CHAPTER 7 #2
Now, the only thing I wanted to do was go home, invite Tiffany and Jonah over, split a bottle of wine or two, and tell them all about it. Everything. About my dates with Cav, my frustration with Edge, my desire for them both.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to share any of that.
Yet. As for why I hadn’t blabbed all the details to my best friends, I had started to wonder if Cav was right.
If perhaps this was the sort of thing you didn’t share with everyone.
What if they didn’t understand? What if they judged me?
And to be fair, how exactly did I explain that I was lusting after two men?
Including one who had pretty much brushed me off.
Rather than lay it all on the line, I’d held it all in, choosing only to give them bits and pieces overall rather than the juicy details about my dates with Cav or how Edge had ghosted me.
The last part was what had me so down. Even if he’d planned to, Edge had yet to call, although he was the one who had laid out this unconventional plan.
I was overcome with self-doubt, thinking I’d done something that sent him running in the opposite direction.
I even felt guilty when I thought about Cav, although I couldn’t seem to help myself.
The man had caught me completely off guard, and truth was, I was eager to see him again.
Figuring the text was coming from either Tiffany or Jonah, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stopped in the middle of the parking lot. A car honked, I shrieked, then bolted out of the way, apologizing as I went.
The message wasn’t from either of my best friends. It was from the Dom who apparently did still have my number.
Edge: I know it’s last-minute… care to go out tonight?
My heart did a little dance, followed by a cartwheel right in my chest. I was smiling, but I instantly wiped it away. How could he think I’d jump at the chance to go out with him after he’d disappeared all week long? Not so much as a text to say hello, to let me know he was alive.
Could he really be that dense when it came to women?
I contemplated my response, but then typed a decisive: Sorry, I’ve already got plans for tonight.
When his response didn’t come back immediately, I felt my heart sink. I’d thought for sure he would put a little more effort into talking me into it.
Before I could respond with something stupid, like I’m kidding, I’d love to go out, my phone chimed again.
Edge: Completely understand. I would, however, like to see you at your earliest convenience. Whenever, wherever. Just let me know.
Damn him. How could he do that? Make me like him like that?
“Uggh.” I flopped into my car, slammed the door shut, and stared out the window.
I knew I needed to stick to my guns, to tell him tomorrow might work, but I really, really wanted to see him, and I didn’t want to wait.
Jamie: You know what? I was just going to study. I can squeeze that in later. I’d love to see you tonight.
Edge: Are you sure?
Jamie: I’m sure.
Edge: Great. I’ll pick you up at six. Casual works best. Looking forward to seeing you.
Jamie: I’ll be ready.
For the next hour, I had a mental argument with myself.
Had I given in too quickly? What did that say about me?
Would he think I had no backbone? I didn’t know how to play this game because I rarely dated.
Once I got past my initial nerves, things had been easy with Cav.
I liked being around him, laughing, joking, even delving into philosophical discussions.
The man kept me on my toes in every aspect.
As for Edge, I didn’t know what to expect. Personality-wise, they couldn’t have been more different. Cav was laid-back, smiled frequently, laughed without apology. Edge was the strong, silent type. When I thought about Dominants, he was what I pictured in my head.
But I found I liked them equally, which meant I had no choice but to see it through.
So, with him on my mind, I managed to run the few errands I had, then made it home in time to shower and dress.
Edge said casual, so I took that to mean jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and Converse.
I hoped he didn’t have a different definition, but before I could worry about it, there was a knock on my front door.
Suddenly, all those pesky nerves arose, deflating that euphoric bubble lodged in my chest as I made the walk to the door. I pulled it open and stared up into Edge’s handsome face.
“Hey,” he greeted softly, his smile reaching all the way to those beautiful aqua-blue eyes.
“Hi.” God, the man stole my breath with a simple look.
“You ready?”
Would I ever be ready for him? I seriously doubted it, but I held my tongue and nodded.
The conversation was minimal on the way to our destination.
My nerves were rioting, which was why I wasn’t rattling on and on about anything and everything, begging for hints as to where we were going.
As for Edge, from what I knew of him, he wasn’t much on talking, so I figured he was merely being him.
Then it hit me. My conversation with my brother that morning, my revelation that Edge hadn’t called me.
Oh, crap.
