19. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Beth
T he next night, Doug came over after Chase went to bed. It wasn’t a date, per se; all we’d be doing was sitting on my couch watching TV or talking. I changed into a nice shirt and applied a little lip gloss anyway. It never hurts to look good.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was The Chocolatier bag in Doug’s hands. The thrill of seeing the bag was quickly replaced with worry—Doug’s face looked like he’d gone a round with an angry cat, and lost.
He said he didn’t get hurt.
“What happened?” I shut the door behind him and turned the deadbolt. It was compulsive for me to lock my doors, both in my car and at home.
“A few scratches, that’s all.” He handed me the bag, and changed the subject, “I hope you don’t mind that I brought ice cream as an apology instead of flowers.”
“Not at all.” Instead of taking the bag, I reached up and turned his head so I could look at his scratches more closely.
Doug endured my examination, a patient smile on his lips. “Is this the worst of it?” They didn’t look deep enough to scar.
“Yes, and I washed them out with hydrogen peroxide after I got home."
I nodded as he talked, my eyes scanning the bare skin on his strong arms looking for evidence of other injuries.
“Beth, honestly,” he lifted my chin with his free hand, “these scratches are my only injuries.”
“Okay.” Men like Doug tended to underplay their injuries, so my skepticism was warranted. I nodded as I mumbled, “Good. Good.” My concern slowly subsided.
“Come here,” he said as he set the bag on the counter and pulled me into his arms. “I’m okay, I promise,” he whispered in my ear before kissing the top of my head. When he pulled away, he asked, “Are you ready for some ice cream?”
I wiped away a wayward tear, this one from relief, as I stepped back. “Always. What flavors did you get?”
“Brownie Delight and Pistachio. Please tell me you like at least one of them,” Doug said as he took the containers out of the bag.
"I like both. Though I’m not a fan of generic pistachio, it always tastes fake to me.”
“And it’s green. What is it with companies making ice cream green?” He laughed. “Grab some bowls, we’ll split them. Unless there’s one you want all to yourself.”
“I’m good with sharing.” I handed him two bowls. “Do you want anything to drink? I have beer, wine, water, coffee-”
“I’m good for now. Thanks.”
Doug split the two large servings of ice cream in half, which meant I was getting more than I would have given myself. I was thinking of ways I could work off the extra calories when Doug handed me a bowl.
“Apology ice cream is calorie free, so enjoy.”
Damn it . I needed to get better at not broadcasting my thoughts all over my face.
We sat on the couch, almost close enough to touch, but didn’t turn on the TV. He told me how he got his scratches and picking up his truck after the interior was cleaned.
“Did they get it all out?” I asked.
“It’s hard to tell, right now the disinfectant is so strong I think it killed off some of my sense of smell. I’ve been airing it out since I picked it up.”
I felt bad for him. “Hopefully all the smells will dissipate soon.”
“Hopefully.” He shook his head as he chuckled. “How was your day?”
He’s even tempered . Not the kind of guy to throw a fit about things he couldn’t change. Not once had he mentioned billing the clients for the cleaning. Though I was confident John would cover it, once he found out, because it happened on the job. But it said something about Doug that he wasn’t expecting or demanding it.
“A little stressful. Chase wandered off at the park today and gave Angela and Shawna a scare.” I didn’t tell him I’d panicked when they called; he didn’t need to know I’d had a few heart palpitations as they recounted the story.
Luckily, he’d ran back as soon as he heard them calling his name and was standing safely at their sides when they called me.
“He chased a frog behind a bush so they couldn’t see him. He came running, carrying said frog, when they called him. H was so excited, he tripped and fell.”
“Is he okay?” I could hear the concern in his voice, and see it in his eyes.
“He is. He scraped his hands and knees a little when he fell, but he was more upset about losing the frog.”
“Poor kid.”
“He wasn’t a happy camper when I picked him up, not only was he sad he’d lost his frog, he was worried he’d get in trouble for wandering off. He calmed down after I cleaned him up, put dino Band-Aids on his knees, and reassured him he wasn’t in trouble.”
He wasn’t in trouble, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get a talking to about the dangers of walking away from Angela and Shawna. Chase didn’t wander off intentionally, he was just a typical kid who was easily distracted, especially when animals were involved.
“Then I made him his favorite foods, dinosaur shaped mac and cheese and a hotdog.”
“He’s really into dinosaurs, isn’t he?”
“They’re his favorite things. He’s been into them for over a year now, which means he’ll probably change his mind soon.”
Doug laughed.
I was only half done with my ice cream but couldn’t eat anymore. “Will you be offended if I save the rest for later?”
“Of course not.”
