Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
She watched me in silence, her expression neutral, so I had no idea what she was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” I added, realizing I hadn’t apologized yet.
“You pretended to be my date, because you wanted to be? You were that sure?”
“Yes. You were beautiful, sexy, and your rambling was adorable. I have no explanation for my behavior, other than to tell you that it just felt right. I was so drawn to you that I was nearly desperate.”
She went quiet again, her brown orbs studying my face for so long that I began to worry that she would throw her hot dog in my face and storm off.
Which was why I was blown away when she said, “Other than a moment of dishonesty, I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
A wave of relief crashed over me, and I leaned over the table, cupped her cheeks and pulled her in so I could seal my mouth over hers. The kiss almost got out of hand, but I wasn’t about to let some paparazzi snap a picture of me with my girl in a private moment.
Reluctantly, I released her and sat back down. Her kiss-swollen lips were pink, and when her tongue darted out to lick them, I groaned and refocused on my lunch.
“Eat, baby,” I growled. “We need to go before I decide to eat you for lunch instead.”
Dakota gasped, but I didn’t look at her for fear that it would break my resolve.
After a few minutes, when it was clear that we’d both lost our appetites, we threw everything in the trash and walked toward the theme park hand in hand.
For the next six hours, we laughed, played arcade games, went on rides, stuffed ourselves with junk food, and had more fun than I could ever remember in my life.
By the time we called it quits, we were both exhausted. Dakota even fell asleep on my shoulder during the train ride back. When we arrived at 135th, she tried to convince me I didn’t need to walk her all the way back to her parents’ place.
“Bullshit,” I scoffed. “I’m not ending a date by letting my woman walk home, by herself, at night. Now get your sexy ass moving, baby.”
Dakota’s face flushed, and she gave me a sweet smile. “Okay.”
With every step we took closer to saying goodbye, I felt more frustrated. I wasn’t ready for the night to end. The next time we went out, I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to let her go.
5
DAKOTA
When we reached my parents’ brownstone, I stopped near the steps and tilted my head back to smile up at Ames. “Thank you for such a fantastic night.”
“I did good, huh?” he asked, one hand sliding up my back as the other lifted to cup my cheek.
“Better than good.” I nodded as anticipation swelled in my heart. “Coney Island was the perfect choice.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
I wasn’t sure it was possible for him to top today’s date since it had been so much fun, but that didn’t stop me from teasing, “Now that you’ve raised the bar even higher, what are you going to plan for our third date?”
“As long as you’re giving me more time with you, I’m sure I’ll come up with something.” He dipped his head and traced the seam of my lips with his tongue. When I gasped, he took the kiss deeper, leaving me breathless when he finally ripped his mouth from mine.
“Wow,” I breathed, blinking up at him.
“I want a fuck of a lot more of those kisses in my future, which gives me all the motivation I need to get creative with my date planning.”
I stroked my palms up his broad chest, smoothing out the soft material where I’d fisted it while he had been kissing me. “Just so long as you know that I’d be happy with something as simple as a picnic in the park if it meant spending more time with you.”
“I do, baby.” He flashed me an approving smile. “It’s one of the reasons I want to spoil the shit out of you because you don’t give a damn what I can do for you.”
I hadn’t really considered how much more difficult dating had to be when you wondered about everyone’s ulterior motives. “Oh, I’m interested in what you can do for me…but that has nothing to do with your money or fame.”
“Careful, baby,” he warned, his hazel orbs heating. “If you say more stuff like that, I’m not going to be able to walk away from you.”
“Good because that’s the last thing I want.”
“No, I mean literally.” He pressed closer, and his hard-on pressed against my belly. “If I get any more turned on, I won’t be able to hide my reaction to you, and the last thing I need is for someone to snap a pic of my dick when I’m hard as fuck. That shit would get shared far and wide.”