Was this a setup? Was Edge doing this because he felt some strange obligation to my brother?
“No,” I muttered. “God, no.”
“What’s wrong?” Edge asked, his eyes fierce as he stared over at me.
Eyes wide with shock and embarrassment, I stared back at him. “I’m sorry. I … uh … was just thinking.” Holy crap. I’d said it out loud.
“What’s on your mind, sweetness?”
Warmth slipped into my veins simply from hearing him call me that. It was as though a wall came down, one I hadn’t realized I’d been holding up.
I shifted in my seat so I could face him better. “Did you ask me out because I told my brother you didn’t call?”
His smile fell, and his brow followed. “What are you talking about?”
“This morning… I had breakfast with Zeke, Case, and Brax. Your name was brought up. I told them about my visit to the club and how I was planning to go back.” I let my gaze slide beyond him and out the driver’s-side window, unable to look him in the eye. “I mentioned you hadn’t called.”
Warm fingers landed on my chin, firmly realigning my gaze with his. “First of all, I don’t do things simply because someone else expects me to. So, no, I didn’t ask you out because you mentioned anything to your brother.”
Well, that made me feel better.
“But…”
Okay, the feeling was gone again.
“I did hold off because of your brother.”
“What?” I was confused.
He glanced at me, back to the road. “I needed a chance to talk to him, to tell him what my plans were with you. Since my showing you around the club was a favor to him, I figured I owed him that much.” We stopped at a red light and he turned toward me, leaned closer.
“But this is no longer a favor. I’m here with you because I want to be. ”
I inhaled deeply and relief washed away the gloom. “You didn’t call me because you wanted to get permission from my brother?”
He laughed, but it sounded frustrated. “Yeah. Stupid, right?”
“No, not stupid,” I assured him. “It makes perfect sense.”
Turned out, chivalry wasn’t dead.
There was silence for a few minutes as he drove. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t even realize we’d arrived until he turned toward me, took my hand. He was close enough our lips almost touched.
“So, you’ll have to forgive me for not contacting you sooner. Believe me, I wanted to more than anything.”
I smiled, the warmth of his hand coursing through my entire body. I suddenly wished he would kiss me. My thoughts drifted to Cav, to the kisses we’d shared. The heat inside me intensified. The thought of both men kissing me was nearly more than I could handle.
A soft growl pulled me from my thoughts.
“Where’d you go, sweetness?”
I cleared the lust-induced haze from my brain, swallowed. “I was just thinking that I’m glad you did ask me out.”
“Me, too.” He nodded toward the building. “You bowl?”
My smile fell. “What?”
“Bowling.”
Yeah. I saw that now.
“They’ve got a decent restaurant inside. You hungry?”
“Starving,” I muttered.
He released my hand, turned toward the door. Before we both exited, I heard him say, “Yeah, me, too. So fucking hungry.”
Two hours later, Edge and I were laughing.
“So, I take it this isn’t your sport?” I asked, motioning toward the remaining pins on the lane.
“What? Bowling?” He chuckled roughly as he sat down and modified the score. “No.”
“So why come?”
“Because everyone knows you can’t go to a movie on the first date,” he said simply, his attention on the paper.
The laugh that erupted out of me had people turning to look my way.
“That’s funny?”
“It is because it’s true,” I told him. “So is that what this is? A date?”
His expression sobered, and I suddenly regretted the question. I hadn’t meant to put him on the spot.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “I guess it is.”
I couldn’t believe how much the man had talked throughout the evening.
While he hadn’t said much of anything at the club the other night, he certainly wasn’t lacking in the conversation department.
We’d discussed my classes, my degree, even a bit about Zeke.
Then he’d regaled me with the tale of how he met Cav—during their freshman year in college at an off-campus party—then explained how they’d become fast friends.
Then I’d learned how he’d come to be the manager of Dichotomy, his relationship with Trent Ramsey, as well as his concerns now that he was working full-time at Chatter PR.
“You up for another game?” he asked, nodding toward the lane.
I stared in front of me, inhaled, then shook my head. “Not really, no.”
“Don’t want to beat me too badly, huh?”
“Since you’ve let me win all of them so far...” I grinned.
“Trust me, sweetness, I didn’t let you.”
No, he hadn’t. The man really did suck at bowling. But I wasn’t about to rub it in.