Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I liked that idea and decided to stay with it.
“I just need time to reframe those thoughts into more romantic ones.” Time. I just needed a bit of time. “You’re all I think about when I’m not working, anyway. The thoughts just need new names.”
He raised one eyebrow and studied me skeptically before giving me a quick peck and straightening. “Proceed.”
Brat.
“Well, before I would’ve said I’d been thinking about scene stuff.” That wasn’t a bad word for it. “But now I’d say I was thinking about spending quality time with my partner.”
Just naked quality time.
“It’s important that I’m able to tell you what I like and what I’m curious about.” Still not too bad even if my stomach was getting a bit wobbly. “So I was walking through those explanations and trying to decide if I was going to email you or text you.”
Email had been winning which was why there was a very strange Word document open on my computer.
And that got me a smirk.
“I’m guessing you were going to email?” My nod made him chuckle. “And I guess if you were thinking about me enough to work on an email, that probably counts as romantic.”
Yes!
“Anything that difficult should count.” I was being serious but he nearly giggled. “Relationships are hard even without remembering that we need to date.”
Laughing and shaking his head, Leif finally looked like we’d chased his frustrations away. “Fine. I’ll agree to that as long as I get an email in the next twenty-four hours.”
Ugh.
“Deal.” I’d just have to work faster and panic a bit less. “But our date. What were you picturing?”
Because I kind of liked the idea of doing something without having to pretend that I just saw him as a friend. He’d always been that, but lately it’d felt like I was hiding so much it’d been stressful.
Brows pulling together, Leif frowned. “Are we doing regular date dinner and a movie kind of stuff or something different? Do you want to go dancing or something?”
Huh?
“Like a club? In public?” I’d rather go back to art modeling.
Hell, I’d rather tell Eli that I wanted to model as a pup.
Leif’s lips pressed together but he managed not to laugh. “So I’m taking that as a no.”
Oh, maybe he’d wanted to do that?
“If you want to, we can.” I’d do a lot for him. “I’m just…well, you know…”
I wasn’t any good at it.
Logically, I knew it just came down to a severe lack of practice. I’d spent the years I was supposed to be getting my awkward out working and studying and worrying. There hadn’t been time to figure out how to behave in clubs and how to look sexy dancing.
Leif hadn’t gone out much either, but he had more natural confidence and rhythm. It probably hadn’t occurred to him that he’d be anything but fabulous. I liked that about him, but it was scary when he let his confidence drag me into something ridiculous.
His smile shifted from a smirk to something softer and made me want to sigh. “I like the idea of showing you off and I wanted to do something different, but yeah, that might not be the right way to do it.”
Maybe with some practice?
“I like the idea of being shown off.” I realized how that might sound as soon as it’d come out of my mouth, and all I could do was blush and groan as he snickered. “You know what I meant.”
“I do.” Leif was back to looking wicked as he leaned over and trapped me again. “You like being shown off. I just need to think less conventionally.”
Oh dear.
“I like conventional too.” Why hadn’t I seen this coming? “Let’s go to dinner and then go dancing. I think you’d be sexy.”
It came across true enough that he chuckled. “Thank you, pup.”
His brain was definitely headed into some unconventional places, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he was thinking.
“I…you’re welcome…but let’s…let’s figure out what you want for dinner.” It was harder to come up with ideas than it should’ve been but that was mostly because he’d scrambled my brain. “You…you said you wanted a burger the other day.”
Yes, he liked big pup burgers but they never came out right when we were making them at home.
Chuckling, Leif gave me a kiss, barely brushing his lips against mine. “That sounds good but we won’t pick the most expensive place. I’ve got something I want us to save up some money for.”
Danger signs were flashing again.
“Okay.” If he wanted it, we could save up for it, but I wasn’t going to ask what it was.
His grin got wider…and slightly evil. “Aren’t you curious?”
“No.” Nope. Not at all. “I was thinking about our budget.”
Technically that was true, so I didn’t feel guilty when he gave me a skeptical look and scoffed. “Sure, not curious at all.”