Impossible Girl (Sexy Nerd Boys #2.5) (8 page)

“Relax darlin’, my mom’s going to love you.” Dex takes my shaking hand in his and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I glance back at the cute yellow ranch house looming in front of me.

“It’s not your mom I’m worried about.”

Dex turns me to face him, his expression filled with tenderness.

“You’re worried about Maya liking you?”

I bite my bottom lip and nod, clutching the bag with Maya’s presents tightly. Dex brings his thumb to my mouth and smooths it along my bottom lip to keep me from biting it. Leaning down he brushes his lips against mine. It’s barely a whisper of a kiss, but it steals my breath anyway.

“Come on, I promise she’s going to love you.” He tugs me forward, towards the house.

“Hello,” Dex calls out as we step inside. The pitter-patter of little feet immediately meets my ears and seconds later the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen comes barreling down the hallway. She’s like a little blond angel with a button nose.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” She chants before flinging herself into his arms. He catches her easily and spins her around.

“Hey there, princess.”

I defy any woman to witness an attractive man speaking to his child with love and not have her uterus combust in excitement.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” Dex says, setting Maya down and turning her to face me. “This is my friend Remy.”

“Is she your girlfriend?” she asks, clutching his hand and eyeing me anxiously

Dex chuckles and ruffles Maya’s hair.

“Yes she is.” He raises an eyebrow at me, challenging me to contradict him. I narrow my eyes at his dirty trick but don’t protest. I kneel down and smile at Maya.

“Hi Maya, I’m really glad to meet you. I brought you a present.”

Maya’s eyes light up as she reaches for the bag I hold out to her. She peeks inside and squeals when she sees the stuffed horse.

“I’ll love it forever,” she vows, clutching the horse to her chest.

“What do you say, princess?” Dex prompts.

“Thank you Wemy,” she reaches her hand out towards me. “Do you like cookies? Me and Nana made cookies for you.”

“I love cookies.” I smile so wide my cheeks hurt as Maya drags me down the hallway towards the kitchen, Dex trailing behind us.

My heart is absolutely melting watching Remy help Maya bake cookies. I know that’s a total chick thing to say, but I swear it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. Maya is giggling as every ingredient somehow ends up all over her shirt and in her hair. I’ll admit I’m surprised at the ease in which Remy took to Maya. She didn’t really strike me as the kind of girl who’s comfortable around kids.

“Wemy, after this, let’s go play in the sprinkler.”

Remy looks to me for help.

“I already told you, princess, it’s too cold out for the sprinkler.”

Maya flings herself onto the ground, preparing for an all-out tantrum. Her face turns red as she screws it up and begins to cry.

“Dex, is the basement finished?” Remy asks.

“No, cement floors down there.”

“I have an idea then, if it’s okay with you.”

Anything to get Maya to stop the tantrum at this point is good with me. Aside from giving in and letting her play in the sprinkler, of course.

“Alright, we need shaving cream and food coloring.”

Maya stops crying, eyeing Remy with interest at her pronouncement. I’m glad Remy already agreed to go out with me, otherwise I might be on my hands and knees at this point begging her to date me.

I go grab a can of shaving cream and my mom pulls out the food coloring and Remy leads Maya down the steps to the basement.

Remy spends the next hour with Maya making a giant work of art on the basement floor using nothing but the shaving cream and food coloring. They end up covered in colorful shaving cream from head to toe as they finger-paint and eventually make snow angels in the colorful mess. When they’re done I snap a picture of their masterpiece. It’s beautiful chaos. Then, I take Maya for a bath while Remy showers in the other bathroom.

“Did you have fun tonight, princess?” I ask, helping Maya into her pajamas.

“Yes, Wemy is so fun. Can she come play again next time?”

“I sure hope so.” If I have my way Remy’s going to be spending a lot of time here, and pretty much anywhere else I am.

Once I get Maya into bed, I make my way down the hallway to the guest bedroom where Remy’s staying the night. After a soft knock, I peak my head in. She’s curled up on the bed in nothing but an oversized T-shirt, a sketchpad on her lap. God, she looks so perfect. My body aches to slip into the bed beside her, pull her against me, and taste her skin. She’s agreed to a date, it’s okay to indulge now, right?

She notices me in the doorway and a shy smile spreads across her lips. Her beauty hits me like a punch in the gut, leaving me in a breathless stupor. I can’t mess this up. Rushing things will only reinforce her idea that men can’t take relationships seriously. I reinforce my self-control and mentally apologize to my throbbing erection.

“I just wanted to say goodnight darlin’.”

“I had fun tonight, I hope Maya did too.” She bites her bottom lip and I can’t resist striding across the room and sucking it into a tender kiss. She gasps against my lips and it takes all the self-control I possess to pull away.

“She had a blast. I think you’re her new favorite person.”

Remy’s face lights up in a smile. She sets her sketchpad down and pats the empty side of the bed.

“Sure you don’t want to join me in here?”

I press one more chaste kiss to her delicious lips.

“Night baby,” I whisper.

“Night.”

“Come on, just give me a little hint,” I pout. Dex chuckles and shakes his head, he’s not giving it up. I’ve been bugging him all morning to tell me where he’s taking me on our first date...my first date. My stomach flutters and my palms sweat. I try not to wonder what happens after this date, but the niggling question is there. Once this date is over will he finally have sex with me? If we do have sex, what if he doesn’t call me again? I’ve spent the last eight years of my life pulling the fuck and run so it doesn’t get turned around on me. Now, here I am...vulnerable.

“What’s wrong darlin’?” Dex asks, his brow furrowing as he reaches across the center console to entwine our fingers.

