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  As he walked over to open my door, I stared at the building in front of me. With a few small waterfalls and gorgeous stenciled stones, I knew it had to be fancy. I followed Alexander into the restaurant, wondering what he had in store for us.

  “Welcome to Lotus,” the hostess said. Based on the restaurant’s name and the outfits of the wait staff, I decided it was a safe bet we were having Asian. It was unlike any place I’d ever eaten before, filled with paper fans and porcelain tea mugs and a live quartet. Alexander went up and spoke to her, and she soon brought us to a table in the center of the restaurant.

  “This place is gorgeous,” I said as I sat down. “You really didn’t have to do all this.”

  “Of course I did!” Alexander said. “Besides, I wanted to. And you mentioned you love Chinese food!”

  I nodded with a smile. “I’m guessing this is going to be miles better than the takeout place I usually order from.”

  “Which place is that?”

  “Han’s Dynasty,” I said.

  Alexander threw his napkin on the table in fake disgust. “Han’s Dynasty?! That’s what you’re basing your love of Chinese food on?” I nodded as he continued laughing. “Boy, are you in for a treat!”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” I perused the menu and tried not to have a heart attack looking at the prices. Wow, was I living beyond my means tonight. One of my foster moms, whose home I had been at when I went on my first date, had told me to always offer to pay on a date. It was a piece of advice that had stuck with me long after she had. I always offered, but only a few pathetic guys had taken me up on it. I was certain that Alexander would pick up the tab, not just because he surely knew I couldn’t afford such a meal, but also because he had been nothing but a complete gentleman.

  We decided to split a few appetizers, none of which I could pronounce, and I opted for a chicken dish, while Alexander decided on shrimp.

  A thought popped into my mind that I felt compelled to share. I liked that he hadn’t pressured me into ordering anything like other guys I’d gone out with. No matter how this date went, it was already a step up. “I know the cardinal rule is to never talk about a prior date on a first date,” I said, hoping Alexander understood where I was going.

  “If you have a good story, lay it on me!” he said with a chuckle. “I won’t hold it against you.”

  I sighed loudly for dramatic effect, making Alexander’s laugh grow and his gorgeous dimples appear even more pronounced. “Worst date I ever went on. I had just started at the clinic and a guy who worked a few doors down at the pizza place asked me out. For starters, he insisted we go to the pizza place he worked at.”

  “No way!” Alexander said. “That’s awful!”

  “That isn’t even the worst of it,” I said. “He insisted that I had to try their supposedly-famous mushroom pie, which had mushrooms and olives. Guess who hates both mushrooms and olives?”

  Alexander raised his eyebrows. “The stunning girl I’m having dinner with tonight?”

  I tried not to blush as I continued. “I told him that, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He ordered us a mushroom pie. I was out the door before the pizza was even out of the oven.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Alexander said. “Sounds like a real jerk.”

  “Pretty much,” I said. “How about you? Any good stories?”

  Alexander ran his hands through his gorgeous hair in a way that said he had quite the story to tell. “About awful dates? I should write the book on them. There was one girl in college who wanted to take me to meet her parents after the first date because she was so certain we were meant to be.”

  “I’m guessing you weren’t,” I chuckled.

  “Not even close,” Alexander said. “A few years back, I went on a date with a girl I met online.”

  “Oh no,” I said. I’d heard my fair share of online dating stories, and none of them ended well.

  Alexander shook his head. “Should’ve never gone. After our second date, she was already talking about our future babies…” His voice trailed off, and I could tell by the bead of sweat that poured down his cheek that he immediately regretted what he said. “Casey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. This whole you-carrying-my-baby thing is still new to me.”

  “Hey, I’m already two dates ahead of her,” I said, laughing it off. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.”

  “You sure?”

  I nodded. There was no use making him feel bad over something that didn’t really bother me. “It’s going to take some getting used to, this whole pregnancy thing. Don’t feel like you have to tiptoe around it. I know it’s a weird situation.” I paused. “So, any other good first date stories?”

  In between bites of dumplings and spring rolls, Alexander ran through his list of horror stories. I thought my dating history was bad, until he told me about the girl who asked him to pop her pimple in the middle of a date. That one was the definite winner.

  In between appetizers and the main course, Alexander picked up our conversation from the car. “So, how about you? Any siblings?”

  “Nope,” I said. It came out more curtly than I had intended. To make up for it, I added, “But I’d love to hear more about yours! What do your siblings do?”

  “Well, Emily’s finishing up her medical residency at a hospital down in Tampa,” Alexander began. “Connor is in his second year of teaching high school history. And Patrick, well, I’m not really sure about him. Keeping a job isn’t his strong suit. Last time I saw him, back at the start of the summer, he was working at a shoe store. I wouldn’t bet on him still having that job though.”

  I picked at a dumpling on my plate, searching for the words to say back. “That must be tough.”

  “Yeah,” Alexander said. “I’m sure he’ll figure out his way, though. To be honest, our grandpa died a few years back, and that hit Patrick hard. They were really close. Patrick dropped out of school and started working odd jobs to pay the rent.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said, putting my hand on top of Alexander’s. Just as I thought a kiss was about to happen, the waitress brought over our dinners. My eyes grew wide as I got a clear view of the giant plate in front of me. These two dishes could’ve easily fed five or six people.

