given me hints on how to ‘woo that girl’. Sure, most of them were better suited to the forties, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t adapt them slightly to make them more modern.
“Thank you, honey. Can I see you back to your house? I hate you walking out here and across the road on your own.” She moved so slowly that my heart always leaped into my throat when I saw her crossing the road.
“I’ve got her,” a familiar deep voice sounded as my brother walked up next to her. “You stepping out on me, Mizz O’Jones? I thought I was the only man in your life. You’ve got all the men on this street wanting to be on your dance card, you know. I told you I’d run away from Rose for you.” he schmoozed as he walked her around the back of the truck, making me grin.
“Let me know how you get on,” she called over her shoulder, then went back to giggling at whatever my brother was saying to her.
Once they were clear of the vehicle, I set off toward Zuri’s new place. She’d had some sort of water damage at the old place that’d turned into black mold, so she’d moved to a new house that was closer to where I lived. I’d helped her move her shit yesterday and was going back today to help her unpack and basically do a shit ton of manual labor.
It might sound like hell, but it meant I got to spend time around her and be involved in her plans, so I was grabbing it with both hands.
Somehow—through some twist of hell and Satan’s balls—I’d friend-zoned myself when I’d met her. Sure, I was distracted by what was going on with Raul and Rose as well as what I’d just been through, but I hadn’t purposefully done it. And now I couldn’t make it disappear.
Well, at least not until now. Now I was armed with techniques and advice from every woman I knew, and I was going to use it all.
I’d even listed it:
Spend more time with her. Make sure to ask her out for meals and to do things together.
Romantic gifts, including flowers and jewelry. Big points given if the flowers are her favorite ones and you knew what they were. Zuri wasn’t huge on flowers, so I was sticking with jewelry.
Small gentle touches.
Flirt gently and increase it slowly.
Remind her you like spending time with her.
Wooing is essential—every woman wants to be wooed.
Mental note to self: look up what wooing is.
Objects that remind her of you are also important. If she has things she likes that you gave her, she’ll think of you fondly when she looks at them.
If she needs help with something, be the man for her.
That was the gist of what they’d told me to do, but some of them had taken it a step further and mentioned underwear, taking my shirt off when I was doing things for her, how to kiss her and make her want more.
Some of those women were sexual deviants, to be honest. You think you know someone, and then they tell you to swipe her nipple with your thumb and make her moan into your mouth. Not that it was terrible advice, just unexpected! I’d walked out of the diner with my cheeks burning for the first time in twenty years. Katy had also suggested I sing to her, but that would have the opposite effect of what I was going for, seeing as how I was tone-deaf.
Groaning at the thought of swiping Zuri’s nipple, I pulled up in front of her place, running through my plan for today.
Give her the present.
Explain it.
Help her out.
Take shirt off while helping her out.
Ask her out for dinner.
Kiss her—a lot.
How could that go wrong?
Getting out, I reached in for the box and then walked up the pathway to her door. This place was a million times nicer than the apartment she’d been in before, and she had more space and privacy. Hell, she even had a bright yellow front door, which was totally not what I’d picture for her, but it suited her perfectly now that I thought about it.
As I was leaving last night, we’d agreed I’d be there for ten. She’d told me just to walk right on in, but that seemed a bit weird now, so I knocked first and waited.
Almost immediately, I heard Zuri’s muffled shout. “S’open!”
Turning the handle, I pushed the door open with one hand and