I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to do this, but taking Maddie out was the best damn idea I’ve had in a while. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to get her out of my condo. Not that I don’t love spending time with her there. I do. But this girl deserves to be treated special.

“So you and Jax actually buried Clementine in mud all the way to her neck? And she didn’t kill you?” she asks, laughing, before taking a sip of her wine.

“Oh, she definitely tried to kill us. But we were seven. I’m sure if we tried that today, you’d never find our bodies. But that wasn’t half as bad as when we dyed all of her white socks pink. Her mom was pissed and thought Clem had screwed up her own laundry by accident, so she refused to buy her new clothes. All through sixth grade, she walked around with pink socks.”

Maddie’s eyes widen. “You and Jax sound like little terrors.”

“We were. I’m surprised Clem never poisoned our food or put a hit on us.”

“I’m pretty sure if you had filled my training bras with pudding and frozen them, I might have considered those possibilities.”

I snicker. “I guess we were little bastards. That poor girl never ate a Pudding Pop again.”

She covers her mouth to chuckle. “So what’s the worst prank you and Jax played on each other?”

Pausing, I shake my head. “We did a lot of crazy shit, but the most embarrassing was probably when Jax de-pantsed me in seventh grade in front of all of the eighth grade girls.”

A snort of laughter leaves her, and she covers her mouth. “Well,” she says, raising an eyebrow when she’s done laughing, “I’m sure you gave those girls plenty to talk about.”

I can’t help but grin. “Probably the highlight of their year.”

“Oh, lord.” She looks toward the exit and then points toward the back. “We should call back Christophe. You might need help getting that ego out of the restaurant when we’re done eating.”

I chuckle, and she winks back at me. Damn, this girl is cute.

“What about you, Maddie? Please tell me I’m not the only one who got in trouble growing up. You strike me as the kind of girl who always followed the rules.”

She frowns, and her shoulders sag. “I was kind of a boring kid.”

I set my fork down and reach over to grab her hand. “That’s not possible. A girl who covers sports? Nothing boring about that.”

A smile tugs her lips. “My dad loved that I covered sports. That was our thing. Football, basketball, baseball, hockey–he loved it all. Took me to games when he could afford it. It was tough for him as a single dad, but you’d never know it. He was just the kind of guy who always looked on the bright side, always thought I could do anything I put my mind to. He made me believe I could be a broadcaster even though I was really shy growing up.”

“Really? I’d never take you for being the shy girl.”

“It was hard to overcome–don’t get me wrong. Taking journalism classes in high school helped because I could prepare questions ahead of time and know what I wanted to ask. It took some of the pressure off.”

I run my thumb along her wrist and watch as goosebumps spread up her arm. “You couldn’t have gotten me to admit this in high school, but when you interviewed me back then after the championship game, I was nervous as hell. I was so sure I sounded like an idiot when you sounded so polished and self-assured.”

“I did not sound self-assured! My hands were shaking, and I was almost positive you could hear my heart hammering in my chest. I thought I was going to pass out from holding my breath. You made me forget to breathe, Daren.”

Her face flushes, and she glances down, looking mildly horrified at her confession.

I laugh and reach down to scoot her chair closer before I plant a kiss on her cheek. “I know the feeling.”

* * *

When we’re done with dinner, I grab her hand and lead her across the street for a quick stroll. It’s ten o’clock on a Tuesday night, so I know we don’t have to worry about the tourists who typically frequent the wharf-side park.

Once we’re under an ivy-covered archway and covered in shadows, I press her up against a pillar and kiss her until her hands tangle in my hair and her chest is heaving.

I brush my nose with hers and love the desire in her eyes when they flutter open. “I could kiss you all night, but I know you need to get up early. Let’s get you home.”

Her eyebrows furrow. “You, uh... don’t want me to stay with you tonight?”

I kiss that spot on her forehead and leave my lips there until she stops frowning. “Of course I want you to stay with me. I always want you to stay with me. But if you come back to my place, we’re not sleeping.” Her chest vibrates against mine as she laughs. “So, let me get you home. You need some rest.”

Dipping my head, I kiss her neck, and she moans. “I can’t believe you’re taking me home.”

“My dick can’t either. He’s livid.” She laughs, and I bite down on that soft spot underneath her ear, and that laughter turns into a breathy sigh. “But tonight’s not about sex.” Her fingers thread through my hair again, and it’s taking every ounce of willpower to not give in. “Tonight is about showing you how special you are to me. I know we’ve done things backwards, but had we met under normal circumstances, I would've wanted to take things slowly and show you that you’re worth the wait.”

She lays her head against my chest, and I kiss her hair. “Daren, if you’re not careful, you’re going to make me clingy.”

I squeeze her just a little tighter. “I’d like to see what clingy looks like. Are we talking with clothes or without?”

She laughs again, and the sound does stupid things to my heart. Yeah, I’m in deep with this girl.

When I drop her off at her door, I kiss her nose. “Want to come over Thursday night and play Plants and Zombies? ”

She pushes up on her toes and places a soft kiss on my lips. “Can I be the Fire Pea? I like the Gatling gun.”

“Sure thing, Wildcat. ”

She winks at me. "It's a date.”