Domino by Ivy Black

Chapter Seventeen

Ashley

“And here I thought when you said you were going to pick me up that I’d be riding on the back of your motorcycle,” I tell him.

He smiles as he opens the passenger door of a black Dodge Ram. The truck is impeccably clean and detailed, and of course, seems to have all the bells and whistles on it. I’m not really a truck girl, but even I have to say that it’s nice.

“The bike doesn’t have a back seat. The truck does though, and it’s really comfortable,” he says suggestively, making me laugh.

“Pro tip… you should never say something so piggish so early on a first date.”

“Huh. That line usually drops a woman’s panties within thirty seconds,” he says.

“Yeah well, I’m not most women.”

“I know. That’s why I like you.”

He shuts the door and walks around the front of the truck, leaving me to ponder his words. Maybe it’s silly but hearing him say that he likes me with such sincerity in his voice sends an electric thrill through me. I’m just not used to having a man be so genuinely interested in me or pay the kind of attention that Max is lavishing on me, and it feels really nice.

He climbs in behind the wheel and glances over at me, giving me a smile. Max really is a handsome man. Gorgeous, would probably be a better word. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a tingling warmth growing between my thighs. But I clear my throat and push those feelings away since I still haven’t decided whether or not I can be that kind of a girl yet. I have needs and desires—and I definitely desire Max and have a feeling he can meet my needs quite well—but I’m not sure if I’m ready to throw caution to the wind like that.

Sister Ashley Margaret is still very much alive and well, apparently.

“You’re not wearing your little leather vest,” I notice.

He laughs softly. “It’s called a kutte.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know there was an official term for it. I didn’t mean to offend your manhood by calling it something so effeminate,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Oh, you’re welcome to offend my manhood anytime you’d like. But you have to kiss it and make it all better afterward,” he says, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“You are incorrigible. Seriously incorrigible,” I tell him.

“And yet… you agreed to go out with me, anyway. So, what does that say about you, I wonder?”

“That I apparently have some issues.”

“Good thing I like ’em a little crazy,” he says, making me laugh again.

He starts the truck, and we pull away from the curb, and I can almost feel Missy’s eyes on me. I’m picturing her hiding behind the curtain in the living room, peeking out around the corner like my mom used to do whenever I went out with somebody back in high school. It’s kind of adorable.

“That’s a really nice house,” he says. “Have you lived there long?”

“Oh, it’s not my house. It’s my friend’s. My son and I are just staying in her guest house for a while. My friend is watching him tonight.”

He cocks his head and looks at me. “I didn’t know you had a kid.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I tell him.

“Touché,” he replies.

Something about the set of his body changes, and it seems obvious that he’s uncomfortable with the idea of kids, which is a clear problem. And if it’s going to be an issue, it’s probably best we address it now and go our separate ways, so we don’t waste each other’s time.

“Do you not like kids or something?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I’ve just never been around many kids in my life.”

“You just seem… tense. It seems like you don’t like children.”

His expression darkens as he focuses on the road, and it’s clear to me that there’s a story there.

“It’s not that I don’t like kids. It’s just that I had a… bad experience,” he says cryptically.

“A bad experience?”

“Yeah. When I was overseas. It was… I’d rather not talk about it, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Well, if you want to date me, then you need to know my son is the center of my life and I make no apologies for it. He’s the reason I’m here in town. So, if this is going to be a problem for you, then we should probably just—”

“It’s not a problem for me at all. It’s not that I hate kids or think you need to hide your son from me. I just… it just brings up a few issues of my own.”

I can hear the pain in his voice, and it sends a ripple of sadness through my heart. It makes me wonder what could have happened to him over there to have made him seem so afraid of children. But it at least eases my mind somewhat in that I’m reasonably sure he doesn’t have some deep-seated loathing of children. He’s scared of them, and in my experience, the best way to get somebody over their fear is to help them face, then overcome it.

I look over at him and give him a devilish smirk. “Good thing I like ’em a little crazy, too.”

His explosion of laughter seems as much as a releasing of his tension as it is that he finds me funny. But it certainly cuts the thickness from the air, and I think both of us are breathing a little easier. At least, I know I am. It’s crazy to think it, but the idea of this being over before we started actually hit me pretty hard. When I told him that we should probably stop before we start, it felt like a kick to the gut. It made me sad.

