“And you’re a responsible guy,” she added, before heading to the bathroom. “I know you wouldn’t lie about being safe.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” I murmured, reaching down to pull up my pants and boxers, which were still pooled around my ankles. I was lucky that I hadn’t accidentally tripped or something equally embarrassing.
Julia reappeared and started dressing, which was a shame. I liked looking at her half-naked body.
“God, I’m starving,” she said out of nowhere.
“I can make us something,” I suggested.
“Oh, that’s nice of you to offer, but I don’t have any food in the house.”
“We, um, we could go to my place,” I said carefully. “I have everything there to make dinner.”
She stopped buttoning her shirt, looking at me.
“You could come by in an hour and I’ll have it ready,” I added. For the first time, I felt her hesitate. Her eyes showed apprehension, something I’d never seen in them before.
“An hour?” she asked. “I don’t know. I’m into instant gratification.”
“I’ll make it worth the wait,” I coaxed. I didn’t want our time together to be over yet and I hoped that she’d say yes. I liked spending time with her. She was easy to talk to and I was starting to feel bored when I was home alone. That was definitely a first for me, and I didn’t like it one bit.
Please come over.
“Are you a good cook?” she asked.
“I’ve never had any complaints.”
Well, in all fairness, I’ve mostly cooked for Matt, who’d eat road kill if it had cheese melted on top.
I could see the wheels turning in her head, and I wondered why a simple offer to eat dinner at my place would make her so pensive.
“I guess we could do that,” she finally said, and started unbuttoning again. “Then I’ll have time for a shower, first.”
Yes, she said yes!
“I’ll go home and get started, then,” I said eagerly and headed for the door. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
I had almost reached it when she called my name. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked, grinning.
What? Oh.
I walked over and cupped her face in my hands, giving her a soft kiss. She let out a small laugh.
“What is it?”
“That was nice, but I actually meant that you didn’t give me your address,” she snickered.
Oh! God, how did I ever manage to get a doctorate with my idiotic brain?
I told her where I lived and kissed her again before I left, feeling fantastic about our dinner plans. On the drive home, I found myself planning out the evening.
She prefers red wine, and I have that really great bottle I’ve been saving. I should probably stop at the store and buy some candles, too. She really likes those. I need to shower and change. Should I change my sheets? Dinner dates don’t usually equal sex, but with Julia…
I drew a deep breath at my realization, pulling over to the side of the road.
I’m having Julia over for a date!
Chapter 12
It’s not a date. It’s not a date!
I rushed through the supermarket, throwing things in my cart, all the while telling myself that I was not about to have a date with Julia. We were just having dinner and that was all. She’d already made it perfectly clear that she didn’t date, and that we weren’t in a relationship. Dating wasn’t part of our arrangement at all.
Besides, I don’t even like her.
The second the thought passed through my head I knew it was a lie. I did like her. Not romantically, of course, that was just preposterous. We were entirely incompatible for a serious relationship. But I did enjoy spending time with her and not just in bed, although that was where we were usually situated since she didn’t have a dining table or a couch. I loved sleeping with her, but I also had a good time just talking to her and watching movies together. It was a welcome change from spending most nights by myself.
Julia was easy to be with. We discussed literature, which was the one interest that we had in common—well, apart from sex, obviously. We were both interested in that. I wondered if she’d planned our encounter today before she came to class. She’d told me that she’d worn the outfit for me because she thought that I’d like it. She’d been absolutely right about that. It had turned me on beyond belief to see her dressed like a modest schoolgirl because I knew that was deceptive, at best. Julia certainly wasn’t shy about her body and her sexuality, and I really liked that about her. In the beginning it had intimidated me, but now I preferred it that way. I didn’t feel as nervous about sleeping with her as I had at first. The knowledge that she’d tell me what to do without judging me for my lack of experience was very freeing, and it allowed me to relax and enjoy myself when we were together.