  Alexander smiled. “Dig in!”

  I wanted more than anything to spill my soul to Alexander. I wanted to tell him about growing up in foster care, and having to deal with my mom’s death. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t scared of being a single mother, because my dad had left before I was born and my mom had done just fine until she passed away. Instead, I held it all in. The only thing I could bear to mention was my lack of a college degree. “I have to confess something,” I said.

  Alexander wiped something from his chin with his cloth napkin. “What is it?”

  “I don’t have a college degree,” I said. It felt embarrassing to say, not because it was something I was necessarily ashamed of, but because it made me feel so lame compared to this guy who ran his own company. “I mean, I went to college, but I never finished.”

  “Can I ask why?” Alexander asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

  I drew in a breath. “I was two semesters away from graduating, but I just didn’t have the money to finish. I found the job at the clinic and never looked back.”

  “I see.”

  “Look, I know you have this big, fancy company, and I didn’t even finish my degree…” My voice grew quiet. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going with this. Luckily, Alexander took over before I could figure it out.

  “Casey, I don’t care about what degrees you have,” Alexander said. “I care about what kind of person you are. And, so far, you seem pretty great.”

  As if he wasn’t already swoon-worthy enough, Alexander continued to surprise me with his charm. “Thanks. By the way, this food is incredible!”

  “I told you you’d love it,” Alexander said. This evening was already more amazing than I ever could have dreamed, an
d, from the look on Alexander’s face, I could tell it was far from over.

  Chapter 8

  Alexander

  “I can’t believe you let me eat that sorbet,” Casey said. “I’m stuffed!”

  I squeezed her hand in mine as I parked down the street from her apartment. “But wasn’t it just as delicious as I said it would be?”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  The tone of Casey’s voice made me smile. There was just something about it that made me certain she was feeling as comfortable with me as I felt with her. This night was going even more smoothly than I’d anticipated—once I remembered that Casey was carrying my child.

  Walking into the building, the moonlight hit Casey’s face in a way that made her absolutely glow. She was beautiful. “Listen,” I said. “I know it’s only the first date, so we can say good night here, if you’d like.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Casey said. “Come in!”

  I grinned. “I hoped you would say that!” I followed Casey up the stairs and stood patiently as she fidgeted with the keys. Upon first glance, her apartment was much smaller than I had expected. Not that I’d imagined it before, but I just assumed that the apartments in this building were as big on the inside as they appeared from the outside.

  “I know it’s small,” Casey said in an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry.”

  I put my palm gently on Casey’s cheek. “Stop apologizing for who you are! It’s a gorgeous apartment for a gorgeous girl.” I wasn’t lying when I told her the apartment was gorgeous. It had admittedly been a while since I’d been to a woman’s home, but they were always such a step up from my house and my buddies’ apartments. Sure, my living room was as big as her apartment. But my walls were bare, my furniture was mismatched, and my décor was nonexistent.

  Casey had everything meticulously in place. Even though the apartment was a studio, she had arranged it in such a way that the bedroom area and living area had a clear division. The walls were covered—but not too covered—in different watercolor paintings, and an intricately-carved shelving unit lined the walls. A woman’s touch made everything better.

  “Got that at a flea market,” Casey said, noticing me admiring one of the paintings. “Right when I saw it, I knew it would fit in perfectly with my apartment. The artist was only sixteen years old when she painted it.”

  “Wow,” I said. “It’s lovely.”

  “Do you want a cup of coffee or something?”

  “No thanks,” I said. “If I drink coffee past dinnertime, I’ll be up all night.”

  “That can be arranged either way,” Casey said, pulling me in for a deep, delicate kiss. She walked over to the bed and signaled me to follow. “Let me give you the grand tour. This is the bed. It’s where I sleep and…do other things.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said.

  “That’s right.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Casey pulled me on top of her. I moved into her, and we kissed and kissed until my lips were numb. Through my slacks, Casey gave me a strong squeeze where I was already hard. Then, she gently pushed me off of her and directed me to stand up. After stripping her clothes from her body in silence, she pulled down my pants and boxers. She ran her finger around my swollen cock and pressed her lips against it. I felt myself stiffen as she slid her tongue around and bit ever so slightly on the tip.

  The sensation drove me wild. I thrust forward, into her mouth, and before I knew it, my cock was all the way into the back of her throat. I pulled back out and she grabbed my ass cheeks and pulled me back into her mouth, taking me so far in I was amazed she wasn’t gagging.

  Her mouth moved up and down my shaft as her nails dug into my butt, causing an irresistible mix of pleasure and pain.

  I thrust into her mouth, over and over, my hands gripping her hair. She ran her tongue along my shaft with such skill it drove me wild.

  Then my vision blurred and a surge of pleasure pulsed through me, sending me over the edge. My cock poured cum into her mouth and she swallowed every drop. Then she licked my shaft and my head, looking up at me with a wickedly naughty grin as she did so.

