“What I’m sayin’ is, you need to relax,” he went on gently. “My kids’ll be home tonight so, seein’ as when I have you, I intend to take my time doin’ that and not fuck you on your couch and do it quick so I can get back to my kids, this is just dinner, baby. You and me and some alone time. When I can concentrate on just you, that’s when we’ll take this there. Until then, just sit back and enjoy.”

How did he know what I was thinking?

Likely because he was thinking of having sex with me.

Just not tonight.

That was one relief.

Though, it didn’t help, his comment about “taking his time,” which made me want to start having sex with him immediately.

Unfortunately, that new urge was added to the other things I continued to worry about.

“You hear me?” he asked on a hand squeeze when I didn’t answer.

“I heard you.”

“You gonna relax?” he pushed.

“We’re not fighting,” I blurted, looking to him to see his eyes aimed at where we were going.

“No,” he agreed.

I stared at his handsome profile.

No five o’clock shadow, he’d shaved for me.

I liked the whiskers.

I liked it more he made an effort for me.

The rest was him. Faded jeans, a lightweight cotton shirt with sleeves rolled up.

But the jeans were less faded and the shirt was an attractive plaid in beige and light blue against white that was a tad bit nicer than what he usually wore around me.

Yes, he’d made an effort for me.

This meant something.

So I decided to put it out there.

Tightening my fingers around his, I turned my body his way. “What if, no kids, no fighting, you find I’m not interesting?”

His hand convulsed in mine, nearly causing pain his strength was so formidable, and he did this bursting out laughing.

My comment was hardly funny.

“Mickey,” I snapped.

I could tell he was forcing his laughter to chuckles when he said incredulously, “You, the Calway heiress who’s busier than me, and I essentially got two jobs and am the only parent to my two kids, in that fuckin’ dress, sittin’ across from me with a million stories about old folks and what they get up to, not to mention what you get up to with Alyssa and Josie…not interesting?”

He made it sound like that was impossible.

“You’ve heard a lot of my old folks stories, Mickey,” I reminded him.

“They all kick the bucket since you last told ’em?” he asked me.

My heart clenched at the thought as I forced out, “Of course not.”

“Then don’t worry,” he muttered, slowing the truck and letting me go to keep a hand on the wheel and flip on his turn signal.