soothing. Takes my mind off other shit. And then the house smells amazing.”
She smiled. “Exactly.” She’d never been this relaxed on a date. Bracken was really pulling her out of her shell. Wonders never ceased.
The rest of the meal went smoothly. They chatted between bites, and for the first time in her life, Bex found herself letting her guard down with a man. It didn’t hurt that they had mutual friends. The guys had known him for many years. He couldn’t be an ax murderer. Perhaps, she could finally let loose and actually go out with a man for a second date.
If he asked her, of course. She shouldn’t be thinking that far ahead. There was no guarantee he would want to see her again.
When they returned to his car, however, he leaned her against the passenger door and played with one of her hands between them. “I had a great time, Bex.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “Is that what you like to be called? Bex? I know everyone calls you that, but do you prefer Rebekah?”
She licked her lips and held his gaze. “Whatever you prefer is fine.” The truth is she kind of liked hearing her full name from his lips. Not many people called her Rebekah. Most people probably didn’t even know for sure that was her name.
“Do you spell it with a C or a K?” he asked.
“K. My parents are a bit religious.” That was an understatement.
He smiled. “I like it.” He cupped her face, leaning in closer. “May I kiss you?”
She nodded, unable to respond. She hadn’t been kissed in a while. A long while. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mess it up.
His lips met hers gently at first, and then he tipped his head to one side and deepened the contact.
She didn’t have to worry about her own inadequacies. He led. She followed. As if they were on a dance floor.
The world dissolved around her as she set her hands on his hips and gripped his belt loops. She might have moaned a bit when his tongue slid between her lips, requesting entrance.
She opened for him, grateful that they’d both eaten spicy food and then grabbed a mint on the way out. At least she didn’t have to worry about her breath.
Suddenly, he was cupping her head with both hands, holding her steady, deepening the kiss further. Dormant parts of her came alive at the intensity, tempting her with sensations she was mostly unfamiliar with.
When Bracken finally broke free, he set his forehead against hers and smiled. He was breathing heavily, but so was she. “Please say you’ll go out with me again, Rebekah.” The way he said her name made her feel like she was a movie star.
“Yes,” she whispered. Of course, she would go out with him again. Maybe she could even find a way to relax and be herself with him. God knew she hadn’t managed to do so for any other man.
She wasn’t sure what it was about him—his age, his confidence, his outgoing nature? Did it matter? The important thing was that he made her blood pump, and he had no idea how difficult that task was with her.
“Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
She shook her head. She didn’t have many plans at all in the foreseeable future. Mostly all she did lately was pace her condo, meet with her counselor, jog when she got antsy inside, and try to sleep. She was doing a piss-poor job at the latter.
“Good. Give me your number and your address. I’ll text you in the morning and pick you up at noon. How’s that?”
“Sounds good.” Did he realize she was shaking a bit? She held on tight to his belt loops, but she couldn’t hide her emotions. She was both excited and nervous. A second date. With a man who’d just melted her with a simple kiss.
She could do this. Date. Everyone else did it. Maybe she could even find a way to let things go further.
One step at a time.
Chapter 3
It took every ounce of self-control Bracken had stored up to drive Bex back to her car and then leave her to drive herself home. He’d given her one more brief kiss but forced himself to keep it simple so that he didn’t end up asking her to come home with him instead.
Something about Bex made him slow his pace. She was hesitant every step of the way. Perhaps it was simply because she was shy, but he suspected few