Mark tapped her chin, shaking his head. “Angel, of course not. I thought I’d covered the fact that I didn’t do the relationship thing.”
Smiling brightly, she said, “So we’re good, then. Do you have like a toy drawer with all of the supplies we’ll need or should I buy them? Do you think they sell that kind of thing at Walmart? I usually buy my KY Jelly there, but it’s in the pharmacy section.” Snapping her fingers, she added, “Amazon! That’s where I purchased my—thing, so I can just order what we need. I have a Prime account, so I get free shipping.”
His head slumped against her neck as his body shook. “Are you all right?” she asked as she looked at him in concern.
“Baby, what ‘thing’ did you order from Amazon, and why do you need KY Jelly?” he asked in a tight voice. “Shit, if you’re talking about a vibrator, then don’t tell me. I can’t handle knowing.” Crystal looked away, not saying anything. He’d said he didn’t want to know, after all. “Fuck, that’s what you bought, wasn’t it? Do you ever use it and imagine it’s me inside of you, Angel?”
She shifted uneasily on his lap, knowing her face had to be bright red once again. She didn’t dare admit that she’d even named her battery-operated boyfriend Mark. He’d think she was some kind of weirdo for sure.
They were locked in their own little world until a loud voice jerked them apart. “Mark, can I talk to you for a minute?” She looked up to see Declan scowling down at them. Actually, a quick glance around showed most everyone shooting them curious looks. She could only hope that no one else had been close enough to hear their conversation. This day had probably taught him more about his sister-in-law than he’d ever wanted to know. Ella was going to kill her.
“Um—sure,” Mark agreed as Crystal scrambled from his lap. He got up slowly, putting his hands in his pockets. He gave her a wink before following Declan into the house. She didn’t want to answer all of the questions that she knew the other women would have, so she stayed where she was, waiting to see if he’d come back.
She’d barely had time to start worrying when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, Angel, but I’ve got to run. I received a call while I was talking to Declan. It’s nothing major, but I need to take care of something.” Crystal noticed Denny standing a few feet away, obviously waiting for his boss.
“Oh—okay,” she murmured, trying to hide her disappointment. For some reason, she’d had it in her head that tonight would be a turning point for them. Now it looked as if she’d be a party of one—as usual. “Drive safely,” she added, knowing it sounded lame. What she actually wanted to do was stick out her lower lip and sulk like a teenage girl with her first crush.
As she was turning away, Mark touched her shoulder before clearing his throat. “Would you—I mean, do you want to do something tomorrow night?” She could only gape at him in shock as his words hung heavily between them. Had he just asked her out? Or did he mean sex?
“Like a date?” she asked uncertainly. “If it’s the other thing that we discussed, we’ll have to make do with what you have because Amazon doesn’t deliver on Sunday. I have my Rabbit, though—so I could bring that. If you don’t have handcuffs, we could use one of your ties. I like that teal blue one that you wear sometimes.” When he continued to stare at her with his mouth now hanging open, she rushed to reassure him. “You don’t have to make a decision now. You can text me—or call me later. Or even send me a private message on Twitter.” Oh God, I’m rambling and making a fool out of myself. Shut up, Crystal—don’t say another word!
He rubbed his temple, saying, “Angel, I’m talking about dinner. Isn’t that what normal people do when they go out together? Possibly a movie as well.” Behind them, Denny coughed loudly, although Crystal suspected it was actually to keep from laughing. She and Mark probably sounded pathetic. Both of them uncertain and fumbling around with something so simple. “Although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by the other stuff you mentioned.” His eyes widened for a moment before he took a deep breath. “I’m trying to do this right, Angel, so stop distracting me. May I pick you up at seven tomorrow night?”
Unable to contain her grin, she said primly, “Yes, please.” At the same time, she fought the urge to run around and do some cartwheels. She had a freaking date with Mark DeSanto. Stuff like this didn’t happen to girls like her. But it was happening—ahhh!