Matchplay A New Adult Romance - By Dakota Madison Page 0,21

had labeled Aaron a womanizer and that was all I could see. Maybe Dr. Griffin was right about him being more complex than that and maybe I had misjudged him. At that moment, I was willing to give him a chance.

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay?” he repeated as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.

I nodded.

With a very slow and deliberate movement, Aaron took his index finger and placed it on the thumbnail of my right hand. With a soft and careful stroke, he ran his finger up my thumb.

“Look at me.” His voice was throaty and nearly breathless.

Our eyes locked as he continued to caress each of my fingers with his. The touch felt so intimate and sensual, it awakened something deep inside me. It was a desire I had never felt before. I had only read about it in cheesy romance novels.

The feeling was so intense it nearly consumed my entire body. A shudder ran though me as Aaron continued moving his finger ever so lightly up and down each one of my fingers. My breath caught and I

bit my lip to stop myself from moaning.

As we continued staring at each other, the energy between us intensified. I was suddenly so hot I could have melted. I thought I might start sweating.

When the waitress came with the bill, I was startled. The exchange between Aaron and I had been so intense and all-consuming, I had nearly forgotten we were still at the restaurant.

The waitress set the check down and said, “I’ll take this whenever you’re ready,” but Aaron still didn’t take his eyes off of me.

When she left, Aaron interlaced his fingers with mine and held my hand. “I knew our hands would fit together perfectly.”

Then he squeezed my hand and very softly said, “My sunshine.”

I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. His sunshine?

He grabbed the bill with his free hand and examined it. He put it down then grabbed his wallet from his pocket, never letting go of my hand that he was holding. It was as if now that I had given him permission to touch my hand, he didn’t want to give it up.

I had to smile when he struggled to remove the cash from his wallet with one hand.

“Do you need your other hand?” I said asked.

He shook his head and tightened his grip on the hand he was holding.

He managed to get the bill paid and we both slid out of the booth while our fingers remained entwined. It was an impressive feat but he seemed determined not to let go of the connection our bodies shared.

As we exited the restaurant, he said, “I should walk you back to your dorm.”

I agreed. It was starting to get dark and I wasn’t as familiar with that end of campus.

The evenings were getting cooler and the walk was pleasant.

“Thank you for dinner,” I said as we strolled between the academic buildings.

“Thank you for trusting me and for giving me some things to think about.”

When we arrived at the front entrance to my dorm, I turned to face Aaron. “You have to let go of my hand now, so I can go to my room.”

“I know,” he said but gripped my hand tighter.

I waited as he studied my face. I thought he might say something but he held back. Instead, he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it very gently.

“I’ll see you next week, Sunshine.” He slowly released my hand.

He didn’t take his eyes from mine as he stepped backwards away from me. Then he stopped and put his hands in his pockets. I slide my ID card into the reader. When the door beeped, I opened it then looked back at Aaron. I gave him a wave and he winked at me as he turned and walked away.

I let out a deep breath as I headed to my room.

***

I was still awake when Olivia tried sneaking into our room at nearly midnight.

“I’m not asleep,” I whispered as she tiptoed toward her closet.

Olivia stopped in her tracks. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“I haven’t been able to fall asleep yet,” I admitted.

Olivia sat down on the edge of my bed. “What’s going on?”

“Please don’t be mad at me.”

Olivia heaved a huge sigh. “What happened with the asshole?”

I swallowed. I knew Olivia would be disappointed but I just couldn’t help myself with Aaron. My mind had all kinds of doubts about him that unfortunately my heart didn’t. I wished the two parts of me would get