have to.” He meets me on the porch. “How was dinner with my mother?”
“It was nice. We’re going to the Getty sometime soon, and she wants to teach me about wine collecting.”
I take his hand and pull him into the kitchen to transfer his food to a real plate.
“Did she nonsense you to death?” He spears a piece of lamb. “No, she only said it once, and it was during a benign part of our conversation.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. What did you do the last two hours?”
“I hit the gym, then came home and read the final pages of our book to prepare for book club tomorrow night. Do you want book club here or at your house? Our schedule is mixed up.”
“I’m flexible. Whatever you want is fine with me.”
“Tell you what. Let’s pull a note from the naughty bag and decide then. If we need something from the brown box, then we go to your house.”
“Okay.” I agree easily. “It’s your turn to pick. Where’s the bag?”
“It’s in my jacket pocket in the bedroom.” He drops his fork. “I’ll race you.”
He shoots past me, leaving his half-eaten dinner behind. I’m right on his tail and almost overtake him on the landing, but his arms wrap around my middle, impeding my progress.
We enter the room laughing.
I throw myself on the big comfy bed and wait for him to retrieve the bag. He plops on the bed next to me and hands it over. I make him close his eyes so he can’t see what he’s selecting and have him reach in and pull out one folded piece of paper.
“What’s it say?” I ask excitedly.
His eyes light up. “Oh, this is good. It’s another one of my notes.”
I look at him suspiciously and take the note from his hand. It says Griffith Park Observatory.
“What does this mean? I don’t recall any part of the book taking place there.”
“We talked about this. Since the book isn’t set in California, I took creative license to substitute, and I chose Griffith Park Observatory.”
“Hmm, sex in public again. What if we get caught?”
“We won’t get caught because I’ll protect you. Wear that cute little blue miniskirt and those sexy black heels.” He stares at the tenting of his pants. “Look what you do to me.” He adjusts himself. “Are you game, Katarina?”
I’m silent because it rocks Damon’s cocky confidence. When he’s vulnerable, things turn out better. In the end, he’ll win because his sexy self-assurance is a total turn-on for me.
“Can I let you know tomorrow?” His lower lip pops out in a pout. I take my index finger and pluck at it. “I need to think on it overnight. You’ll know my answer tomorrow.”
His expressive eyes look at me with hope.
“Can we talk about the book?”
“I swear there’s exhibitionism. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I’m sure there is, but that’s got nothing to do with my question. We’re getting to the end of the book, and I wonder where their relationship is going. His issues have molded him from childhood to the present. Do you think they can make it work? Can someone put the pains of their past behind them to have a future? I mean, how much is too much?”
And there it is—a look of sheer terror clouds his eyes. The question is about more than the book, it’s about us, and he knows it. Bound mirrors many things in our relationship. The favor, the connection, the need, the insecurity, the chemistry, and the conflict—it’s all there. Change the storyline just a little, and it could be about us.
“Since I finished the book, I know how their story ends, but I don’t think you’re asking me about them, are you?”
“I am,” I begin, “but I’m also asking you if I’ll always have to settle for happy and content.”
He takes a long breath and releases a longer exhale. “I want happy and content, but I also want you to feel loved.” He takes my hands. His expression is earnest. “Do you feel loved?”
“I feel confused. Everything you do and say makes me feel loved and cherished, yet you can’t utter the words.”
“I’m trying. I am. Be patient with me while I work things out in my head. My heart belongs to you. You know that.”
I nod in resignation. “I feel your love, but someday I want the words. There’s a disconnect between your heart and your head.” Just like in the book, I wonder how it will end for us. Will