Read Online Matchplay by Dakota Madison - Free Book Online

was scared to death to go, so she asked the counselor if I could go with her. I attended the group every week for almost a year. I learned a lot about setting personal boundaries and having respect for myself and my body. I don’t just share myself with anybody.”
    Aaron nodded but he didn’t say anything. Then the waitress came with our food.
    Aaron was right in his assessment of the dim sum. It was delicious.
    “Good choice,” I said as I stuffed my fourth dumpling into my mouth.
    Aaron grinned. “Okay, I take back what I said about you being too tiny to eat very much. You can pack it away. I hope you don’t bankrupt me.”
    “Very funny .” I smiled. I liked seeing the playful side of him.
    After the waitress removed the few remains of uneaten dumplings, Aaron looked at me with a serious expression. “Can I ask you another question?”
    “Sure.”
    He looked down at my right hand then back up at me. “Can I touch your hand?”
    I looked at his face and he had an odd expression. Was he nervous? I found it hard to believe that super smooth Aaron could ever be nervous when it came to women.
    “Why?” I asked.
    “Why what?”
    “Tell me why you want to touch my hand,” I said matter-of-factly.
    Aaron leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he gave me a grin that was the sexiest I had ever seen. I swallowed.
    “No one has ever asked me that question before.”
    “I’m not like other girls,” I said as I leaned back in my chair and stared into his eyes.
    He grinned. “You are definitely not like other girls.”
    I wondered if he thought that was good or bad.
    “You challenge me,” he continued. “And I like to be cha llenged.”
    We continued to stare at each other. After a few moments, Aaron uncrossed his arms and moved toward me. “There are a few reasons,” he said quietly, in almost a whisper.
    I leaned closer to him so I could hear him.
    He continued. “When I look at you, I can only see the ou tside. That’s such a small part of who you are. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great part but it’s only one dimension. When I talk with you, I get to know your mind and a little bit of your heart. The parts you’ll let me. That’s another dimension. But if you allow me to touch you, I’ll get to feel you. Feel your energy. And connect with a deeper part of you.”
    His words took my breath away. It wasn’t what I was expec ting. Part of me had labeled Aaron a womanizer and that was all I could see. Maybe Dr. Griffin was right about him being more complex than that and maybe I had misjudged him. At that moment, I was willing to give him a chance.
    “Okay,” I said.
    “Okay?” he repeated as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.
    I nodded.
    With a very slow and deliberate movement, Aaron took his index finger and placed it on the thumbnail of my right hand. With a soft and careful stroke, he ran his finger up my thumb.
    “Look at me .” His voice was throaty and nearly breathless.
    Our eyes locked as he continued to caress each of my fingers with his. The touch felt so intimate and sensual, it awakened something deep inside me. It was a desire I had never felt before. I had only read about it in cheesy romance novels.
    The feeling was so intense it nearly consumed my entire body. A shudder ran though me as Aaron continued moving his finger ever so lightly up and down each one of my fingers. My breath caught and I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning.  
    As we continued staring at each other, the energy between us intensified. I was suddenly so hot I could have melted. I thought I might start sweating.
    When the waitress came with the bill, I was startled. The exchange between Aaron and I had been so intense and all-consuming, I had nearly forgotten we were still at the restaurant.
    The waitress set the check down and said, “I’ll take this whenever you’re ready,” but Aaron still didn’t take his eyes off of me.
    When she left, Aaron interlaced his fingers with