“What?”
“I think you’re all talk and no go.” She slides me a look and nods.
“Oh, I’m always ready to go, angel. Are you?” She gets off the chair and takes my hand.
“Let’s go then.” She’s acting brave but her hand in mine is shaking slightly.
I open the car door for her like Mom said I should, and then we drive off to our next destination. A place where we would not run into anyone in our group, and hopefully not into the press. She looks around the interior of my vehicle, rubbing her hand softly over the leather seat.
“So, Mr. Grimm, ain’t you scared that once I see all your wealth and riches I won’t let you go?” I smile softly, knowing that she might easily be just as rich as me. There’s the Blackburn trust fund, and she made a hell of a lot of money with freelancing jobs during high school.
Since she didn’t go on dates.
Because of me.
“Oh, I’m hoping that you would keep me forever, angel.” I place my one hand on her leg, her dress moved up and most of her perfect thighs are exposed to my eager hungry eyes.
“Forever is a long time.” The worry that comes with the statement makes me uneasy.
“I have ways to make the time fly by.” I keep it lighthearted.
“I was thinking about adopting you, but it seems you take a lot of effort,” she smirks at me with teasing eyes.
“Adoption?” I say, “Well, as long as it includes me sleeping naked in your bed every night, I’m in.” She gasps and hits me with her fist on the arm.
“See, exactly the tiresome handiwork I was talking about.”
“Yeah, the things I plan to do with my girlfriend will be rather exhausting.”
“Girlfriend, huh?” she looks surprised, “And when did that happen, cause it seems I missed being asked.” She bites her lip with sparkly eyes and I know she’s doing it on purpose to rattle me. And I’m rattled.
“Wait, so you want to tell me THE GUY has to ask the girl to be his girlfriend? Seems a little unfair to me. Cause THE GUY also has to tell her he loves her, then THE GUY has to ask her to marry him. What does the girl do?”
“THE girl has THE babies.” I’m not sure she thought that through before saying it, but it catches me off-guard. Some spit goes down the wrong hole and I have to cough a few times to get rid of it. She frowns.
“What? You don’t want kids?” The sudden thought of her having my baby chokes me. I can definitely come to terms with that. When the time is right.
“Yes, I do want kids … one day. But for now I can’t wait to practice making them with you.”
“Seriously?” she asks and I shrug my shoulders, keeping my face looking as innocent as a raindrop.
“Well, for that, THE GUY needs to pull his socks up, or THE GUY might just lose the boyfriend privileges bestowed upon him by THE GIRL, like kissing, holding hands, sleeping, and any other related issues.”
She points to my chest with her little index finger, tapping on it every time she says ‘the guy’.
“Oh, I see. Well, I suppose the guy will have to make a plan then.” And suddenly I want to see her blush again, so I push the joking a little further.
“Just to make sure, is patting the pussy part of the boyfriend-related issues?” It has the wanted effect. Her jaw drops and she stares at me as if she can’t believe I just said that.
“What? A guy has to know the rules?” I give her a lopsided grin and look into her beautiful eyes.
“Pat the pussy,” she says slowly pulling out each word, “really?” she chuckles and shakes her head as if she still can’t believe it. I love teasing her so I take it even further.
“Well, I’m totally willing for you to choke the rooster, for that matter.” Again she seems baffled and then she burst out laughing, clutching her tummy.
“What the hell am I going to do with a boy like you?”
“A boy like me?”
“Yes, a freaking boy like you – annoying as shit but too sexy to ignore.”
“Oh, so many different things come to mind.” But then I think about it and I know I have to warn her beforehand.
“Mel, about this girlfriend thing … it’s not that I don’t … I just want to protect you. If you were to become my girlfriend you’re going to be in the public eye – a lot. Things are going to get crazy … even worse than what they are now. I’ll try to keep you out of it as far as I can, but you know how it works.” Feels like I’m apologizing a lot these days. “I just want you to be sure, that’s all,” I finish my explanation.
“Well, I’ll have to lie if I say I’m not scared,” she turns her head to stare through the window. My heart thumps like a fucking drum and I swear a horse just kicked me in my guts … I can’t breathe. Is she going to back out? Fuck, she can’t leave me now … selfish I know … and I’m the one that warned her. She turns her head back to me.
“But I suppose it’s part of the package that comes with Damion Grimm.” I softly let out the breath I was holding … thank fucking goodness … I almost died here. It’s scary how just a few words … the thought of her leaving me … can throw me into hell like that. I’ve never thought about it that way, about how my racing would inevitably affect my personal life in the future.
“As long as you’re sincere I can handle it.” I grab her hand and kiss the spot the guy at the bar had his lips on, claiming it back.
“This man standing in front of you might be broken, but I’m real … my feelings are real.” She seems surprised by my words.
I park the car, “We’re here,” and watch Mel’s face … she frowns at the sight before her.
“We’re going in that?” I pull up my shoulders and give her the look that I know drives her bonkers for some reason. She keeps on staring, with what I hope is amazement, through the window.
“Jackson’s chopper? Who’s going to fly it?” she asks turning her head towards me and I just shrug my shoulders with a smile.
“Ug, stupid question, of course, you can fly,” she rolls her eyes mumbling to herself.
I lean over and open the glove compartment to take out a small rectangular navy suede container with a big smile. I hand it to her and she takes it with a confused face.
“What’s this for?” she asks.
“To remember our first official date forever,” I manage to say. Why do I feel shy and silly at the moment?
I watch as her whole face starts to glow when she sees the contents.