night.”
“Good night, Dean.”
Crash clicked off the phone and groaned. He hadn’t meant to say all that shit about her being safe with him, it’d just popped out. He couldn’t be sorry it had, though. No woman should feel uncertain or unsafe when she was with a man. It didn’t matter if they’d just started dating or had been together for years. The world was a harsh place, even more so for people who didn’t fit societal norms.
Adeline was not only pretty, she also had a disability that was more than evident at times. It couldn’t be easy. Crash made a vow right then and there to do whatever he could to make her life easier. He couldn’t be with her at work, but he could be there for her after.
Plans for their date swirled in his head and he suddenly knew exactly where he wanted to take her on Friday night. He smiled and scooted back down on the mattress getting comfortable once more.
* * *
N o , no, no!
Yelling doesn’t work. She doesn’t like yelling. She scowled and wrinkled her nose. She thought you didn’t see, but you did.
She needs to be courted. Treated like gold.
She’ll like you if you talk nice to her. Get her to go on a date. Women like that.
Take her to lunch.
Then dinner.
Then she’ll be yours.
You can keep her forever and she’ll love you.
Chapter 5
A deline checked her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time to make sure she was in the right place. She was.
Dean had told her to meet him at an address in Southtown, an area just south of downtown San Antonio. It was generally known as the creative part of the city. There were a lot of eclectic shops and smaller specialty restaurants. She wasn’t really the creative type, even though she worked in marketing, but Dean got points for doing something outside the norm.
The rest of the week at work had been relatively uneventful. There hadn’t been any more run-ins with Douglas, thank God. He’d been tied up in meetings or out of the office. Which was fine with her. Adeline had lunch with her sister one day and told her all about the goings on in the office as well as about Dean.
Alicia, of course, had cautioned her to take things slow, picking up on the fact that Adeline really seemed to like Dean. Adeline had reassured her that she actually knew more about Dean than she did some of the men she’d met online.
After Adeline promised that she’d call Saturday morning to let her know how it went, Alicia had finally stopped nagging. But Adeline had a feeling she’d probably get a call or text Friday night from her sister, checking up on her and making sure all was well. Even though Alicia was younger than her by a few years, she was the worrywart of the family. Adeline’s health scares didn’t help the matter any.
Adeline hadn’t spoken with Dean in the last few days, but they’d had a few chatty text conversations. He inquired about her day and health, and Adeline did the same. On Thursday afternoon, she’d received the text asking if she’d be able to meet him around five in Southtown. She’d had to leave work a bit early, but Adeline didn’t have any issues with that, considering how Douglas had made them all come in before eight for that meeting earlier in the week.
It was now 5:05 and Adeline nervously made her way with Coco to the address he’d given her. She saw Dean before she realized what the address was, and had to swallow hard. Lord, the man was good looking. Tonight he was wearing a pair of dark jeans, cowboy boots, and a button-down white shirt, the stark white against his tanned arms making him all the more handsome. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and Adeline decided there was nothing sexier than the sight of a well-built man’s forearms.
He smiled at her as she neared him and Adeline’s knees almost buckled. Somehow she’d forgotten how his smile lit up his face. How it made her want to make him keep smiling, if only to see the joy on his face aimed at her. Laugh lines around his
“Good night, Dean.”
Crash clicked off the phone and groaned. He hadn’t meant to say all that shit about her being safe with him, it’d just popped out. He couldn’t be sorry it had, though. No woman should feel uncertain or unsafe when she was with a man. It didn’t matter if they’d just started dating or had been together for years. The world was a harsh place, even more so for people who didn’t fit societal norms.
Adeline was not only pretty, she also had a disability that was more than evident at times. It couldn’t be easy. Crash made a vow right then and there to do whatever he could to make her life easier. He couldn’t be with her at work, but he could be there for her after.
Plans for their date swirled in his head and he suddenly knew exactly where he wanted to take her on Friday night. He smiled and scooted back down on the mattress getting comfortable once more.
* * *
N o , no, no!
Yelling doesn’t work. She doesn’t like yelling. She scowled and wrinkled her nose. She thought you didn’t see, but you did.
She needs to be courted. Treated like gold.
She’ll like you if you talk nice to her. Get her to go on a date. Women like that.
Take her to lunch.
Then dinner.
Then she’ll be yours.
You can keep her forever and she’ll love you.
Chapter 5
A deline checked her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time to make sure she was in the right place. She was.
Dean had told her to meet him at an address in Southtown, an area just south of downtown San Antonio. It was generally known as the creative part of the city. There were a lot of eclectic shops and smaller specialty restaurants. She wasn’t really the creative type, even though she worked in marketing, but Dean got points for doing something outside the norm.
The rest of the week at work had been relatively uneventful. There hadn’t been any more run-ins with Douglas, thank God. He’d been tied up in meetings or out of the office. Which was fine with her. Adeline had lunch with her sister one day and told her all about the goings on in the office as well as about Dean.
Alicia, of course, had cautioned her to take things slow, picking up on the fact that Adeline really seemed to like Dean. Adeline had reassured her that she actually knew more about Dean than she did some of the men she’d met online.
After Adeline promised that she’d call Saturday morning to let her know how it went, Alicia had finally stopped nagging. But Adeline had a feeling she’d probably get a call or text Friday night from her sister, checking up on her and making sure all was well. Even though Alicia was younger than her by a few years, she was the worrywart of the family. Adeline’s health scares didn’t help the matter any.
Adeline hadn’t spoken with Dean in the last few days, but they’d had a few chatty text conversations. He inquired about her day and health, and Adeline did the same. On Thursday afternoon, she’d received the text asking if she’d be able to meet him around five in Southtown. She’d had to leave work a bit early, but Adeline didn’t have any issues with that, considering how Douglas had made them all come in before eight for that meeting earlier in the week.
It was now 5:05 and Adeline nervously made her way with Coco to the address he’d given her. She saw Dean before she realized what the address was, and had to swallow hard. Lord, the man was good looking. Tonight he was wearing a pair of dark jeans, cowboy boots, and a button-down white shirt, the stark white against his tanned arms making him all the more handsome. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and Adeline decided there was nothing sexier than the sight of a well-built man’s forearms.
He smiled at her as she neared him and Adeline’s knees almost buckled. Somehow she’d forgotten how his smile lit up his face. How it made her want to make him keep smiling, if only to see the joy on his face aimed at her. Laugh lines around his
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