Say You're Mine(41)

That this time would be different.

Or he was even more of a screwup than he originally thought.

They walked up to her house, hand in hand, neither one of them speaking as they climbed up her stairs and into her townhome. She closed and locked the door behind them, flicked the switch on, and those bright blue eyes locked on him. “You didn’t drink tonight.”

“I know.” He smiled. She seemed genuinely happy. And that’s all he could ask for right now. Her smiling. “You lectured me. I listened. Are you really that surprised?”

“Kind of.” She brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You never really listened to me before. Why now?”

He was trying to “show” her he cared about her, that he could be the right kind of man for her, and doing his damnedest not to mess it up. “You deserve better than a drunken guy in your bed. You deserve a prince.” He frowned and rubbed his jaw. “No. Fuck that. That’s not good enough. You deserve a king.”

She swallowed so hard it filled the silence of the room. “So do you.”

“I don’t like kings,” he teased, running his finger down her arm. Goose bumps rose, and she shivered. “I like brunettes who tell me to get my shit together, and stop being an asshole. So I’m trying.”

She smiled, her whole face lighting up. Hell, it even made him feel like he was brighter. Happier. And that was something a guy couldn’t take for granted. “And apparently I like men who get me close to an orgasm…and then stop.”

“Touché.” He laughed. “I promised to finish later, though.”

“After we talk,” she said cautiously, kicking off her heels. “So. Talk.”

Sighing, he sat on the couch and kicked his boots off. Shit. It was D-Day, and he still didn’t have a speech prepared. He’d been agonizing over it all night, but the words wouldn’t come. He wasn’t kidding earlier. She deserved a king, and if he had any chance of winning her over, he had to find a way to become one. For her.

So he settled for: “How did the cake pick-up go?”

“Uh, good.” She blinked, clearly at a loss by his evasion. But he needed time to make it right in his mind. This was too important to wing it. “They loved it.”

“Of course.” He clasped his fingers behind his neck. “You made it. What’s not to love?”

She didn’t say anything to that.

In fact, she remained completely silent.

After a while, he cracked an eye open. She watched him, still holding her purse, one shoe off and one shoe on, still standing right by the door as if scared to move. “What’s up?”

“You’re acting…weird.” She hesitated. “You seem different. Kind of like…the old you. Not that the current you is bad or anything. But you didn’t drink. And you’re relaxed, and teasing me, and it’s nice.”

“It’s because of you.” He sat forward and held a hand out for her. To his surprise, she didn’t hesitate. She came over and placed hers inside his trustingly. “Like I said, around you, with you, I am different. I’m me again.”

Her cheeks flushed with color. “Why? Is it because we…you know?”

“I already answered a question.” He forced a smile. “Now it’s your turn.”

She smirked, amusement coming to life in those beautiful eyes of hers. They hadn’t played Truth or Dare since college, but it seemed fitting tonight. “Oh, we’re playing that game, huh?”

“Yep.” He smoothed her hair out of her face and bopped her on the nose. It was so tiny and cute. “Truth or dare. You answer honestly, or you succumb to a dare.”

A small laugh escaped her, and she sat down beside him, curling her foot under her ass as she turned to face him. “Why do I get the feeling this is going to get a heck of a lot dirtier than it was ever meant to be?”

Well, if that’s the way she planned to play, he wouldn’t complain. But he had a different game in mind. One that showed her just how serious he was about her. He might not be good enough for her, but he’d spend the rest of his life trying to be, and that had to count for something. Right?

But still, some small part inside of him felt guilty for how happy she made him. The men on his team wouldn’t get the chance to be this happy. They’d never get to hold a woman in their arms, or fall asleep with a warm body pressed against them.

Why should he?

“Do you think I want it to be dirty?” he replied.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re Steven. Of course you do.”

For some reason, this made him laugh. He laughed so hard his sides hurt, and then he laughed some more. And Lauren? Yeah, after staring at him with wide eyes at first, she laughed just as hard, and just as loud, as he did. And it felt fucking amazing. He didn’t remember the last time he’d been so amused, and truth be told? He wasn’t sure he ever had been.