"Angel? Where'd you go?"
She blinked. "Sorry, I was just thinking about your friends."
The look that he gave her reminded her of Mr. Grouchy. As if her answer had disgruntled him somehow.
"What about my friends?"
"I was just thinking that Jessica seems incredibly secure... I'm not sure I could handle a relationship with two guys," Angel said, repeating her thoughts out loud for him. She trusted that he knew she wasn't being judgmental. "I'd always be worried that I wasn't keeping them both happy. It must be exhausting."
The expression on Adam's face lightened as he chuckled. "I think Jessica would agree with you about the exhausting part, but she certainly doesn't seem to have any trouble keeping them both happy. As long as she's happy, they are."
Which seemed a little opposite to Angel. Wasn't it the submissive who was supposed to keep the dominant happy? Then again, she supposed in any relationship, if one person wasn't happy the other one wouldn't be either. Well, any good relationship.
The rest of dinner they ended up talking about each other's various interests. They had a lot in common, like their taste in books and movies, and just as many things that they were complete opposites on. While Adam was obviously athletic and spent time in Liam's dojo, he also loved to solve math problems for fun. Angel hadn't done math that wasn't necessary since her freshman year of college. When pushed, he admitted that he was just as likely to be playing his guitar as he was playing with numbers, but it still boggled her mind.
For his part, Adam seemed somewhat disturbed by her lack of desire for a nine to five job. He wasn't the first person to have that reaction, but he was definitely the pushiest, despite how subtle he was. Once they got on the topic of jobs and careers she found herself listening to a carefully worded spiel about how his company helped people find jobs. It wasn't until about ten minutes in that she realized he wanted to do the same for her.
And was disgruntled when she called him on it and when she told him that she liked having part-time jobs.
"What about health insurance? And retirement?"
Angel just shrugged, enjoying teasing him. "I'm pretty healthy and when I get arthritis and can't sew or teach self-defense anymore, I'll just take over at my parents' dance studio."
"How are you going to do that if you have arthritis?" he asked, almost fiercely. It was kinda cute how concerned he obviously was, although she didn't know whether or not to be insulted that he didn't seem to think she was capable of taking care of herself.
Then again, it's not like she was giving him any other kind of impression. Angel laughed.
"Relax, I have an IRA that I put money into, I'm just teasing you." She grinned at him, but Mr. Grouchy was not entirely appeased.
"What about health insurance?"
"I have very basic insurance through the college that I teach classes at."
Adam actually growled. "Then why are you torturing me?"
"Because it's fun? And you're so cute when you're grouchy?" She batted her eyelashes at him. The man wanted to smile, she could tell, but he didn't. Very impressive self-control. Instead he leaned forward, his eyes looking directly into hers.
"You, sweetheart, are going the right way for a -"
"Dessert?" Julia asked brightly, appearing at their table. "Or are you ready for the check?"
"I'm stuffed," Angel said, glancing at Adam. "But I could share something if you wanted..."
"No, if you're full then I'm not going to push more food on you," he said, a little blandly for someone who, she was pretty sure, had been about to threaten to spank her. Heck, she heard those words from Mike often enough, and they always gave her a little thrill when she could tell that he meant it, but that wasn't anything like the shiver of excited apprehension that had trickled down her spine when Adam had pinned her in place with those bright blue eyes and started in with that deep, threatening tone.
It wasn't threatening in a way that made her feel frightened though. Well maybe a little. But that only added to the excitement it aroused.
Her response to him was actually a little unnerving. Sometimes initial attraction could fade, especially in the face of easy going camaraderie, and she couldn't imagine any other guy saying something like that without her laughing at them. With Adam, she had absolutely no urge to laugh and she could actually feel her nipples hardening inside her bra. Fortunately she tended to wear bras with a lining so there was no way he could know that, but it still unsettled her.
"Okay then, here you go," Julia said, setting the check down on the table and clearing away the last of the dishes in front of them.
"Thanks, Jules," Angel said, automatically reaching for the little black book.
It disappeared from underneath her fingertips. Angel looked up and scowled at Adam to absolutely no effect.
"Just in case it was unclear, this is a date," he said, a little dryly, tucking a credit card into the book's pocket.
"I usually go Dutch on first dates," she replied stubbornly, resting her elbow on the table as she held out her hand.
"Usually, meaning not always, and this is one of those times."
She sighed, recognizing that there was no way Adam was going to give in on this one. "Well, thank you for the lovely dinner."
"You're welcome," he said, looking pleased that she wasn't going to argue even though his voice was firm. Arguing wouldn't have done her any good anyway. And now she knew that she'd have to be sneakier if she wanted to pay for things in the future.
Of course she liked the whole being paid for thing, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside and taken care of... but she also didn't think the guy should have to pay every time. She knew very well from her friendships that guys could get kind of fed up with that, especially if the girl they were dating had expensive tastes or just took the gesture for granted. It was something to be appreciated, not expected.
“I brought you something,” he said after Julia had picked up his card to run it. He reached into his pocket and set it down on the table. Angel blinked and picked the book up, studying the gorgeously illustrated cover.
