PAISLIE SEEMED TO BE OVERCOME with emotion for a quick moment before slipping back into her carefree mode.
“This really is amazing. Deuce is missing out.”
I nodded in agreement. “His fault for eating that whole bone I gave him.”
She flashed me a dazzling smile as she asked, “Are you sure he wasn’t sabotaged? You know, by someone wanting to steal his date?”
I glanced over to Paislie. My blue eyes holding onto her green as we both got lost momentarily in each other. “I do believe there might have been a hidden agenda to that oversized bone,” I softly spoke as she chuckled.
Reaching into the larger picnic basket, I smiled when I pulled out the chicken salad on croissants. Janet knew how much I loved her chicken salad.
“Hmm . . . I love chicken salad!” Paislie exclaimed.
“Then you will really love this chicken salad. My assistant, Janet, makes it all from scratch. I’m not even going to ask her how she pulled this off because I’m pretty sure I’d be buying her and her husband tickets to some fabulous hotel in Mexico somewhere.”
Paislie chuckled as I made up each plate. “So tell me,” she said as she pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. I’d never seen anyone look so goddamn sexy yet cute as hell like she did that very moment. “How many girls have you done this with?”
Giving her a look of hurt, I asked, “Done what with?”
She motioned around with her hands and laughed. “This, Malcolm! This is incredible, and not to be cheesy or make you think I’m looking for something more here, but this is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
When I looked back up at her, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the light in her eyes. I found myself wanting to make her this happy every day, but at the same time I was bothered by the fact no other guy had taken the time to romance her.
Jesus H. Christ. Where in the hell did that come from?
“How many girls have you taken up on a rooftop and swooned them like this?”
“That’s easy to answer. None. Well, actually one. You.”
Her smile faded slightly as her eyes turned darker and she wrapped her arms around her legs and whispered, “Oh.”
“I’m not much of a romance kind of guy.”
She lifted a single eyebrow and gave me a disbelieving look. “I would love to see what you think would be romantic.”
Handing her the plate with the sandwich, homemade chips and fresh fruit, I looked up and thought about it.
“Holy crap. Did Janet make all of this?” She held up a chip.
“Yep.”
Her mouth slacked open as she said, “You better give her a damn good thank you!”
I nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m booking their trip Monday.”
Paislie took a bite and practically melted on the spot. “Oh. My. Goodness. Oh yes. This is so much better than what I make.”
“Told you it was good,” I said as I took a bite.
Paislie popped a chip into her mouth and leaned back on one hand as she looked intently at me. “So tell me about yourself, Malcolm. From what I read on the internet, you’re cocky, a manwhore, filthy rich, liked by a lot of people off the track, your nemesis retired this year opening it up for you to dominate each race, and you’re from Texas.”
“Looks like you covered it.”
Shaking her head, she took another bite. “You’re not even going to try and defend the manwhore thing?”
“Nope. Pretty much all of that was true.” I looked up and thought for a second. “Yeah, no . . . all of it’s true.”
A look of disappointment washed over her face as she quietly took another bite. “I’m cocky when I need to be, I am rich, I hope like hell people do like me for me and not for my money, Emmit . . . my nemesis as you called him . . . did retire from racing, which still pisses me off.”
“Why does that make you mad?”
With a shrug, I replied, “He’s good. Damn good.”
She leaned closer and asked, “Better than you?”
“If I’m being honest?”
Nodding her head, she gasped. “Always be honest, Malcolm. It’s a very enduring quality about a person.”
Her smile made my stomach drop. “Okay. Yes, he is better than me. Best driver I’ve ever raced against. He kept me on my toes. Made me strive to be the best I could be so I could take him down each week.”
“Wow,” Paislie said in a hushed tone.
With a dry laugh, I shook my head. “Trust me, I’m as surprised as you I admitted that out loud. If you ever repeat it, I’ll deny it.”
Holding up her hands, she locked her lips and pretended to throw the key away. “It’s safe with me.”
She looked down and asked, “What about the manwhore thing?”
I wanted to take every single moment back I shared with the endless amounts of women I had fucked so I could tell her that wasn’t true.
“I’ve had my fair share of women and fun times.”
Something moved across her face that I couldn’t read and I wished like hell I had lied. But then again . . . there was something about Paislie that made me want to be honest with her. I never wanted to see her hurt or be the one to hurt her.
She took another bite and we finished the meal in silence. Paislie helped me pack the basket back up and looked out behind me as she jumped up. “The sun! Oh wow.”
Standing, I took her hand and led her over to the other side where we stood and watched the most amazing sunset I’d ever seen. The orange and red colors were brilliant as they swept over the horizon. I felt as if I was seeing a real sunset for the first time in my life.
When the last part of the sun dipped below the skyline, Paislie turned to me. “I have to be honest with you, Malcolm.”
“It’s a good trait, remember?”
She let out a soft chuckle. “I can’t get involved with a guy like you. No matter how attracted I am to you.” My chest felt tight, but I wasn’t sure if it was because she said she was attracted to me or couldn’t get involved with a guy like me. “I didn’t come on this date looking to spend the night in your bed, Malcolm.”
“Why did you come then?”
Her mouth opened and she looked pissed, as if thinking that was my only reason for inviting her. “The small amount of time we’ve spoken, I’ve enjoyed it. I’m curious about you and you make me feel . . . um . . . I um—”
“I make you feel what?”
The night sky was starting to fight with daylight as her eyes turned dark. “Different.”
“Good different or bad different?”
She lowered her head and looked down. Placing my finger under her chin, I lifted her eyes back to mine. “Paislie?”
“Good different, but I can’t . . . I mean I’ve been hurt so many times by guys and you scare me, Malcolm.”
Dropping my eyes to her lips, my dick jumped when she licked them. If I kept staring at them I’d say something I regretted. “Since I was in high school I haven’t been on a date, Paislie.”
Her brows pinched together. “What?”
“I didn’t invite you here with hopes that I could fuck you. There are plenty of women out there that I could pick up and fuck.” She swallowed hard as I kept her eyes trained on mine. “I invited you here because you make me feel different.”
Pressing her lips together, she grinned and then asked, “Good different or bad different?”
I leaned over, closing the distance between us. My lips stopped short of hers as I noticed both our breathing pick up.
“Good,” I whispered before pressing my lips to hers.
Her hands came up and gripped my arms. If there was anything I wanted more in this world, it was to kiss this girl. But I also wanted to kiss her so she knew that was all I wanted from her.
For now.
I gently rubbed my lips across hers as she squeezed onto my arms and moaned ever so slightly. When I pressed my lips to her it felt like a jolt of lightning. It was slow and soft. Nothing felt as if it needed to be rushed. When she opened her mouth to me, I swear I died and went to heaven. Our tongues moved slowly in perfect harmony with each other.
I fought the urge to pull her closer to me. To make her feel how badly I wanted her.
No. I needed to take things slow.
This was different.
Paislie was different.