Page 7 of The Originals

Meg smiled. “Got an answer for everything.”

“Yeah, and you got no reason not to go out with me.”

That seemed to stump her. She rocked back on her feet. It was as if she was deeply considering the date, but something was holding her back.

“I’m not going to sleep with you.”

Mick caught himself before laughing and cupped his mouth. So that was the issue. It was fair and valid. He assumed she was the type of woman who made a man work for it. He’d have to prove himself worthy to share her bed. She wouldn’t just lay down with any man. Meg was the polar opposite of Mick when it came to sex. And strangely enough, he liked it.

Mick stepped forward, and she immediately froze. He had about half a foot on her, forcing her to crane her neck and look up. He brushed his knuckles over her bare shoulder, and she shuddered slightly. He leaned in and whispered, “Ever?”

Her throat bobbed, and her neck turned a deep shade of pink. “Not on the first date.”

Mick forced himself not to smile, but his lips twitched, and he turned his head. The last thing he needed was for her to think he was laughing at her. He wasn’t, though he did see the humor in this situation. It had been over a decade since he’d taken anyone on a date. Even longer since he hadn’t fucked after first meeting a woman he was interested in. This girl didn’t check any boxes in the list of criteria he’d wanted in the past.

Game changer.

“No fucking on the first date. Got it.”

He realized his mistake the second her jaw dropped.Fuckingprobably wasn’t the best choice of words for a woman like Meg.

Shit!

“Or the second,” she blurted, narrowing her gaze.

I deserve that.

Meg lifted her chin and straightened her back. “Not the third either.”

Christ!Mick had just dug a bigger hole for himself, and now he was questioning if she was even worth it. That thought was fleeting, and he grasped her hand.

“Dinner and a movie. That’s all I’m asking for.”

She gulped. It was cute. Sweet and innocent, yet there was something of a vixen in her. She just kept it well hidden, he guessed.

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the movie theater. It’s only a few blocks from my house in Turnersville. Seven o’clock?”

Mick raised his brows. He’d expected to have to fight harder. “Yeah.”

The corner of her mouth curled, but her gaze flickered past him. He looked over his shoulder and saw her friend standing by the back door with a well satisfied grin on her face.

“I have to go,” Meg said, and slipped past him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there,” Mick said, eyeing the way her jeans curved around her ass.

Meg was a few feet away, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. She stopped suddenly and spun around. “I changed my mind, though.”

“’Bout the date?” He laughed.

A small smile played on her lips, and she shook her head. “You can bring the motorcycle.”

That’s my girl.

And she would be.

Chapter Two

Meg tucked her hands in her back pockets and bit her lip, peering down the main road in front of the theater. This was a bit awkward. And aggravating. She looked over at the clock on the bank building. It was a painful reminder she’d been standing in front of the movie theater for over fifteen minutes—alone.