“Robin Hobb… the author you were telling me about.”
“I thought you might like to borrow it. And if you like it, you can borrow the other two afterwards.”
Strangely, her eyes ached a little bit, the way they did when she wanted to cry. Probably because this was one of the most insightful things a guy had ever done for her. Most of them understood that she loved to read, but even if they shared her love they wouldn’t have thought to bring by a book that they thought she’d like. It was better than flowers or candy or… well… anything that he could have brought her.
“Thank you… I… thank you.”
Angel felt a little twinge of regret. Maybe she should have said she wanted dessert, even though she really hadn't been hungry... just because she didn't want tonight to end. But Julia was already returning with the check and then Adam was helping her into her coat. As he captured her hand in his, she thought that this was one of the nicest first dates she'd ever been on.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked, once they were comfortably settled in his car with the heat blasting on them. They'd gotten a good parking space, near the entrance to the restaurant, but now that the sun had gone down there was even more of a bite to the air than usual.
"I usually spend Sunday hanging around the house, trying out recipes. I like to bake."
"A little domestic goddess, aren't you? Baking, sewing... do you crochet too?"
"Knit. Sort of." At his questioning look, Angel shrugged. "I can only do scarves, I haven't figured out how to do anything else yet."
He smiled at her as they pulled out of the parking lot. "My friends are coming over tomorrow if you'd like to join us. The girls should be there too."
"On Valentine's Day weekend?"
"Well this is the first year it's effected anyone other than Jared," he explained. "Normally we get together and hide out. This year it'll be a little bi
t more like a party - but without Lexie's decorations."
"Yeah, I'd love to come," Angel said, enjoying the warm fluttering feeling in her stomach. She liked his friends, and it was always a good sign when a guy wanted to hang out with you right away, right?
Not that they hadn't been getting to know each other for a couple weeks now, even if things had gotten a little backwards and sideways since they'd gotten naked together before ever going out on a date. She took it as a good sign that he wanted her there.
"Good."
When they got back to her house, Adam walked her up to the door even though she told him that she didn't have to. He just gave her another one of those looks that made her feel all hot and bothered inside and her knees get a little wobbly and she decided not to argue with him.
"Do you want to come inside?" she asked, feeling a little nervous despite the fact that he'd already been in her house earlier in the day. She wasn't sure how he would take the invitation, all things considering.
"No, I've got to get home and make sure everything's ready for tomorrow."
"Oh, right," she said, smiling brightly. Her emotions felt a little jumbled, the weirdest mix of relief and disappointment flickering through her.
Before she could put her key in the lock, he put his hand over hers, stopping her. His other hand slid along her neck and cradled the back of her head, his skin a little cold but quickly heating as his fingers buried in her hair.
"Because I have a feeling that your housemates are going to be right inside..."
Then his lips covered hers, and the faint sounds of a congregation of video-game-playing-males melted away. By god the man could kiss. He held her head, gently but firmly, as his tongue probed her mouth, gently but insistently. It was an extremely thorough kiss that made her feel like she was boiling from the inside out, barely aware of the freezing air around her.
When he finally pulled away she realized that her back was now pressed up against the door and that she was practically panting.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, looking extremely satisfied as she stared up at him. Another light pass of his lips over hers and then he was heading back to his car.
"Um... yes... see you tomorrow..." she called after him, awkwardly fumbling for words. "Thank you for dinner!"
He gave her a grin and a little wave as he got in his car. Although he started it up right away, she realized that he was still looking at her, patiently waiting for her to go inside before he left. Now as a self-defense teacher, that was definitely a sweet gesture that she could approve of for more than one reason. She just wished it didn't mean he got to watch her drop her keys as she fumbled to get them in the doorknob.
Twice.
Chapter 19
“Crap… crap… crap… why is everything I have to wear crap?” Angel half-wailed, yanking off yet another shirt that had looked perfectly fine on the hanger and yet wasn’t at all what she wanted once she put it on. The v-neck of her purple sweater seemed too low, the black jeans were too tight with her pink shirt, the blue cardigan made her look like she had ten extra pounds on her stomach, and it was too damn cold out to wear a skirt or dress. Which would probably be too fancy anyway.
When the phone rang it was a welcome relief, even though it was playing Wyclef Jean's "Take Me As I Am," which meant that Leigh was finally calling her. Angel might not be super thrilled about Leigh and Michael getting back together, even if she'd basically expected it, but even listening to Leigh gush happily (like she always did when she and Michael worked something out) was preferable to trying on yet another fail outfit.
"Hey baby."
"Hey baby!" The happy, lilting note in Leigh's voice was always good to hear, even though Angel no longer trusted in Michael's ability to make it last. "How are you?"
"I'm good, although I think the more pertinent question is, how are you?"
"Good. Wonderful. Michael and I had a really long talk and I think it really helped. He's just worried about being able to provide for me and provide for a family and I think he realizes now that a lot of his anxieties are in his head."
"Does this mean you're engaged?"
