She swept her gaze down the length of his magnificent, naked body. A prickle of awareness washed over her as she slowly perused him. Skating her tongue over her lips, she took a fortifying breath and carefully pulled his blankets over him, resisting the urge to brush his hair from his forehead for fear of waking him.
He mumbled something in his sleep and twisted sideways, pulling the blankets with him.
She knew she had told him this relationship was casual and nothing more, but she had quickly learned there was nothing casual about Kale. When it came to her needs and desires, he was thoughtful, caring, and compassionate. He’d made her rethink what she wanted out of life. Taught her to put the past behind her and move on with the future, because not all guys were insensitive assholes like Dwayne. Trust didn’t come easily to her, yet deep inside her, she instinctively trusted him and knew he’d never do anything to hurt her. Loving him felt so right, so natural.
He said he wanted to stick around for his job. This morning, if things went according to her well-thought-out plan, she planned on giving him another incentive to stick around.
She drew a deep, calming breath, climbed from the bed, and went in search of her clothes. After she quickly dressed, she jotted her address down on a slip of paper and placed it on her pillow.
It was time to muster her courage, take a chance on love, and let him know that in her quest to be a bad girl she’d developed more than casual feelings for him, and pray that he returned those feelings.
Chapter 12
Kale’s hands automatically reached beside him as the alarm clock pulled him from his sleep. When his fingers came up empty, he jolted upright. Fuck! He glanced around the room. Erin’s clothes were gone. His gut sank. Damn, she must have slipped out while he slept. His mind raced with the turn of events. Did her running out mean she had no intention of letting this relationship evolve beyond casual?
He spotted the slip of paper beside him. Hope rushed through him as he picked it up and read it. The words see you again, breakfast, and my place were all he needed to read to prompt him into action. He was on his feet and showering in less than a minute. After dressing hastily, he was out the door and in his truck.
Less than a half hour later he was standing outside Erin’s condo door. He prayed she wasn’t trying to let him down easy over a plate of eggs.
He lifted his hand to knock. Erin swung the door open before he had a chance.
“You came,” she blurted and then blew out what appeared to be a relieved breath, as though she had been worried he wouldn’t show. Her brown eyes lit with excitement as she reached for him.
He was thrilled at how excited she was to see him. He too blew out a breath and relaxed as he perused her. She was dressed in a light gray jogging suit that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was damp from a recent shower. His heart lurched at the sight of her. The love he felt for her came over him, making him slightly dizzy. He exhaled and tugged at his collar.
“I came.”
She grinned and pulled him inside. “Yes, you have. And you will again and again,” she teased, throwing his words back at him.
He chuckled, then wrapped his hands around her waist. His voice turned serious. “I didn’t like waking up without you beside me.”
She gave him an apologetic look. “I wanted to make you breakfast.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, his hands touching her all over, yet unable to get enough of her. “You wanted to cook for me?”
She pursed her lips. “Yeah, I’m a closet domestic,” she admitted.
He smiled. “But you could have done that at my place.”
She matched him kiss for kiss and touch for touch. It thrilled and exhilarated him how responsive she was. “I wanted to do it here.” She waved her hand through the air. “In my place.”
Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Was she welcoming him into more than just her home? Had she finally realized that what was between them wasn’t casual? Had she learned to put the past behind her and allow herself to love again?
“I see.” Love rushed to his heart when she smiled at him. His entire being, body and soul, reached out to her.
“Follow me.” She grabbed his hand, led him into the kitchen, and motioned for him to take a seat at her small dinette table.
Kale knew it was well past time to tell her how he felt. It was time to move past the casual sex games. To lay his heart on the line and see if she felt the same way.
He lowered his voice. “Erin, I think we need to talk.”
With the spatula in her hand, she turned around to face him. She nodded in agreement. “You’re right.” She dropped the spatula, turned off the stove, and took a seat beside him. “I have something to tell you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She leaned forward and planted her arms on the table. She blew out a breath and rushed on. “I’m not a bad girl,” she blurted out. “I’m a fake, a fraud. I talk tough and pretend I’m experienced, but I’m not really.” She threw her hands in the air and continued to ramble uncensored. “I was pretending to be something I wasn’t. I wanted to put my money where my mouth was, well not quite, but I think you know what I mean, and see what it was like to have a casual affair.”
“I know.”
Her eyes flew open. Her head jerked back with a start. “You do?”
“Of course I do.”
“But,” she stammered. “How?”
He touched her chin. “Sweetheart, I knew from the minute I looked into your expressive eyes, you were all talk and no
