“May I ask you a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Would it be possible for you to dial it down a few thousand notches?”
“It?”
“Your blistering machismo. It really messes with my equilibrium. I honestly don’t know how to properly respond to the use of the word ‘dick’ within five seconds of the start of a conversation. Especially when it’s accompanied by ‘rock hard.’ I must’ve missed that day in etiquette class.”
There’s a pause, then he laughs. The sound is deep, rich, and altogether wonderful.
“You’re funny.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes. Apologies. You just make me…”
“I know the feeling.”
“You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“Keyed up? Unsettled? Off balance? Confused?”
Another pause. “You did know what I was going to say.”
“I’m good that way.”
“With mind reading?”
“With naming emotions. It’s from all the therapy I’ve had.”
I stop and close my eyes, shaking my head at my own idiocy. I never had this problem with any of the men I’ve known, but around Kage, I can’t be trusted to open my mouth. Dumb things fly out in every direction.
“Did it help?”
He sounds interested, so I answer honestly. “Not really. I still felt like shit, I just had better adjectives to describe it.”
I hear some rustling on the other end of the line, like he’s moving around. Then he exhales. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time.”
“Oh god. Please don’t feel sorry for me. I hate pity more than anything else in the world.”
“It’s not pity. It’s empathy.”
“I’m not sure they’re so different.”
“They are. One is condescending. The other is understanding what someone’s going through because you’ve been there. And you wouldn’t wish that kind of suffering on anyone else. And you wish you could make it better.”
His voice drops. “I wish I could make it better for you.”
Emotion wells in my chest, rising up to form a lump in my throat. After swallowing a few times, I say quietly, “In that case, thank you.”
After a moment when I don’t say anything else, he murmurs, “If it’s all right, I’d like to kiss you when I see you next.”
“I thought I was supposed to be making the first move.”
“You did. You called me. The ball’s in my court now. What do you say?”
I like it that he’s asking permission. He doesn’t seem like he’s a man who asks permission for anything.
“I say…probably. But I can’t guarantee it. My feelings around you are pretty unpredictable. I could want to kiss you one minute and push you into traffic the next. We’ll have to play it by ear.”
He chuckles. “Fair enough.”
“So…” I take a breath and gather my courage. “The reason I’m calling is to find out if you’re free tonight.”
In his pause, I feel his surprise. “You’re asking me out on a date?”
I groan. “Cut me a break, will you? I’m not good at this!”
“I don’t know, you seem pretty good at it. Professional, even.”
I bristle at his mischievous tone. “Are you teasing me?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Well, stop it!”
“Sorry,” he says, not sounding sorry at all. “Teasing is one of my favorite things.”
The innuendo in his voice stops me cold. “Did we, or did we not, just agree that you would dial it down?”
He says innocently, “I have no idea what you mean.”
Yeah, right. “Back to tonight. Are you in?”
His voice turns thoughtful. “I don’t know. It depends. Where are you taking me?”
I put the phone down by my waist, lean my head back, and close my eyes. After a moment, I put the phone back to my ear.
“What happened? Did I lose you?”
“Still here. Just feeling bad for every man who’s ever asked a woman out on a date.”
“No fun putting yourself out there, is it?”
“It’s really miserable. I don’t know how you guys do it.”
“We’re a persistent bunch.” He lowers his voice. “And in my case, relentless.”
The teacher’s lounge has emptied. Lunch is over, and I’m due at a staff meeting in two minutes.
I couldn’t care less.
“I noticed that about you. Right after I noticed you have a tendency to do an about-face that could give a girl whiplash.”
“Yes, but have you noticed my biceps? I’ve been told they’re impressive.”
The playfulness in his voice makes me cock my head. “Are you flirting with me?”
“You sound as surprised as I did when I found out you bake cookies.”
“It’s just that you change moods like I change shoes. I’ve never met someone who could go from smoldering to silly so fast.”
“Silly?” He sounds disgusted. “I’ve never been silly in my life.”
“Too macho, huh?”
“Way too macho. As you can tell.”
I have to laugh, because he’s flirting with me again. A lighthearted Kage is not something I expected. “You’re in a good mood today.”
“You called. You asked me out on a date. You’re obviously helpless against my many, many charms—”
“Let’s not get carried away.”
“—which means my plan is working perfectly.”
“What plan is that?”
He does another about-face, going from playful to scorchingly sexy as quick as two fingers snapping. He growls, “Making you mine.”
I decide this is a good time to sit down. I sink into a chair at the table and moisten my lips. My pulse is a roar like crashing ocean waves in my ears.
“You’re not saying anything.”
“Just recalibrating.”
“You already know I’m very direct.”
“What I didn’t know is that there’s no warning. I’m never ready for it. We’ll be going along at a normal speed, talking like two semi-strangers—”
“We’ve been over this. We’re not strangers.”
“—then out of nowhere, wham! Christian Grey appears and starts snapping his leather riding crop and barking commands.”
There’s a momentary pause, then Kage says, “I don’t know who this Christian Grey is, but it sounds like I’d like him.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. “I need to say something before we go on our date.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It’s just that you’re very intense, Kage. You’re very…provocative. Forward.” The heat in my cheeks flares hotter. “Sexual.”
He waits for more. When I don’t continue, he prompts impatiently, “And?”
“And I’m not.”
After a beat, he says in a low voice, “I can’t tell if you’re saying you don’t like it or you do.”