Page 61 of Wild King
Kellen’s eyes light up, and he says, “What do you say we do the old fashioned thing and try a date? Tonight, I mean. We can go out or stay in. Ladies’ choice.”
Is he serious? A date? “We’ve already slept together, Kellen. I think we blew by the dating phase at about warp two.”
Undeterred, he shakes his head. “So we did things a little out of order? So what? That doesn’t mean we can’t start fresh now. Come on. We can hang out and talk and do whatever else we want. We have this whole house to ourselves. Well, basically. I haven’t seen the giant for a while, but that doesn’t matter. Let’s do it!”
I can’t resist joking about what could definitely be considered a double entendre. “Let’s do it? What’s this it you’re talking about?” I ask with a big smile.
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t be against that it, but I’m talking about having a date. Tonight. Stay in or go out?”
I think about it and figure why not? Whatever Kellen and I were before, tonight we’re two people who just want to spend time with one another. “In. We’ve got good food. I think I saw a bottle of wine somewhere in the kitchen the other day. You’ve got beer if you want it. What else do we need?”
“Great! Let me go change, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen in ten,” he says excitedly.
He hurries off but quickly returns to kiss me. “I forgot. I’ve wanted to do that for a few weeks too.”
I watch him run up the stairs to his room and can’t deny Kellen King has something about him I love being around. Maybe it’s how playful he can be. Maybe it’s that he’s sexy as all hell. I don’t know. All I do know is I like him.
Who am I kidding? It’s more than like. It has been from the first time he kissed me that night in his suite at the resort.
I hurryto my room to put on the nicest dress I have here, my navy blue sun dress. I hadn’t planned on doing much socializing while I was working, so I didn’t bring many of my best clothes.
The blue dress will have to do.
As I pass by the mirror, I can’t believe how pale I look. God, I need to get outside more. I’m starting to look like some sickly Victorian woman everyone thinks has consumption.
Pinching my cheeks, I try to get some blood flowing to them. “The man isn’t going to be into you if he thinks you look like the walking dead,” I say to my reflection.
Everything else looks good. My makeup, or what’s left of it from this morning, still looks okay, and now that I have some life in my cheeks, I think I’m ready for my date.
That makes me smile as I study myself one last time. Leave it to Kellen to ask me out on a date. Maybe we are doing things backwards, but who cares?
I take a deep breath and say to myself in the mirror, “Relax. This isn’t really a first date. It’s more like the continuation of our time together after a long break.”
Still, I feel nervous like it’s a first date. That I could be shaky after the two of us slept together more than once is silly, yet as I make my way to the kitchen, my hands are trembling and my legs feel like they’re going to give out with each step I take down the hallway.
He’s standing at the island wearing a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, and I can’t believe how good he looks. “You clean up nicely from the shorts you’ve been wearing.”
Turning to face me, he smiles and shakes his head. “You look incredible. I’m sorry I don’t have anything nicer to wear here. I didn’t think I’d be doing much dating while I was here.”
I shrug and joke, “I didn’t think you did much dating at all.”
He winces slightly, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he blushes at my teasing. “Well, now that you mention it, I guess Idon’t, but since I’m all about turning over a new leaf while I’m here, it seems like a good time to start.”
Looking around the kitchen, I ask, “So what should we do on this date of ours?”
Kellen slides out one of the bar stools at the island and bows. “My lady.”
I feel my cheeks get hot from a blush. At least I don’t have to worry about him thinking I’m just days away from dying anymore.
“Thank you, sir,” I say as I sit down and he walks over to the refrigerator.
As he opens the door, he says, “Tonight we have for your dining pleasure the best lasagna in the world. It’s homemade from the best chef around, and I should know because she made my meals for the majority of my life.”
I can’t help smiling at how cute he’s being. “Lasagna sounds wonderful!”
Kellen sets the tray of lasagna on the island and pulls back the foil like he’s unveiling some secret gift he’s bought. “Notice how the pasta and the sauce blend magnificently with the various cheeses. It’s a masterpiece for the palate.”
Then he walks down the length of the island and grabs the tray of his favorite cookies. “And for dessert, another masterpiece sure to delight your tastebuds. Butterscotch cookies, made with love and care from the only woman on the planet right now who isn’t absolutely sure I’m the worst man around.”