As I looked at the light in his eyes andthe tempting smile on his face, I wasn’t sure I would need much encouragement.
Chapter 8
Lane
The ringing of the doorbell made me jump,and I frowned at myself. Straightening, I shook my head. “No, you’re going torelax and enjoy the evening.”
It would’ve helped if I could have decidedif I was nervous or excited—but I was a crazy mix of both.
Giving everything in the kitchen one lastlook, I started heading for the door. The open plan of the apartment made itfeel bigger than it really was, but it wasn’t too small. Hopefully, Wilderwould like it.
Taking a deep breath as I reached the door,I pushed my nerves away and focused on the excitement. Two dates in two daysmight have been a little bit much, but I’d been glad when he’d agreed. Waitinganother week to see him again would have been entirely too hard.
Especially when stalking him wasn’t anoption any longer.
Opening the door, I smiled. “You found it. Ihope you’re hungry, I might’ve made too much.”
Stepping back, I gestured for Wilder tocome in. Wilder moved closer and gave me a hug. His strong arms lingered aroundme, making it clear it wasn’t just a platonic gesture. As his arms relaxed and hestepped back, his lips brushed my cheek in the barest of kisses.
It was tender and sweet and sent a shiverdown my spine. Wilder just gave me a smile and looked around. “Something smellsdelicious.”
I wasn’t sure if he wanted to ignore it, orif he just wanted to treat it as an everyday occurrence, so I didn’t sayanything. But that one moment bolstered my confidence. He had to be at leastsomewhat comfortable in the direction everything was going to greet me likethat. Trying not to let my mind wander down that road, I focused on what he’dsaid.
“Thanks. You said you liked Italian, so Iwent with that.” Our conversation at dinner the previous night had bounced fromtopic to topic, and I’d been grateful he’d given me ideas about what to make.
His smile widened, and he nodded. “I loveit. Most of the time I don’t make dinner for myself just because my schedule isweird, so I appreciate it when anyone else cooks. Although, I do a meanbreakfast.”
Giving him a teasing grin, I tilted myhead. “That’s good to know.”
He shook his head. “No hints, justinformation.”
Not sure where to take that, I turned theconversation in a different direction. “Come on. I’ll show you around. I havejust a few things to finish up in the kitchen and it’ll be ready. Why don’t youfind something we can watch later?”
Wilder nodded as I led him through theapartment. It was small enough that it was clear there was a bedroom and singlebathroom down the hall. But Wilder’s focus seemed to be on my desk. It was setup in the living room, taking up one long wall. Charts and papers were spreadover it and even up the wall. The fact that I also had two calendars on thewall probably made it look even more interesting.
“You said you did something with numbers inyour spare time, but this looks like more than just a small business.” Heglanced at me, confused. “This is impressive.”
“Thanks, it’s growing really well. I workedin the finance industry for a while in college. It was easy to see that thefinance guys were really just salesmen, and they needed help understanding someof the reports they were getting. I take the raw data they’re given from theirback office and turn it into reports they can more easily understand. It soundsboring, I know, but I like numbers.”
“I don’t think it’s boring. But I’ll admit,I don’t have a head for numbers. How do you have time to do this and themodeling?”
I shrugged. “A lot of the work I do is justrunning the information through programs that are already set up. That wasactually the hardest part. Now, it’s just a matter of running the reports andemailing the information back. Each client really only takes a few minutes.”
“I think you’re downplaying how much effortyou put into setting up those programs. Is your goal to be able to do thisfull-time?” Wilder pointed to the desk and leaned against the couch.
“A few years ago when I was first startingthe business and desperately trying to figure out a part-time job that wouldpay the bills, I would’ve said yes.” Back then I thought I’d had everythingworked out and the modeling would just be a step on the ladder of my success.
“Now, I can’t imagine leaving Leashes andLace.” I wasn’t sure if someone outside looking in would understand. “Itprobably doesn’t make sense, but they’ve become my family. They give me a lotmore than my biological one does, and I can’t imagine walking away from them.”
Wilder nodded and seemed to understand, soI kept going. “Maybe there will be a point where I can’t do both, but I’mhoping I won’t have to choose.” There were a lot of reasons I liked doing themodeling and the numbers, some personal and some practical.
As both companies grew, my financialsituation had improved, and even though that wasn’t one of my biggestpriorities, it was nice. And then there was the fact that it was fun. I likedhaving the chance to feel sexy and dress up. Letting people see a side of methat I didn’t usually share in real life. It was freeing.
Wilder’s thoughtful expression made methink that he was really listening to what I said before he spoke. “I canunderstand that. I feel the same about my artwork and tattoo business. Over thepast couple of years, I’ve built up a business doing artwork for children’sbooks. But I couldn’t imagine walking away from the tattoo shop. My boss isn’texactly family to me, but I like my customers and the art that goes into thetattoos. I wouldn’t want to have to pick which job to keep.”
Glad he understood, I glanced over at thetable. “I like the fact that I get to explore different things that I enjoy. Iwouldn’t want to be pigeonholed into just one thing.”
Turning back to Wilder, I gave him ateasing look. “You’re going to have to show me some of the books you’veillustrated. I’ve never met someone who did that. Most of the people I knowcan’t even draw a straight line. Including me.” As much as I loved art andappreciated it, even the way the photographs were taken, I’d never managed toactually create any. My brain just didn’t seem to work that way.
