“Certainly. It looked lovely on you.” She gave me a gentle smile. “I’m glad to see you’ve made a new friend. You haven’t had much time to relax. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
“Er—no.” I frowned. Well, she knew. Or at least thought she knew what must have happened last night. And in all honesty, I still wasn’t sure what had happened. Well, some parts were crystal clear: David’s kisses, the way his mouth felt against my skin, and his laughter. Then there were other parts that were clear, like the disdain on his face when he realized I was a virgin or the shame I had felt when he backed away from me. If I never saw him again, it would be too soon.
“Okay. Well, your morning is pretty empty. If you have something you’d like to do, let me know and we’ll get it taken care of. Or if you’d rather just relax, that’s a good plan too.” Selene smiled.
“I think I’d like to read for a little while. I can’t remember the last time I read for fun.” Samantha had given me several books that she thought I would enjoy. Getting up, I walked over to my bedside table and pulled the drawer open. Vain by Fisher Amelie looked up at me and I touched the pretty cover. A distraction would be a welcome thing this morning. “Would you let me know an hour before our next appointment?”
“Of course,” Selene said. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Thank you.” I took the book back to my little sofa and curled up under a blanket. I read the intriguing synopsis, opened the book, and got down to business. By the time two hours had rolled around, I was so engrossed I could barely think of anything else. I hated Sophie, the main character, before pitying her. Then I fell in love with her and the hero just as quickly.
There was a knock at my door, but I was in the middle of a particularly gripping paragraph and didn’t want to get up. “Come in!”
I didn’t look up until I was finished and that was when I realized that David had entered my room, not Selene. He was wearing jeans and another of his damn flannel shirts and had tucked his hands into his pockets. He looked determined and frustrated. Maybe even a little nervous.
I stared at him, wondering why he was here. What could he possibly have to say that hadn’t been already said? My virginity freaked him out and he’d apologized. Yeah, that pretty much summed up everything we had to say to each other.
However, my mouth was apparently not on the same wavelength as my brain. “You left your jacket. Selene said she would get it back to you.” I shifted in my seat so that my feet were touching the floor. That’s when I remembered I was wearing an old pair of pajamas.
“She brought it to me.” He rocked back on his feet. “How are you—”
“What do you—” I shook my head as our words overlapped. He smiled, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t do that funny thing to my heart. “Did you need something?”
His mouth twitched and I could tell he was doing that thing where he tried to decide what to say. “I think we should go out on a date.”
“What?” My eyebrows pulled together and I frowned.
“A date. Like to the movies or grab some food.” He shrugged one shoulder and gave me a half smile.
“The movies?” I stared at him dumbfounded. Go to a movie theater?
“Or whatever you do in Lilaria on dates.” He scratched at his chin. “I’m willing to do something else.”
I looked down at my bare feet sticking out of the faded night pants and thought about it. Just the idea made my stomach do flips. Could I have a normal night with him after he had turned away from me? After he had seen me mostly naked?
“You’re asking me out on a date?” My brain refused to completely compute what was happening.
“I’d like to see you again.” His head bobbed a little as if he was agreeing with what he had said. “I’d like to get to know you better.”
Maybe it was that last sentence. Or perhaps it was the fact that I really had enjoyed talking with him last night. It could even be the fact that he looked so damn adorable standing there asking me for a date. But my mouth once again took over and my answer burst forth without thought.
“I’d like that.”
“Good.” A grin broke out on his face. “Tonight?”
“Um, I have to check my schedule.” I frowned.
“You know, with any other girl I might think you were trying to find an excuse, but you probably really do have to check your calendar.” He chuckled, but I caught the nervous hint underneath.
“I’m not trying to find an excuse.” I rolled my eyes. “Free time is sometimes hard to come by.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” He smiled sheepishly. “About last night—”
“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “Let’s just forget last night.”
“There are some things a man can’t forget.” He looked at me with deep eyes. “But we can start over—try things from the beginning.”
“This means we’re not going to talk about the whole stripping mishap, right?” I stood up and held out my hand.
“Oh, now that isn’t something anyone can forget.” He wrapped his fingers around mine. “Hi, I’m David Rhodes.”
“Hi, David. I’m Cathy.”
“Nice pj’s.” His eyes ran over my body and I wondered if he was imagining what was underneath.