Page 37 of Cakewalk

“Well…I…mean…we can’t spend the rest of the day in bed…”

“Sure we can,” he said, a look on his face like that should have been a given. He studied her for a moment before stepping closer and placing his hands on her bare hips. She hugged her clothes tighter to her, gasping at the contact. “Have you never done that? No wonder you thought cake was better than sex.”

“We just had sex!” she whisper shouted, unable to contain the word vomit she’d been holding back. “What now? Are…are we…something? Or was that just sex to you? Because I’m not really that kind of girl, Holden. I mean, I’ve never just slept with anyone before. I’m not saying you have to be my boyfriend, but…that meant something, right? Or maybe it didn’t. That’s okay too. I get it. I know it’s different for guys. But I do like you…and it did mean something to me. But if you don’t like me, that’s fine. I don’t want to assume. So, if you don’t want to again, I understand. Just please don’t tell me that you regret—”

Holden cut off her ramblings with a kiss. His mouth seared to hers before she even had time to think, much less react, but it felt good. Damn good. Dropping her clothing, Gigi’s hands flew around his neck, drawing him in even closer. His kisses were spicy and sweet all at the same time, and it created a need inside of her that she hadn’t even realized existed. Moving his hands to her ass, he lifted her up in one swift motion, never breaking the kiss. Goodness, was there anything this man wasn’t capable of? With her arms and legs wrapped around him, he walked them back into his room, where he sat down on the bed.

“Sweetheart, there is absolutely no part of me that regrets what we just did,” he said after a long moment filled with fevered kisses. “In fact, I look forward to doing it again. And again…and again.” A wicked grin tugged at his lips, making the butterflies in Gigi’s tummy come back to life. “I told you the other night, I really like you. I know you’re not that kind of girl, and I'm not that kind of guy. There’s been no one for me since Hannah.”

“No one?”

“No one,” he confirmed. “I hope that shows you just how special you are to me, Gigi. I don’t know what this makes us, because this is all new to me too. But what I do know is that I want to explore it. Let me take you on a date tonight.”

“A…a date?” He wanted to take her on a date?

“Yes, a date. It’s Friday night, and that’s what a guy does on a Friday night. He takes his girl on a date.”

His girl. The words almost made Gigi melt on the spot.

“I like that idea,” she whispered, lowering her head until it was resting against his.

“Good. Now, we have some time to kill before we need to shower to head into town…and I have a couple of ideas on how to spend that time.”

* * *

Holden

Holden slammed the door of his truck closed, having just finished setting up everything he and Gigi would need for the evening. It had been so long since he’d planned a date that he almost wasn’t sure he remembered how. The idea of driving all the way to Montpelier for dinner seemed mundane, and while the diner in Colebury could be a fun experience, what he wanted tonight was something a little more, well, romantic.

Dusting himself off so he would look presentable, he glanced up to see Gigi come through the front door, greeting him with a huge smile. She looked too cute for words in her formfitting jeans, puffy teal winter coat, and a white knit hat and matching mittens. It was almost as if she stepped off the set of a movie and into his house.

“I was going to come pick you up at your door,” he said. He placed his hands on her hips and tugged her into him, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

“My bedroom door?” she questioned, a little giggle to her voice.

“It sounds a lot more ridiculous when you say it like that,” he answered, returning the laugh.

“I can go back upstairs if you want me to,” she offered, biting her bottom lip. The nervous habit made her even cuter, and Holden could feel himself starting to get hard just watching her.

“I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s get this date started.” He took her mitten-clad hand firmly in his and led her to the truck. He loved the way her hand felt in his—even through the protective layers. Helping her up into the truck, he kissed her again, unable to help himself. Part of him had wondered if it would feel weird or wrong to take this step with Gigi, like he was somehow cheating on Hannah. But now that he was in the moment, it felt more right than anything had in a long time. This afternoon had officially pushed them over the line. She was one hundred percent his girl now, and he was going to make sure she knew it.

Just before they reached the road, Holden took a slight righthand turn, driving down a long, winding trail.

“Where are we going? I thought we were going into town?” she asked.

“I had a better idea. But don’t worry, we’re not going far, you’ll see.”

A minute later he slowed to a stop and put the truck in park in front of an old, rundown gazebo overlooking a small pond. The small structure had certainly seen better days, since no one had given it much thought in the last decade, but Holden had checked earlier that it was still structurally sound, at least enough for them to hang out for a couple of hours. The moon was full and bright above them, reflecting perfectly off the water of the pond. Gigi took it all in with wide eyes and an equally big smile as he led her over to the gazebo, where he’d laid out a bunch of pillows and blankets for them to use. The built-in bench was lined with candles, which once lit would hopefully give off enough of a glow for them to be able to see each other, even if they didn’t give off much heat.

“I had no idea this was over here,” she commented, amazed by her surroundings.

“Well, as you can tell, it’s in need of some repair, but it’s been here since the twenties, I believe. It was one of my favorite places to come and read as a kid.”

“Did you ever go swimming in the pond?”

“Uh, no. That thing is gross. You’d probably come out all covered in leeches, like in Stand By Me,” he told her, a shiver running through his body at the thought. He led her to the blanket and motioned for her to sit, while he lit the candles surrounding them. Once they were all settled and tucked in, Holden reached behind him, grabbing a thermos.

“I’ve never seen it,” she admitted as he poured hot chocolate into two camping mugs.