  Casey kissed her way up my body and caught my mouth with hers as I teased her stiffened nipples. The taste of my cum on her lips made my cock hard again.

  “I have something you might like,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.” She gave me a squeeze as she walked across the apartment and dug through a drawer. As if out of one of my greatest fantasies, she strolled back with a pair of pink faux-fur handcuffs.

  “Wow,” I said. It was all I could muster.

  Casey squeezed my cock, coaxing it back to full erection, and said, “Thought we might have a little fun, if you’re up for it.”

  “Hmm…”

  “Lucky for you, I have an old-fashioned headboard.”

  That was all it took. My tongue found hers as we kissed our way over to the bed. I was glad, in the heat of the moment, that Casey was pregnant. That meant we didn’t have to put a pause on the heat to figure out protection.

  Straddling Casey, I placed the cuffs on each hand. My lips tugged gently on her nipple as I ran my hands down her silky skin. She let out soft, slow moans and pulled my lips into hers.

  I lifted her hips into my stiff body and drove into her, caressing her rounded breasts. Pulsating rhythmically, my tongue moved between her intoxicating lips and her neck. I focused on making her feel as good as she made me feel.

  Between moans, sounds of Casey’s breathless gasps filled my ears. Our bodies moved in sync as I pushed harder and harder toward the very core of her body. I lifted her body back and forth and squeezed her plump behind, until I finally exploded again, cumming so hard inside her it made her scream.

  Now it was her turn. Her entire body stiffened and flexed as her orgasm overpowered her. She bucked, driving herself even further onto my cock as surge after surge of pleasure washed through her body.

  Then she went limp, letting out a laugh of relief and pleasure as her body recovered from the ecstasy.

  Naked and gasping for air, I removed the handcuffs as we fell into one another. We lay in silence, save for our labored breathing. I looked Casey up and down, taking note of every curve and crevice on her gorgeous body. She ran her finger up and down my arm, kissing my chest every so often.

  “What are you thinking about at this very moment?” she asked.

  “You,” I said.

  She shot me a smile. “What about me?”

  “You’re perfect,” I said. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” Casey cupped my face in her hand and gave me a slight kiss on the lips. “And I’ve had a great time with you tonight.”

  “Is that my cue to leave?” I asked.

  “No,” Casey said. “Why don’t you stay the night?”

  While there was maybe a small part of me that hoped that this sleepover meant another round of lovemaking, what Casey had in store was just as wonderful. We spent hours—naked— talking about our favorite movies, and our tastes in books, and our respective interests. It felt like we had known each other for years, and Casey listened with a rare intensity that so greatly intrigued me.

  By the time we were halfway through Grease, which she insisted we watch as soon as I revealed I’d never seen it, Casey was fast asleep. I sat there, wide awake, deeply aware that I was falling for this girl.

  Chapter 9

  Casey

  Alexander lay curled up under the covers and unclothed beside me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a man stay the night, but I could say with certainty that this was the best first date—could I even call it that? – that I’d ever been on. I sat up and tiptoed over to the bathroom, trying my best not to wake Alexander. He looked absolutely perfect, even when he was sleeping.

  There was something about Alexander that made me feel adventurous. He made me feel sexy in a way that no other man had before him. I knew it was probably bad to be considering getting involved with my sperm dono
r, or whatever he was, but I couldn’t help myself. This hunk had been coming into the clinic month after month, and I didn’t have the slightest clue how great we could be together.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself, I told myself. It was only one date. After my first year in foster care, I learned to never get my hopes up until something was a sure thing. Every time I thought a family would be my permanent placement, something happened, and the rug was pulled out from under me. I didn’t want to have that same feeling with Alexander—or with the baby.

  “Good morning,” I heard from across the apartment as I exited the bathroom.

  “Hey there.” I walked over to Alexander, who greeted me with a hungry kiss. It was amazing to me how natural everything felt with him. We kissed like we’d been dating for months, and we had conversations like we’d known each other for years.

  “What time do you have to be at the clinic today?” Alexander asked, looking at his watch.

  “I actually have today off,” I said. “I’m working Saturday this week to cover the other admin assistant’s shift.”

  Alexander grinned. “What a coincidence. I have it off too!”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said, fake-shoving Alexander. “You’re the CEO!”

  “Exactly. And I’m playing hooky today.” He paused. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

  Like a giddy schoolgirl, I sat and listened as Alexander called into the office and told them he wouldn’t be coming in.

  “Got anything in mind?” I asked.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Alexander said. “What were your plans today if this date had not gone so well?” A subtle wink only added to the adorable tone of his voice.

  I sat down on the bed beside him. “I was thinking of heading over to Centennial Olympic Park to walk around a bit. I know it’s sort of cheesy, but—”

  “It’s gorgeous there,” Alexander said. “Sounds perfect.”

  Alexander decided that he didn’t want to do the walk of shame, walking around Atlanta in the same outfit he’d worn the day before, so we made plans to meet up in an hour at the park. As soon as I closed the door behind him, I pranced around my apartment the same way I had after my first date years earlier.