A snort escapes me, and I huff out a relieved breath. Never have I appreciated the cluelessness of a ten-year-old more than I do right now. “Hey, bud. Jake’s at home. It’s just your mom and me going out today with Marco and Renee.”
“Damn.”
“Harvey,” Flynn and Dee warn in unison. The boy bites his lip and shrugs his shoulders in an ‘I’m cute. Love me’ kind of gesture, and I have to swallow down a laugh.
Then, as if this weird scenario rolls right off his back, Harvey looks to his father. “I’m ready to go, Dad.”
“Right. Okay. Then grab your gear bag and let’s hit the road.”
Harvey tackles Dee’s legs, hugging her goodbye then waves at me before disappearing down the hall.
Flynn pushes off the doorway and holds out his arm. “Nice to meet you, Rhodes.” He shakes my hand again, his lips quirking. “And sorry for the awkward yet probably memorable introduction.”
“Good to meet you too. Thanks for not being a dick,” I reply. We both chuckle, looking to Dee, who is watching our exchange with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.
“See ya, Dee. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then Flynn gives us a chin lift and walks in the direction his son went.
Dee’s cautious gaze locking with mine. “Um . . . wow. That was . . .”
I purse my lips to stop myself from laughing at her. Fuck I wanna kiss her. Before our date. Before we leave the house. It may be backward, but it’s all I can think about now.
My attention goes to her mouth, her tongue darting out and tempting me more. When I look up, I’m met by her hooded emerald eyes, and I lock my knees to stop the urge to wrap my arms around her shoulders, pull her close, and kiss her till she’s dazed and her mind is clear of anything else but me. It’s a surge of possessiveness I wasn’t expecting—one I haven’t felt in a hell of a long time.
I dip my chin and watch the emotions flit across her face. It’s like turning pages of a book to sneak a peek inside, and I love how she’s not holding anything back. Her lashes flutter closed, and I fight against the almost overwhelming urge to brush my lips against hers. But I want to take my time, build it up until that moment comes when we’re both consumed with the need to taste more than we need to breathe.
Poised with my mouth less than an inch away from hers, I wait as her eyes slowly open.
“Rhodes?” she whispers, making my lips curve up.
As I straighten, she scrunches her nose and frowns, looking adorably confused. I grab hold of her hand. “We’d better get going. We wouldn’t wanna be late, would we?”
Her eyes widen before narrowing on mine. “You’re a tease, Rhodes Anderson.”
I can’t help but laugh under my breath as I open the front door and usher her outside. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while, Dee Duncan.”
“You’d better.”
Chapter 8
Dee
I’m still trying to recover from the events of the last ten minutes when Rhodes leads me to his SUV and closes the door behind me before rounding the hood and hopping into the driver’s seat beside me.
I click my seat belt on in autopilot, my mind going a million miles a minute, trying to work out if there’s a worse way this date of ours could’ve started.
“So . . .” Rhodes says, leaving my street and driving toward the freeway. “Flynn seems nice.”
I do a double take to make sure I heard that right. “That’s your reaction?” I spin in my seat and bug out at him.
His lips twitch. “Am I supposed to be mad? Maybe cancel the date and call it quits now when I’ve been looking forward to today all week and the highlight of my day was watching you walk down the stairs wearing a smile that could light up a room and knowing it was just for me?”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess I—”
“Those jeans help though.”
My mouth drops open, but it’s half-assed indignation because he likes my butt, and I like that. A lot.
When I don’t say anything, Rhodes frowns and reaches over the center console and rests his hand on mine. “Did you expect me to run for the hills? Was I surprised to meet Flynn? Yes and no. You said he was going out with Harvey today, I just figured they might’ve left already. Was it a little awkward at first? Sure. But we said we weren’t going to censor ourselves, right?” He squeezes my hand before putting it back on the wheel and driving onto the freeway onramp heading downtown.
“We did.”
“And we also agreed not to agonize over it. I meant what I said. Flynn isn’t a dick, and I like that. It would make it a lot harder if he was. Let me tell you though, your son has impeccable timing.”
I giggle at that. “He’s adorably clueless, and I’ll be a little sad when he realizes that how we live isn’t the norm.”
Rhodes shrugs. “So, tell me how you live then?”
Now this I can do. Leaning my arm against the door, I look over to the driver’s seat. “Long story short, and probably not a fun first-date talking point, but I live my life with no regrets and I’ve already said I’m nothing but honest.”
“And believe me, I appreciate that.”
“Right. Okay. So, the Cliff Notes version is that Flynn and I had a come-to-Jesus moment when we were overseas and we decided that after being married for twelve years, having a mortgage and an amazing son together, we were better friends than lovers and better parents than husband and wife.” I study Rhodes’s expression, curious—but no longer worried—about how he’ll react.
“Wow.”
My head jerks back. “Really?” I ask, earning a quirked brow.
“Yeah. That’s really responsible and self-aware.” He glances my way. “If I wasn’t already impressed with the two of you and how you interact, I am now.”
“Who are you, Rhodes Anderson?” I ask, my voice filled with awe.
His brow furrows, his lips twisting into a cute half-smile. “What you see is what you get with me.”
“Just when I think I’ve got a read on you, you go and blow me away. Are you the knight in shining armor who came to my rescue when I was mugged or the guy who chases a homeless kid down and lets him go with a bed and meal arranged at a local shelter. Or, the cool single dad who gets set up with the woman he’s been watching online and barely blinks? And don’t even get me started on the awesomeness that is your son.”
“Honestly, what you see is what you get. I’m a firefighter, a dad, and I guess your everyday average Joe,” he replies.
“There’s nothing average about you. Believe me. Rhodes?”
“Yeah?”
“As long as you know that I’m looking forward to discovering everything else about you. I think I might make it my new mission.”
“Have at it, baby. At least then we’d be even.”
Rhodes pulls into the parking lot of the Showtime Entertainment Complex. I’d heard about this place when it first opened and always wanted to go.
Rhodes laces his fingers with mine as we walk inside the venue, spotting Marco and Renee standing to the side waiting for us.