“With your girlfriend?” I inquired playfully.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. Or a wife for that matter,” he added.
“Good to know.” I nodded. “Because I don’t go on dates with men who aren’t single.”
“That’s not the kind of man I am,” Saint pointed out.
“So, what kind of man are you?”
“The busy kind. I don’t have much free time so if I choose to share that with someone, it’s someone who I think is worth it.”
My lips pulled upward in a grin. “So, you’re saying you think I’m worth it?”
“Come on, now. You know you’re worth it.”
“I know,” I replied. “But I liked hearing you say it.”
He laughed and my cheeks heated.
“Are you dating?” I wondered.
“No, not really. I took myself out of the game,” he answered.
Pulling the covers up around me, I got turned on my side. “Why?”
“Oh, we are doing a Q&A tonight, I see!” He let out a short, dry laugh, but he continued, “I have a lot going on in my life right now. Meeting someone hasn’t been on my to-do list. My mind has been on my grind, but when I met you… I knew I wanted to make some time to get to know you better if you were up for it.”
It wasn’t possible for me to be smiling any harder than I was at that moment.
“And what about you, Ms. Single Life? Are you dating?” he asked.
“I am,” I answered. “Nothing serious. I’m definitely single.”
“Yeah, you told me you were single and that you were juggling men—”
“I never said that!” I interjected with a grin.
“—but you never told me what you were looking for.”
“I’m dating and when it’s right, I’ll know.”
“You think you’re ready to give up the single life?” he questioned.
“Do you?” I countered.
“Do I think you are? I don’t know. Based on what you told me when I put up your art, no. And that’s what makes you dangerous for me.”
I sucked my teeth. “I meant do you think you are!”
“I am. For the right woman, any sacrifices to my current way of living won’t feel like sacrifices; they’ll feel like accommodations.”
I exhaled as I let his words swirl around in my head. I wasn’t sure why but that rattled my soul.
“So, you’re looking for the one?” I wondered.
“Yeah.”
I swallowed hard. “So why am I dangerous?”
“Because you’re not.”
“Why didn’t you ask me for my number or something when we met?” I blurted out.
“Because I was there as my sister’s employee. Even if I was reading the vibe between us right, I still wasn’t going to jeopardize my sister’s business or her reputation. She sent me there to deliver and put up your paintings. If you weren’t interested, that could’ve been a bad look all around. It would’ve made you uncomfortable. It would’ve hurt my sister’s business. I didn’t want any of that to happen, so I had to think of something else.”
I loved that he considered that. His awareness made me even more attracted to him.
“Fortunately, it worked out,” he continued. “But I had to wait on it.”
“Well, I’m glad you found yourself at my party.”
“I would’ve found a way to get back in touch with you.”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “Oh really?” I murmured.
“Yes. So, was tonight a continued release party celebration?” he wondered, changing the subject.
“No, I just love hearing creative people create. So, the musicians and the poets show off their art. We go every week.”
“Do you ever perform?”
“God, no,” I scoffed. “I can’t sing at all and I gave up on piano in the fifth grade. What about you? If you had to perform, what would you do?”
“I’m not big on performing in front of a crowd. I sing in the shower and in the car, that’s it,” he chuckled.
Trying not to smile so big, I bit my lip. “But if you had to perform, what would you do?”
“I mean… if I had to perform at an open mic, I think I could come up with something. But it damn sure wouldn’t be singing.”
“I’d like to see what you’d come up with.” My voice was unintentionally breathier and sexier than I intended it to be.
There was a noticeable pause. “You have to warn me before you put the extra sexy voice on.”
“What are you talking about?” I sputtered, amusement dripping from my tone.
“All I’m saying is that you have to warn me next time you bring that voice out. I need a minute to prepare.”
I giggled. “I’m not doing this with you, Mr. Anderson.”
“You started it, Ms. Patterson.”
We talked for another hour.
It wasn’t anything too deep, but the range was impressive. We revisited our music debate, we analyzed the top three books on our bookshelves, and we judged the movies we each had in our streaming queue.
“I need to get some sleep,” Saint announced.
“Yeah, it’s getting late. It’s almost midnight. You have to get up in five hours, right?”
“Yeah.” He yawned. “But tomorrow is a half day and then I’m off for the rest of the weekend, so it’s cool. And it’s been worth it.”
“There you go again telling me how worth it I am,” I joked.
“You are.” There wasn’t a hint of humor in his voice and those two words zapped me right between my thighs. “You’re worth the lack of sleep.”
“You’re worth the movie I missed.” I bit my lip before I continued, “That was just a romance. This is…” My voice trailed off.
This is everything.
“This is what?” he questioned.
“This is romance, comedy, mystery, everything.”
“Oh okay,” he chuckled. “Just making sure you didn’t say this was a drama. Because I definitely don’t need that in my life.”
“Agreed.”
*****
Chapter 4
The twist out didn’t go as planned so my hair was big, wild, and free. It looked amazing, but not at all how I wanted to wear it for my first date with Saint. I smeared on another coat of lip gloss and smiled in the mirror. I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard, but I did not come to play.
I wore my best jeans—skintight, slightly distressed, and made my ass look incredible. The long-sleeved sheer black top with a black bralette underneath showed a lot of skin. I wore black leather booties and my black leather jacket. When I stepped out of the car, a burst of excitement shot through my entire body.
I haven’t been this excited about a date in…forever, I realized, slipping my crossbody bag onto my shoulder.
I paid the driver and then took a deep breath.
Saint wanted to pick me up, but I told him I’d meet him there and that he could drive me home afterward. He already knew where I lived so that wasn’t the issue. I just wanted to be able to make an entrance on our first date. There was something about meeting a man for the first date and seeing his initial reaction. It spoke volumes.