky? I think those were probably closer to what was going through your head.”
His rueful smile made me more comfortable, and I continued. “If I’m not supposed to worry about overthinking things, I want you not to worry about censoring yourself. I’m not easily offended, so don’t worry. Even if something comes out wrong, I’m not going to blow it out of proportion.”
He nodded, looking more at ease. “So you’re not a dramatic hothead who’s going to end up throwing dinner at me?”
The response came out so quickly, I knew it wasn’t just something random. “Why does it sound like you’ve already lived through that date?”
“Because you’re smart.” He stepped a little bit closer, and I wasn’t even sure he’d realized he’d done it. Smiling, he kept talking. “As long as you don’t dump a plate of spaghetti on my lap and scream at me, this will not go down as one of my most interesting dates. Even if this is my first date with a guy.”
First date didn’t mean first everything, but it was nice to get some information. “I can promise not to throw food at you. I’m not
sure I want our date to be classified as boring, though.”
He shook his head, and something heated flashed in his eyes for just a moment. “No, I don’t think you could ever be classified as boring.”
A shiver went down my spine.
He’d flirted with me.
“Well, hopefully by the end of the night you'll have other ways of describing me.” Sexy, intriguing…Hell, I’d take funny.
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” He reached out and started tracing a path from my shoulder down my arm. It wasn’t overwhelming or invading my personal space, but it was very deliberate on his part.
I wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but the look on his face was heated and curious. As his fingers explored my hand, another shiver went through me. He smiled and looked up from where our fingers had touched to give me a smile. “I’d been a little worried that the chemistry I felt in the coffee shop had been just my imagination. I’m relieved to find that it’s even better than I remembered.”
If he was trying to make me melt into a puddle of goo on the sidewalk, it was working.
My brain wasn’t functioning well enough to respond with something witty at that point. “Me too.”
That made him chuckle. “Are you relieved that you still feel the chemistry, or that I do?”
“Both.” I shrugged, not trying to look cool at all. “But mostly you; I’ve had a lot longer to realize that I found you interesting.”
“Because you’re my stalker.” That just seemed to give him endless delight, and I was relieved that he’d never found it creepy.
That’d never been my intention, but it could’ve come across badly.
His hand finally pulled away from mine, and he looked toward the restaurant. “Are you ready to go in? They don’t take reservations, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long.”
I nodded. “If we have to wait, that’s fine. We can just go sit at the bar and have a drink until our table’s ready.” As long as I got to hang out with him and get to know him, I didn’t care about where we ended up.
Wilder had been right, we hadn’t needed to wait very long. Before we knew it, we’d been seated with menus and the promise that our waitress would bring our drinks out in just a moment. Looking around, I enjoyed the feel of the restaurant. “I like all the stuff on the walls. When you first look at it, they seem like serious pictures and antiques, but then when you study it—”
Leashes & Lace Books 1-3: MM Romance Boxed Set Page 39