Leigh laughed. "No. Not yet. But we talked about it and he says that when he proposes he wants it to be absolutely perfect."
The warm wistful tone made Angel want to smack Leigh on the back of the head. She knew very well that all Leigh wanted was to be engaged and married, she wouldn't care if Michael did some broad, sweeping gesture when he proposed. Which meant that, once again, Leigh was setting aside what she really wanted in favor of letting Michael put off proposing for even longer. Angel wondered how much time he'd be able to wring out of "putting together the perfect proposal." Months, probably. Leigh was too patient and understanding for her own good sometimes.
"So what's your idea of a perfect proposal?"
"Oh, just something small and sweet..." The wistfulness was back in full force. "I'd love it if he did it this spring during the cherry blossom festival. He knows how much I love cherry blossoms. Or, maybe at the restaurant when he first told me he loved me."
Yeah, Michael knew how much Leigh loved cherry blossoms, but it was Angel who went with her to see them every year. For Leigh, a perfect proposal would include Michael actually going to the festival with her. He'd been once, the entire time they were together, back when he and Leigh were in college. Since then he'd always found a reason not to go.
But she wasn't going to voice her theories. Maybe he would prove her wrong and Leigh's optimism would be proven right. Either way, Angel had learned from experience that being negative would only make Leigh defensive.
"That would be sweet."
"Yeah... so what have you been up to this weekend? How was Stronghold and Master Adam?"
Although she was a little suspicious about Leigh's abrupt change of subject, Angel told her friend all about the tumultuous events of the past forty eight hours. It felt good to vent about her jealousy and her uncertainties, even though Adam had reassured her on that measure. Talking it through with a friend was always helpful. Especially when said friend was pretty sure that the guy in question was wild for you.
Angel wasn't sure she completely believed that - or maybe that was just her underlying cynicism coming through - but it was nice to hear. It was funny, she wasn't cynical about much except her love life... but she didn't really consider it cynical. Just cautious. Assuming things about a guy's feelings was always dangerous. Of course, she'd proved that this weekend when she'd made an assumption to protect herself from future hurt.
"So now I have no idea what to wear. I'm looking for casual but sexy but not like I'm trying too hard... and everything I have is just wrong."
"What about the purple sweater?"
"You don't think it's too low cut?"
"I mean, it's low cut but no I don't think it's too low cut. I think it's just low cut enough. If you're that worried about it wear your teal scarf with the purple embroidery."
She nibbled on her thumbnail as she separated the two articles in question from the pile on her bed. "That looks good... see, I should have called you in the first place."
"I've told you not to try and get dressed for a date without me, you get all stressed out."
"I did fine when I was going to Stronghold."
"Yeah, but that's because you know what to wear to a club like that. It's different when you're being your regular self."
Wasn't that the truth.
"So what do I wear with it? The black jeans are too low rise... I think I might have to get rid of them."
"Wear the medium blue ones with the bling on the butt. Adam's definitely an ass man."
Angel laughed. "I knew that, but how did you know that?"
"Because every time I was at the club I got to watch him staring at your fine ass," Leigh responded teasingly. Angel giggled, rather delighted that Leigh had actually seen him doing so. She'd always thought she had a pretty good butt, but it was one thing to think that and another to have it confirmed
.
"He also likes touching it," she countered. "Which the bling doesn't exactly encourage."
"Do you want him to touch? Wait, did you guys..."
"No, of course not, I would have told you." Angel rolled her eyes. "Silly woman. But that doesn't mean that we won't..."
"You haven't known him for very long."
"He brought me a book," her voice was still filled with the wonder of that moment. Seriously, best peace offering ever.
"Which for you is the equivalent of a diamond necklace, I know. But just because he's already figured you out doesn't change that you guys have only known each other for a couple of weeks."
"More than a month if you count it from the time we first met. What about my dark blue jeans?"
"The ones that are frayed on the bottom? How many times have I told you to get rid of those?"
"They're comfortable. And soft. Hell, I want to touch my butt when I wear them."
"They're also so old that they're going to fall apart at any second. Do you really want to risk them splitting today?"
"You suck," Angel muttered, knowing that she'd never be able to wear them around Adam now. At least, not anywhere but her own home where she'd be able to run and change if needed. The jeans really were incredible comfortable, but it wasn't just the bottoms that were frayed, the seams were becoming more and more worn. She hardly ever washed them for fear the fabric would fall apart in the machine.
"Wear the blingy ones. That way if he wants to touch your butt he'll have to take them off."
"You're such a bad influence on me."
"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to sleep with him. Besides, if he's not seeing anyone else and you're not seeing anyone else, then it sounds to me like he's your boyfriend, so what's not to encourage?"
"Well, we haven't really talked about any labels yet, so I don't know about calling him my boyfriend."
"Then what would you call him?"
Silent, Angel pulled up the jeans with the bling on the butt and twisted to look at herself in the mirror. They really did look good. Not only did the shiny draw attention to the shape of her bottom, this particular pair of jeans made that shape look spectacular. It hugged every curve and emphasized the fact that her bottom was a nice little bubble, perfect for curving fingers around.
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