My teeth find their way to my bottom lip and I glance at Dex out of the corner of my eye. I shouldn’t ruin our date. This could very well be the only one I’ll ever get.

“Tell me,” he insists, his fingers squeezing mine.

I sigh, turning to look out the window. I don’t want to see the pity in Dex’s eyes when I say this.

“Just wondering what happens after this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind, it’s stupid.”

“Remy, you are the most impossible girl I’ve ever known. There must be a mathematical constant that could express your distrust in men. Here’s what’s going to happen,” he pauses and waits for me to turn to look at him before he continues. “I am taking you on a date, then I’m taking you home. Maybe you’ll get a goodnight kiss if you play your cards right and then I’m going to go home and lay in bed all night thinking about you. Tomorrow morning, I’ll call you first thing and tell you how great I thought our first date was and how I can’t wait to take you out again. Sound good?”

I feel a smile creeping onto my lips and a blush in my cheeks.

“That sounds nice.”

We pull into the parking lot of an arcade and I instantly feel like a kid on Christmas.

“This is where we’re going for our date?”

“Yeah, is this alright?”

“It’s amazing, I can’t wait to embarrass you by totally kicking your ass at every game,” I tease. Dex laughs before getting out and jogging around the car to open the door for me. My heart flutters at the gesture yet again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the way Dex treats me.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you you’re supposed to let the man win? Our egos are very easily damaged.”

“Nope, never heard that one. I’m sure your ego will recover.”

I lace our fingers together as we walk through the parking lot.

The date is an absolute blast and Dex is a more gracious loser than I expected him to be. Although, I think he may have let me win a few rounds of skee-ball.

He walks me to my apartment door and my stomach tightens in anticipation. He wasn’t serious about only having a goodnight kiss, was he?

“Do you want to come in?” I ask, leaning in to his broad chest. He inhales deeply and closes his eyes for several seconds, like he’s trying to gather strength. Then, he leans down and his warm breath tickles my ear and immediately drenches my panties.

“Darlin’ you have no idea how
badly
I want to come in and fuck you ‘til you can’t walk right for a week.”

My breath catches. Where is the shy man who could barely stand to watch a sex scene in a movie with me? Not that I’m complaining, I’ll definitely take the dirty talk.

“But…” he says and I immediately begin to pout.

“No but,” I beg.

“This isn’t a sprint Rem, it’s a marathon.”

Before I can protest further his lips come down firmly against mine. I shiver at the contact, savoring the taste of his tongue as it slides briefly between my lips. He pulls back too soon leaving me gasping for more, desperate for him.

“You’re such a tease,” I accuse, still trying to catch my breath.

“I intend to follow through, just not tonight. I’d better head home so I can get a head start on lying awake all night thinking about you.” His lips brush my cheek before he turns and leaves.

Walking away from Remy tonight is by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. My head is in a fog as I pass Eve while walking back to my apartment.

“Hey there Eve, how’s it going?” I ask.

“I’m great. How’re you?” She seems to have a bit of an extra bounce in her step this evening.

“I’m-” at a loss for words when my eyes land on her shirt. Why the hell would Eve have a T-shirt that says ‘particle physics gives me a hadron’? And, where do I feel like I’ve seen that shirt before?

“Shit,” I mutter as it hits me. The only person who I would’ve seen in that shirt is Asher.

“What’s wrong?” She asks with feigned innocence. Fuck me sideways, Asher really could sell ice to a polar bear.

“That’s Asher’s shirt. Eve…” I don’t honestly think Asher is a bad guy, or that he’s intentionally out to hurt Eve, which is what makes it hard to find words.

“It’s no big deal Dex, Asher and I are friends. I mean, I borrowed a shirt of Nikki’s two weeks ago.”

I meet her gaze to let her know I’m not buying the shit she’s shoveling.

“You know what? I’m going to pretend like I believe that, because I want to have plausible deniability. I’m not sure why keeping Asher’s dick on lockdown around you was my job to begin with,” I shake my head again. This had better not blow back on me from Remy. I don’t know what she expected me to do.

“Whoa, Asher’s...junk...hasn’t been anywhere near me,” Eve insists.

A laugh escapes my lips. Well, if it hasn’t yet I’m sure it will be soon. He’s been nuts about her since they met a few weeks ago.

“Just be careful.”

“Thanks, I’ve got to get to work.” She stomps off in a bit of a huff.

At home Asher is laying on the couch watching Neil Degrasse Tyson’s
The Cosmos
. I’m not surprised, he’s obsessed with that show.

“Hey Ash,” I flop down on the lounge chair beside the couch.

“Hey, how was your weekend? How’s the kiddo?”

“She’s good,” I answer with a smile. Without fail the mere mention of Maya always brings a smile to my face.

“And…” he makes a rolling motion with his hand for me to elaborate. I know what he’s looking for.

“Remy let me take her on a date tonight.”

“Holy shit, I didn’t think that girl was ever going to crack. So what the hell are you doing here instead of in her bed?”

“Didn’t want to rush it,” I say with a shrug. “Speaking of beds,” I segue unskillfully.

Asher’s eyebrows go up as he waits for me to continue.

“I ran into Eve on my way home. I noticed she was wearing your shirt.”

His expression goes ice cold and he turns back to the television.

“Just don’t hurt her, okay? She seems like a sweet girl.”

“Fuckin’ A, if anyone is going to get hurt in this scenario I’m pretty sure it’s going to be me so everybody can go ahead and lay off now.”

Asher’s usually a laid-back, fun-loving guy so his outburst shocks me into silence. I simply nod my consent and settle back to watch TV with him.