“Ames.” A tiny shake woke me minutes later. I rubbed my eyes, realizing at some point I had fallen into a horizontal position into Braden’s lap.

Then I glanced at the clock.

11pm.

Crap! I had been asleep for way longer than just a few minutes. Damn Braden and his comfortable body.

Blinking through the sleep that still clouded my eyes, I saw Braden’s chest heaving with laughter from aside me.

“How far did I make it?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“Through the opening credits,” he replied, a teasing smile on his lips. His fingers still wound themselves through my hair.

I groaned. “Why are you so damn comfortable?”

His grin widened. “It’s a blessing and a curse I guess. I hope it was okay for me to be playing with your hair?”

“Yeah, of course. That’s probably why I fell asleep if I’m being honest. It’s something about the ASMR sensation, it just puts me to sleep.”

“Seems like you needed it. And I’m glad I made a good pillow.” He glanced at the clock then back at me. “So, um, do you want me to take you back? You can also stay over if you want. I don’t mind.”

I tucked my hair behind my ears. As much as I wanted to stay over, it was probably best that I didn’t overstay my welcome. After all, we wanted to go slow.

“I think it’s best if you take me back home tonight,” I said. “We haven’t exactly figured out what we are and I, um…” I trailed off. I don’t know if I can bear the strings attached.

Braden nodded. “Let me get my keys.”

I went to collect my wedges by the front door then followed Braden down to his car.

We drove back to my apartment in silence. A tension of something more lingered between us. Right now, we were just two people who’d enjoyed a night of home cooked meals and casual conversation.

But both of us wanted something more.

“Thank you for dinner,” I said, staring down at my hands in my lap. I turned in the passenger seat. Here went nothing. “I, um, I want you to know that I really did have fun tonight and I’m sorry about falling asleep. It’s not something I normally do, especially when I’m having fun on a date. And I don’t even know if we can consider tonight a date because if we do then it means we’re dating and that’s just not something I think is in our best interest given our circumstances. Which sucks because I want to keep going out with you. We really did have such a connection that night we met and the supplemental times we’ve seen each other and I didn’t want to admit it but now that I have, I’m wondering what it would be like to kiss you, and…”

I took a deep breath.

“Are you done?” Braden asked.

I frowned. That’s all he had to say? Was he even listening? “Yeah, I-I guess so.” My fingers hovered over the door handle.

“Are you sure? Because I think you forgot something.”

“What?” My eyebrows knitted together.

Braden leaned across the center console, cupping my face in his rough, strong hands and kissing me.

Softly. Sweetly. Sensually.

He pulled back, desire swimming in his eyes.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I sat back in shock, an almost idiotic grin sliding over my face. “Take it back.”

“Nuh uh.” Braden shook his head.

“Fine.” I leaned toward him, returning the kiss with one of my own. My fingers grasped at the fabric of his shirt as his fingers combed through my hair. My tongue swirled with his, dancing together as we explored each other’s mouths.

Braden placed his other hand around my waist and pulled me toward him in the driver’s seat. His fingers trailed along the hem of my blouse, slipping underneath and tracing patterns along my bare skin.

The seat groaned beneath us. My back was pressed against the steering wheel; one false move and we’d alert the whole neighborhood to our scandalous act.

“Backseat.” His voice rumbled low in his throat. Braden shifted me in his lap, one hand gripping my thigh while the other fumbled against the seat. I let out a small shriek as the seat dropped horizontal.

I crawled to the backseat and he followed, lowering himself on top of me before pushing the seat back to its upright position.

Braden slid a hand up my bare leg and teasing the end of my skirt. His other hand moved up my shirt, teasing the lace beneath. With my chest pressed against him, I arched my back, and he began to pepper sloppy kisses along my jaw, down my neck to my throat.

Oh my… My eyes fluttered closed and suddenly I wished I’d taken Eloise’s advice to bring a condom for tonight.

If you sleep with him, there’s no turning back.

“Braden,” I whispered. My vocal chords vibrated against his lips.

“Mm.” He let out a low growl, rumbling deep in his chest.

“Just…wait. Hold on.” I carefully moved his hand from my leg and he removed the other hand from beneath my shirt.

Braden sat up, grinning, then helped me up. I readjusted my clothes and smoothed down my hair. “I’ve wanted to know how it would feel to kiss you since the night we met, too,” he finally said. “And that was…amazing.”

I nodded. “I have to say, you really are good with your hands.”

Braden laughed. “Thank you. Those weren’t even my best moves. Just wait until next time.” He paused. “If we can do this again?”

A blush crept into my cheeks. “That’s what I wanted us to talk about. We can’t date, but we also can’t not see each other. That much is clear.”

He cradled me in his lap, rubbing circles against my hips with his thumbs. “You know, I think I figured out a solution to our dilemma.” His fingers slipped up my top again and over my stomach.

I bit back a moan from his touch. This man really knew how to push a woman’s buttons, in all the best ways. “Yeah? What’s that?”

Braden’s lips found mine again, tugging lightly before working his way over to my ear. “If we can’t date, because of the rules…” he sat up and put air quotes around the last word. “Maybe we could just be friends with the added benefit of, well, you know. What we’ve just been doing. Then there’s not any rules we’re breaking. It’s a loophole in the system.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I considered this offer. “You know, you are very convincing.”

“Oh yeah?” His mouth tipped up into a smile.

I wove my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, realizing that I wanted him in my life as much as I needed him in my life. My heartbeat picked up the pace again.

Linda’s stern glare from Parent-Teacher night flashed into my mind and I pulled back. “But I think…I still need some time,” I settled on replying. “I have to figure out…I’m not sure right now.”

If Linda could figure something out just from one fraction of a moment of interaction, she was sure to be suspicious that something else was going on between me and Braden now.

Braden nodded, his smile fading into one of disappointment. “I understand. So, um. I’ll see you around then?”

“Yeah.”

He helped me out of the car. We walked up to my apartment and the whole time I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted him to fight against my words.

Fight for me, I silently begged him. Tell me I’m being unreasonable.

“Thank you for tonight,” he said when the silence almost became too much to bear. “I know we’ve been saying that so much over the last little bit but…I had fun. It’s nice to remove myself from the role of ‘dad’ for a bit, you know?”

I chuckled. “I bet that gets exhausting from time to time.”

“It does, but it’s worth it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ames—Amelia. Think about it, okay? I don’t want this—my complicated past—to be a reason we don’t see each other. Even if it doesn’t come with the added benefits.” Braden pressed a light kiss to my cheek, and I watched him walk back to his car.

I wanted those added benefits. I wanted this job not to be the reason I couldn’t be with him even socially. The gossip, the shame, the disappointment from the school board.

But when I thought about the idea of stolen kisses and silent glances and little signals that only we knew what they meant, it made me giddy with excitement.

All things to consider before making my decision.

With a sigh, I unlocked the apartment door and came face-to-face with a ghost from my past.