Everyone cheered and he lifted her off her feet and swung her around. He was too full of happiness to speak. He kissed her instead, in front of his siblings and hers. They have to get used to it. He planned on doing a lot of kissing with Jessy.
Chapter Nine
Jessy entered Lincoln’s apartment, feeling a little apprehensive. They hadn’t even gone on a date yet, and here she was alone in his place. He had shown up at her place bright and early, wanting her to spend time with him. He had just clocked out of his night shift and headed straight to her house.
“Don’t you want to sleep? We can make plans for a day we’re both off,” she asked him, feeling awkward and nervous. She had thrown on some black denim shorts and a yellow tank top. It was too hot to leave her hair down so she pinned it up.
“Eventually we will have a date, Jessy. I just wanted to have breakfast with you and get to know more about you.”
When he suggested she come with him so he could shower and change, Jessy had felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
“I might be boring,” she warned him.
He chuckled and shook his head. “You may be a lot of things, sweetheart, but boring isn’t one of them. You have kept me on my toes from day one.”
Jessy felt her cheeks heat up at his very sincere words. She took a good look around. The walls were white but blank. He had a huge TV, a black leather recliner, and a couch in his living room. A sad looking plant sat by the window on a small iron stand. A typical bachelor pad, she mused. She couldn’t help but wonder how many women he brought home with him.
Lincoln threw his keys on a breakfast counter that separated the small kitchen from the living room area. He had a bowl of fruit on the counter. There were two gray metal stools against the counter. She assumed that is where he ate since she didn’t see a dining room table.
“This is my place. Small but comfortable.” He looked around the apartment as if trying to see it through her eyes.
Jessy nodded and looked at him. “Don’t believe in decorating?”
“Men don’t decorate, sweetheart.” He snorted with an amused shake of his head. He pointed toward the large window where a sad looking plant was drooping to one side. The window was covered b
y white blinds but no curtains. “My mom gave me the plant, but I keep forgetting to water it.”
Jessy chuckled and sat on the couch. His couch was soft and comfortable. He had a coffee table with a few sports magazines lying on it. She eyed the plant, wondering if water would save it. “Poor thing.”
“So you want to help me change?” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. He took off his plain white t-shirt and threw it on one of the bar stools.
Jessy felt her cheeks heat up. She hated that she wasn’t as experienced as the women he dated. It made her feel insecure and gauche. If she told him she was a twenty-six-year-old virgin she was afraid he would laugh in her face. It was unheard of these days.
Lincoln grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, letting the subject go. “Just kidding. I know you’re not ready to be intimate yet. I promised to take things slow with you and I will, even if it kills me.”
Jessy grabbed the remote from him and waved him away. His words made her feel like he truly cared about her as a person. “Go away before I get on the home shopping channel and order you a bunch of household decorations. In pink.”
Lincoln laughed and headed down the hall where she assumed the bathroom and bedroom was. When she heard the shower turn on, she stood up and looked out the kitchen window. A small covered patio was out there. It looked so cozy. A tall wooden privacy fence made it private. She saw a grill and a few chairs. She could picture some white lights around the fence, making it romantic. Despite all the drama of the last two days, one good thing to come out of it was that Lincoln confessed to having feelings for her. She honestly never thought this would happen. Part of her was still expecting to wake up and discover it had all been a dream. Also, the fear that his attention wouldn’t last crossed her mind often. After all, he switched dates often and she was not even close to those fancy women he dated.
Lincoln came out of his bedroom twenty minutes later wearing only jeans. His hair was wet, making it appear darker. Jessy’s mouth watered at his hard sculptured chest. He was carrying a gray t-shirt in his hand.
“All done?” She could hear the tremble in her own voice and hated it. She wanted to be bold and confident. Suddenly, all her inner insecurities took over. She looked away from him with a loud sigh.
“What’s wrong, Jessy? Don’t you want to spend the day with me?” She felt his presence right behind her. She smelled the scent of his shampoo.
“Why do you want to get involved with me, Lincoln?” she asked softly, biting her lower lip. She hated feeling so insecure. “I have seen all those sophisticated women you date. I can’t even hope to compete with them. Honestly, I don’t want to. I am me, and I am comfortable with that. I also come with baggage and you admitted you were content in your calm orderly life.”
She tensed briefly when she felt his hands squeeze her shoulder, then she forced her body to relax and lean against him. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. His heart beating was a wonderful sound.
He wrapped his arms around her, making her feel like she was sheltered by his strength. It felt good to have someone to lean on for once. “I don’t want you to compete with them, Jessy. I like who you are. I fought my feelings, but they were because of my own issues not because of you. I know I am not laid back and easygoing like you. I live by a set of rules, and I like things my way, but my life was dull. You make me feel alive.”
She turned toward him and lifted her chin up. “Lincoln, I’ve dated a few men here and there in college, but never seriously. You are older, more experienced. I’m scared you will get bored quickly and I won’t deal with it quietly. I would be the type to be blunt and not at all polite. I’d give you hell, and if I saw you with another woman, I wouldn’t just walk away politely. I’d scratch her eyes out and probably kick your ass, too.”
Lincoln laughed, a genuine laugh that made his chest shake. “You are refreshing, Jessy, and real. I like that and I would never want you to act like anything but you.”
He lost the smile and caressed her cheek with his hand. Such a simple touch, yet she felt it to her very core. Lincoln always made her feel more than she wanted to feel.
“I messed up by going out on so many dates, but all they did was prove that you’re the only women to hold my interest. I wanted to ignore the attraction between us, Jessy, but none of them stirred up my soul. They were nice, fun companions, but not you. This is real.”