When I came back from putting our bowls away, I sat just a hair closer to Doug. We still weren’t touching, but a slight shift by either of us and our legs would make contact.
We leaned back on the couch and relaxed while we talked. We starting talking about our favorite TV shows while deciding what to watch. I liked comedies and fantasy, while he liked crime shows, sci-fi, and documentaries. We never turned on the TV. Doug admitted to playing video games more often than watching TV. I could relate, I read more than I watched TV.
“I was one of those awkward, skinny, gamer geeks in high school.” He admitted with a self-deprecating laugh.
I still had a hard time imagining him as a geek. He doesn’t fit the image of a geeky tech guy . But I knew he was because I’d heard the SSI guys talk about his mad skills, their words not mine. It was one of the reasons they were interested in hiring him. The rest of the team wasn’t computer inept, but Doug was brilliant.
“It’s hard to visualize you as a geek.” I bumped my knee into his as I laughed.
“Yup, I was a total computer and gaming geek.” He didn’t move his leg.
The heat of his large, muscular thigh against mine was distracting.
I forced myself to not think about his body touching mine and asked, “When did you stop being a gamer geek?”
“I’ll let you know when it happens.” He chuckled as he stretched one long, strong arm on the couch behind me, leaning a little closer as he did.
I could feel my heart beating faster in my ears.
“You’re not awkward or skinny anymore.” I held eye contact as he reached out and brushed my cheek with his knuckles.
“No.” His grin did funny things to me.
My voice was barely above a whisper when I asked, “When did it change?”
Doug drifted closer.
I can feel his breath on my lips . I glanced down at his lips and licked mine.
“Does it matter?”
I shook my head. It did not, not one bit.
Doug lips gently brushed mine. An invitation.
I shouldn’t, not here. What if Chase wakes up?
Doug’s scruff tickled my chin as he waited.
Do I really need to worry about it?
Chase was a solid sleeper, and if he did happen to wake up he wouldn’t come downstairs. He screamed my name until I went to his room.
There’s no reason I shouldn’t kiss Doug, right here, right now .
I parted my lips just enough to release a sigh as I leaned in to return the kiss. Doug cupped the back of my head, gently holding me in place. Not that I had any intention of moving.
The kiss started soft, gentle, slow. Our tongues probing, exploring, teasing.
It’d been a long time since I’d kissed any one, and my long-dormant desire came back to life as his kisses sent a wave of shivers all the way down to my toes. I clutched his head as he gently pulled my head back and trailed kisses down my neck.
I want more.
I moaned when his tongue flicked my earlobe. He covered my mouth with his, stealing my breath as his tongue danced with mine. I shivered as his warm hand caressed my side, the promise of more making my head spin with desire.
Oh my God! Chase is upstairs .
I pulled back, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
When Doug opened his eyes, they were dark with desire.
“We have to stop,” I said, or more accurately panted, as I placed my hand on his chest—a wall of solid muscle over his rapidly beating heart—to create space.
He nodded, as he untangled his hand from my hair. The other he left on my leg, but slid it from my hip to my knee, leaving a trail of warmth along my thigh.
“Not that I want to,” I added, worried I might have given him the wrong impression. “It’s just, Chase is upstairs, and I’m afraid if we keep going, I won’t be able to stop.”
Being a single parent came with a lot of dating challenges, one of them was not being able to give into your sexual desires, no matter how hot they burned.
A five-year-old might catch you in the act.
He grinned before saying, “We should schedule a date night at my place.”
The deep, husky tone of his voice caused heat to rush to my face. It sexy as fuck to hear the desire in his voice. It was hard to believe I could turn someone on so much.
“We should.” My hand felt the loss as I let it drop from his chest.
“Is it hard to find a late night,” his eyes sparkled as he looked me up and down, “or overnight sitter?”
Damn, asking about finding a babysitter should not sound sexy . But it did.
“I’m not sure,” I looked down to hide my embarrassment, “I’ve never had to ask.”
There hadn’t been anyone worth asking for. Doug and I had only been on two dates, but I already knew he was worth asking for.
It feels different with him .
Was I moving too fast, getting too attached, only to find out I couldn’t handle living with the inevitable fear and sleepless nights? Or setting myself up for heartbreak when he decided he wanted kids of his own. Kids I couldn’t give him.
It’s too soon to worry about all that . I inhaled sharply, forcing myself back to the present. I could worry about the future later, right now I wanted to let go of fear and enjoy the moment.
“I have a three day protection assignment next weekend, but my schedule is open this weekend.”
This weekend.
My mind filled with hesitation.
My body shivered with anticipation.
“I’ll see if Nina is available Friday.”