It’s nuts given that I don’t actually know this guy, but there is something about him that connects with me. It’s not just that he’s a gorgeous man who I’m sure can rock my world in bed, it’s that I see something in him that’s surprising to me. With all of his innuendos, double entendres, and sexually charged remarks, he tries to posture as this smarmy cad who’s just looking for a piece of ass.

And I’m not saying he’s not looking to get laid. But I’m positive that’s not the only thing he’s looking for. I’m positive that I’m the one who would have to make the first move or give him some signal that I’m open to having sex with him. When he looks at me, even when he’s making some sexual innuendo, I can see it’s all a game to him. He enjoys the chase as much as I do. He enjoys seeing how far he can push things, and how much I’m willing to give. But I also know he’s not willing to cross the lines I impose.

He’s not the sort of guy who just uses women then discards them, unless that was all they were looking for and that’s what they had arranged. When I look at him, I see the depth of his kindness, compassion, and respect. And I see that he knows where the boundaries are. He may position himself as some over-the-top Casanova, and though he’s definitely charming as hell, I have a feeling I’d have to talk him into having sex with me. It’s actually kind of sweet.

“So, where are we going?” I ask.

“We’re going to a place called the Fish Bucket. Best seafood in California as far as I’m concerned,” he replies, then whips his head around and looks at me. “I mean, you do like seafood, right?”

“No, I hate it.”

“Oh. Well, good thing I have another place—”

He bites his words off when I burst out laughing. Max looks at me with a wry grin, knowing I’d just gotten him. The truth is, I love seafood. I just wanted to tweak him a little bit just because it’s fun.

“You are an asshole,” he says.

“Sometimes,” I reply.

“Yeah, fine. Laugh it up. I’m not going to be falling for your shit again.”

“I never knew you were so gullible.”

“Shut up,” he fires back with a laugh.

We banter back and forth, taking turns making each other laugh all the way to the restaurant. And by the time we get there, my cheeks and my sides are hurting from laughing as much as we did. I can honestly say that I’ve not laughed so hard or so much in longer than I can even remember.

The valet opens the door and lets me out as Max takes a ticket, then comes around the truck to where I’m standing. He looks me up and down as if seeing me for the first time and whistles low, which touches off a furious blush in my cheeks.

“Wow. You look fantastic,” he says.

“And you’re just now noticing?”

“At least I noticed,” he replies.

“I suppose that’s true. I’ll give you half credit for noticing.”

“Hey, cut me some slack. It’s been a while since I’ve been out on a date. And since I believe in genuine equality between the sexes, if we’re being fair, you didn’t seem to notice that I’d prettied myself up for you either,” he says.

He holds his arms out wide and turns in a circle, showing himself off to me. At least I have an excuse for not noticing… I’ve been nervous as hell since he picked me up. But now that I’m feeling a little more relaxed, I notice him. And I’m enjoying the way his black jeans cling to what looks like a very tight ass, and his black button-down shirt accentuates the lean, taut muscles of his body. His beard his neatly trimmed, and even his hair is swept back and nicely styled.

“You look pretty good,” I tell him.

He arches an eyebrow at me. “Pretty good?”

“Yeah, pretty good. I’m totally not going to overinflate your already healthy ego by telling you that you look incredible. I don’t know that I could bear it.”

“Ahhh… so you think I look incredible.”

“That’s not what I said.”

He shrugs. “It’s what I heard. It was in the subtext of what you said.”

I laugh and slap him playfully on the arm knowing that he got me, that it was in the subtext of what I said. The jerk. When my laughter tapers off, he is looking at me with an expression of earnest sincerity on his face.

“If I had to pick one word to describe you, it would be ethereal,” he says. “You are absolutely radiant.”

His words make my eyes well with tears and I turn away from him, trying to wipe them away so they don’t ruin my makeup. I’m wearing a simple vintage style blue dress with white polka dots that hangs to my knees, and a white belt around my waist. My hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail and I’ve got a white cardigan draped around my shoulders. I don’t exactly feel ethereal or radiant.

He takes my arm gently and turns me back to him and I look up into eyes that are brimming with compassion.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” he says.

I shake my head. “You didn’t upset me. It’s just… it’s been a really long time since somebody said that to me, and it hit me harder than I expected.”

His smile is gentle, his expression kind. “Well let’s go have a glass of wine, some good food, and a few laughs.”

I sniff back the tears and nod. “That sounds amazing.”

Max offers me his arm and I slip mine through his, letting him lead me up the walk and into the restaurant.