Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
I want to do something special, not make her uncomfortable.
In the end, I decide on something she might think is ultra childish, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. She picks the date and time, and when I offer to pick her up, she lets me.
Saturday at seven, she slides into the car smelling like chocolate, coconut, and flowers. The scents mingle perfectly on her.
“My favorite place.” It’s my deepest hope that this doesn’t backfire. “Coming right up.”
Half an hour later, we pull up outside my warehouse. “Oh.” She blinks. “You forgot your wallet? Phone? No, you texted me when you got to my building.”
“I didn’t forget anything,” I say to her.
“Your favorite place is your condo?” She could be pissed, but she’s intrigued.
“It’s not my favorite place, but this activity can be done anywhere. It was my favorite thing as a little kid and as a big kid. I thought about so many places. All over the city, all over the world. I just didn’t know what would be right.”
She leans over and puts her hand on my knee. “I’m so sorry, Mont. I didn’t mean for this to be stressful. I was just trying to be playful. I thought this would be fun.”
I didn’t give her any hints about this. I didn’t tell her how to dress, and she brought a backpack that she put in the backseat of the car when she got in. I now wonder if she packed other clothing in there, just in case. She’s dressed sporty right now—white sneakers, black athletic leggings, and a fitted T-shirt with a huge green alien cat that’s eating planets.
“I had fun wracking my brain and worrying that it would be the wrong thing no matter what I picked.”
She chuckles, but her hand strokes my knee tenderly. “Are you nervous about this?”
“I am,” I answer honestly. “You?”
“Yup. So nervous.”
“This isn’t the best place in the world. I’m not even sure where that is. I love this city. It’s been good to me, it’s been good to my family, and I have lots of memories here. We’ve had vacations in other countries, in some great spots, and one day, if you want, we can go there. I just wasn’t sure today was the right day.”
“It’s hard to pack that much activity into a period of just a few hours. I have zero expectations about this, and it was all just for fun. I’m excited to be here with you.”
“Even if it’s just my condo?”
“It was fun and eventful last time,” she replies and grins.
“I promise this time will involve less sheep’s butt.”
“Will it involve you eating my pussy again?” she asks saucily.
All that sass makes my mouth drop open, but then I can’t not laugh. She laughs, too. Yeah, it was clear what we were both thinking about all week. It’s nice to know she was on the same page as me. It was near torture not being able to touch her. We should have arranged a mid-week date, but we waited, and now we’re here, and for the next however many hours Evilla wants to give me, we get to share them together.
“Only if you want me to,” I reply with a smirk.
She shakes her head. “Nope. I was hoping this would be the most anti-pussy eating night of my life.” She can’t keep it together. She bursts out laughing.
I’m laughing right along with her.
We go up the metal stairs at the side of the building. This time is more relaxed. We’re making dirty jokes this time, we’re excited to be here, and her nipple isn’t falling off. I’m also not carrying a hundred crab containers and worrying about her nipple falling off and becoming a medical emergency while beating myself up for not getting her to a hospital. This isn’t the unpredictable ending to an unpredictable night.
This is our night, and it’s going to be great.
Inside, I made sure the surprise was complete. I watch Evilla as she steps into the living room. You can’t miss the pile of camping equipment that looks like it’s been dumped there by someone planning a six-month-long backpacking trip through a foreign country.
“Oh,” she breathes. This could go either way. “Camping!”
“Indoor camping.”
“Indoor camping?” She reaches for my hand this time, like she did in the car with my knee, and takes it. My fingers officially belong to her. She can have every part of me if she wants.
I make sure I keep my eyes locked on the camping gear after that thought, though, because there’s no use frightening her away by being way too intense all over again. We’ve already gone down that road. It almost led to an all-out war and her quitting her job.
“Indoor camping. Remember how I said I never slept as a baby? It’s been pretty much a lifelong thing. Some people just suck at sleeping, and I’m one of those. Some nights are great, while others don’t involve the word sleep. I do a lot of what my mom calls night walking, which includes everything from real walking to sitting and watching TV, listening to music, reading books, gaming, to—”