I could tell he was smiling.
“Do you want to tell me what kind of pictures you want?” I asked. “For consent reasons?”
“With you I consent to everything.”
I snorted.
“You know, for the record, I wish I was there and didn’t need the picture at all…” he said.
I gave the phone a wry grin. “And what would you do to me if you were here?”
“Hmmmm. Let’s see,” he said, his voice low. “First I’d push you down on the bed. Then I’d slide over you and kiss you from your neck up.”
I made a low moan in my throat. “I like that…”
“I’d take my hand and press it to your cheek and look you in the eye. Then I’d tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. That I think you’re brilliant and kind and that seeing you is the highlight of my entire week. That when you’re on your way, I’m already dreading you leaving and when I’m with you I’m happy.”
I blinked into the bedroom. I couldn’t breathe. “Daniel…”
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know that’s not foreplay.”
I shook my head. “Yes,” I said quietly. “It is.”
I could tell he was smiling. “Gotta go. Need to put out appetizers.” He paused. “I miss you.”
It punched me in the heart. He’d never said that to me before.
This was another level, unlocked.
There was I miss you. I love you. Boyfriend, girlfriend, meet the family, live together, engaged.
Married…
But we’d never reach most of those levels. We’d never even come close.
I couldn’t even picture his truck parked in the driveway of my house. My homeowners’ association would probably give me a ticket.
For the first time in my life, I was in a situation where I knew I was making a terrible mistake. I was careening toward certain death at terminal velocity. But I couldn’t not do it. I knew continuing this thing with Daniel was pointless. There was no happy ending here. But I missed him. He missed me. And I wanted him to know it. At least tonight.
“I miss you too.”
Chapter 25
Daniel
Alexis sent me a picture of her from the neck down. Black silk robe, open in the front, lacy black underwear.
I practically ran back to my garage.
I’d never taken a dick pic before. I was getting ready when my phone rang. Doug.
“Hey, I can’t talk right now, I’m right in the middle of something,” I said.
“What are you in the middle of?”
“I’m…I’m taking a picture for Alexis.”
Silence.
“I’m coming over.”
“What? No. Don’t come over.”
I heard his screen door slam.
“I’m serious, Doug, I don’t need you.”
“Let me guess. You’re taking a top-down shot, using the flash, standing in your shitty garage bathroom, you can see your feet in the picture and you’re wearing socks.”
I looked down.
Shit.
I heard his engine turn over. “That’s what I thought. Don’t do anything until I get there.”
“Doug—”
“DON’T DO ANYTHING UNTIL I GET THERE.”
He hung up on me.
Fifteen minutes later Doug walked in. He had a ring light.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not using that shit.”
He walked past me into my workshop. “She’s going to show this to her friends. You want to send her a shitty dick pic? That’s what you want?”
I followed him over to my workbench. “She’s not showing it to her friends.”
“Daniel?” A female voice came out of Doug’s phone on speaker. “It’s Liz. She’s definitely going to show it to her friends.”
I threw up my hands. “What the hell?! You called Liz?”
He shrugged. “I had to borrow her ring light.”
I could hear her laughing, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “This is so embarrassing,” I whispered.
“What’s embarrassing is sending a dick pic that all her friends make fun of. This is fucking important,” he said, shoving his phone with Liz on speaker into my hand. “Literally everyone she knows is about to see the goods, you can’t mess this up.”
I shook my head. “You’re not helping me take this picture.”
He looked at me like I was speaking in tongues. “I’m not taking your damn dick pic. I’m setting you up, giving you all the tools, and you’re taking it.”