I swallow and realize this is him asking what’s next. We’re here at a crossroads again. Am I going to follow, or am I going to retreat?

I know my answer.

I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to go home yet.”

The smile that passes over his lips is so sexy that I might just croak right here, on his passenger side seat.

“Good answer.” He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and then asks, “Why did you come to the game, Myla?”

I turn toward him so my knees knock against his thighs. I reach out and tug on the hem of his shirt as I say, “Nichole got tickets from work, and I’ve been so desperate to see you that I thought, maybe even from far away, I could get my fill. I had no idea the tickets were right behind the dugout, and I had no idea that you would see me.”

“If you were desperate to see me, why didn’t you message me?”

“I was embarrassed,” I admit. “I like you, but I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not experienced when it comes to healthy relationships. And I know you said you would help me carry my baggage, but you shouldn’t have to be weighed down by all of that.”

“Good thing I lift weights then, huh?” He winks.

“I’m being serious, Ryot.”

“And so am I. How about this? We take this one step at a time, okay? No pressure, no titles, just having fun and seeing where it takes us.”

“That sounds doable.”

“But . . .” he says, now resting his forehead on his arm as he stares down at me. “I ask two things from you.”

“Okay, what are they?”

He holds up one finger and says, “Always be honest with me. No matter what you’re feeling, you need to be honest if this is working for you or not. And two.” He holds up a second finger. “We don’t need a title, but I would like to be exclusive with you. I have no intention of going out with anyone else, and I would hope that you would feel the same way.”

“I can barely gather myself to go out with you, let alone someone else, so no need to worry about that. And I’ve been honest with you thus far, so I can’t see that changing.”

“Good,” he says. “So want to go get dessert with me?”

“What do you have in mind?”

All he does is wiggle his eyebrows and then shuts the door. I guess it’s going to be a surprise.

* * *

“You were right. Sharing a sundae was the right thing to do,” I say as Ryot pulls out the sundae we ordered to go. In a take-out box big enough for an entrée, I’m not even sure we’ll be able to finish it. After we grabbed the ice cream, Ryot took me to a public beach, pulled a blanket out of his trunk, and walked me to a spot where we have now commandeered a space for ourselves on the barely lit beach, with only a few lampposts providing light.