“How come you stopped dating?” she asked. “I mean, Nate’s good looking and all, but a millionaire underwear model turned hotel magnate should rate someone a bit more feminine.”
Wolfe shrugged. He’d changed from his work clothes to a simple pair of frayed denim shorts, flip-flops, and a black T-shirt with the Purity logo on it. So why did he look like he’d just stepped out of Esquire? He wore clothes with a casual neglect most men couldn’t pull off. Fabric bent to his will, hugged lean muscles, and surrendered. It made total sense why he’d become such a hot rage in the fashion world. He gave away nothing in his face, in his eyes. Just a big fuck you, which drove women mad with the urge to tame him.
Crap, even his feet were sexy, and she was so not a foot person.
Gen glanced over, appreciating the tanned muscles and flex of his calves, the bunched biceps and gorgeous scrawling tattoo. In a way, he was a work of art, but better appreciated from afar. She wondered if there was a woman out there who could claim him.
“I’m lining up a date for Friday night.”
She flinched, then quickly covered it up. “Oh, that’s great! Umm, we didn’t talk about our arrangements. I’m not too good with socks on the door, but if you text me I can head over to Kate’s for the evening. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“Why the hell would I need you to leave?”
She let out a desperate laugh. Damn. This was lame. And embarrassing. Did he have sex at his apartment? In his car? The image burst through her brain and almost gave her a concussion.
Leather squeaking under his naked ass. Slamming her against the steering wheel as he moved her up and down over his cock. Pulling her hair and watching her come hard and scream his name.
“Agghhgh.” She let out a little shriek and drove the image back with a mental cattle prod.
“What happened?” He grabbed her arm and fiery shocks burst over her flesh. This was getting worse.
She yanked herself away. “Nothing! Ugh, I got a bug bite. Mosquito. Sorry.”
Two kids on scooters whizzed between them. The newly gained distance helped her calm down.
“Make sure you put that pink stuff on it when we get home.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Let’s get back to our chat. You wanna talk about sex, right?”
Sweat trickled down her back. She pulled her tank away from her chest and pulled in a breath. “Yes. Sex. I certainly don’t want to keep you from your normal activities just because you’re doing me a favor. Unless you intend on staying at your apartment afterward.”
“Seems fair. If the date does go well, I’ll text you so you don’t worry. Deal?”
She nodded her head enthusiastically. “Great. Sounds perfect. And I’ll do the same for you.”
He stopped walking. Scowled. Damn, he was sexy. Dark stubble highlighted the full arc of his bottom lip. His nostrils flared. Kind of like a pissed-off stallion whose mare had been stolen. “You? You’re not ready for sex.” He resumed his pace with longer strides.
Gen trotted faster to keep up. “Hey, aren’t you being a little chauvinistic? Just because I had a breakup doesn’t mean I want to be celibate. I think sex will be good for me. Especially great sex.”
“You’re not the type of woman for a one-night stand,” he said firmly. “You’d only be happy having sex in a committed relationship.”
Gen rolled her eyes. “Did that. Failed. Maybe doing something different will be good. Step out of my comfort zone. Have crazy orgasms. The walk of shame. Like you.”
His scowl deepened. “I’m different. I don’t do relationships.”
“Maybe we should switch. I’ll have sex with a hot guy with no strings. You try having a real relationship without the sex. Sound good?”
“No.”
They reached Xpressions, a small café with gourmet ice cream and various coffees, organic teas, and chocolates. The scent hit immediately, giving her a sugar and cocoa high on contact. Perfect.
They stood at the back of the line. “Why not?” she demanded.
Wolfe let out a disgusted breath. “Because I’m not ready for long-term.”
“You never tried it,” she pointed out.
“And it’s been working great for me.”
“Where did you meet this upcoming date of yours?” she asked, trying to be cool.
“She’s the sister of one of my clients. We had lunch before, but now we’re ready to step up to dinner.”
“Does dinner equate with sex? I need to learn this stuff.”
The guy ahead of them turned his head and looked a bit interested. “Straight ahead, buddy,” Wolfe warned. The guy flushed and swiveled back.
Gen laughed. “You’re so uptight. I’ll ask Kennedy.”
“Why do you make me have these conversations? Any guy who expects to have sex with you because he bought dinner is scum. Walk on.”
“What if I want to have sex with him?”
The guy in front choked on a sip of water. Wolfe glowered. “If a woman wants to have sex, most men will take you up on the offer. But most women do not sleep around on the first date. I think. It’s about the third or fourth when they make their decision. And it’s best to mix up the first few dates to test out all social arenas. Lunch, dinner, a movie, a cocktail, et cetera. You need to see the other person in different backgrounds to make sure you’re compatible.”
“Got it.” The stranger nodded as if he agreed with Wolfe. Gen smothered a laugh. “Is that what you do?”