“Even be celibate?” I wince.
“You know you’re more to me than a carnal night, Nora. I didn’t come to the bakery or text you because I was looking for another night. I came because I was looking for someone with a kind heart, someone who can make me laugh. Is the sex amazing with us? Fuck yes, but I think the emotional part of a relationship, the side I’ve been craving, can be so much more.”
That makes me smile.
“Well, then, it’s settled,” I say, heart full. “I’ll go out with you.”
“One more quick question about this dating thing.”
“What’s that?” I ask, wrapping my legs around his waist and bringing him close.
“This celibacy pact, does it include kissing?”
I shake my head. “No, kissing is a must, but it doesn’t go past that.”
“Okay, so we are going to get more connected while attempting to give each other a furious case of blue balls.”
“Accurate, yes.”
“Perfect.” He chuckles. “Get ready to be taunted and teased while I emotionally stimulate you.”
“Oooh, give it to me hard with that emotional stimulation.”
“I’m going to pound it into you, relentlessly, until you can’t take it anymore.”
Chuckling, I grip his cheeks and press a quick kiss to his lips. “God, I can’t wait to get emotional with you. We’re going to come so hard in each other’s minds.”
His brows rise.
“Too far?” I ask.
“Too far.” He laughs and presses another kiss to my lips as I hold him, happy about what’s to come.
CHAPTER THIRTY
FORD
“Good morning,” says Larkin’s sweet voice as she kisses my chest.
I rub my hand over her back. “Mmm, good morning.”
Her hand floats over my stomach, stirring me awake . . . everywhere. “You are aware it’s your assistant that you’re lying naked on the floor with, in a tent, in your parents’ living room, right?”
“Well aware.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Perfectly okay with that.” I kiss the top of her head. “Why all the questions?”
“Just making sure. Normally in situations like this, I feel like people wake up and then all of a sudden they’re, like, ‘What the hell have I done?’”
“I am thinking what the hell have I done.” Larkin stiffens next to me. “But not in the way you meant. More like . . . what the hell have I done? And why didn’t I do it sooner?”
I can feel her smile against my chest. “Smooth talker, even in the morning.”
“I try to—”
The garage door opens, and I hear Mom call out in a cheery voice, “Good morning!”
Oh.
Fuck.
I sit up straight, knocking Larkin off me with the sleeping bag. I glance down at my naked body and then look at hers. “My parents are home,” I whisper.
Her eyes widen, and she scrambles for the pillow to cover up.
“Oh my God,” she whispers back. “I’m naked in their living room.”
“We’re both naked in their living room. Shit.”
“Are you awake?” Mom calls out from the kitchen.
I scramble around, looking for my clothes. “Where are my pants?”
“Outside of the tent, on the living room floor.”
“Shit,” I say again.
“I think they’re still sleeping,” I hear Mom say.
“Or they’re out for one of their runs,” Dad says. “Slick roads, though; might not be smart.”
I turn to Larkin. “They can’t see us naked.”
“Obviously,” she whispers. “God, and what would they think of you sleeping with your assistant?” She places her hand on her forehead in distress. “They’re going to think I’m a harlot.”
I glance toward the kitchen and then back at Larkin. “They won’t.” I pause. “Shit, I have no idea what they might think, but I have a feeling if they see us naked, they will have something to say about it.”
“Anyone in their right mind would have something to say about finding two individuals naked in their living room,” Larkin says, her panic rising.
I grip her hand for a brief moment. “It’s okay. We can be really quiet and let them believe we’re not here, and then we’ll sneak out while they’re taking showers.”
“That’s a great idea and all, but all of our clothes are outside this tent.”