The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(90)

He gave me a quick peck on the lips. “I’m not up to anything. Just wanted my lady to come home to a nice dinner after a long day of work.”

“Mmm-hmmm.”

Holden placed his hand at the small of my back and ushered me into the living room. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Would you like a glass of sauvignon blanc?”

“Sure.”

He disappeared and came back a minute later with wine. Handing it to me, he guided me to sit on the couch, then lifted my feet up onto the coffee table and slipped a pillow underneath. “Give me two minutes and I’ll join you. I just need to check on the chicken cordon bleu and saffron rice.”

I raised my brows. “Are you sure you don’t mean chicken nuggets and tater tots?”

Holden went into the kitchen and fiddled with the knobs on the stove before returning again. He took the seat at the other end of the couch, leaving a large gap between us. I might’ve been able to believe his wardrobe change was a new style, and that he was secretly a good cook, but Holden Catalano did not leave three feet of distance between us when we hadn’t seen each other all day.

“So, what do you think of the political turmoil going on in Bosnia?”

I laughed. “What?”

“You know, the threats of secession that are causing instability for the Balkan nation.”

I sipped my wine. “No, I don’t know. I guess I’m not up on my Balkan news.”

“That’s okay. What about the financial crisis? A pretty big hedge fund just warned that hyperinflation might lead to a major collapse of our economy.”

“Did you hit your head, Holden?”

“No, but I read The New York Times from cover to cover today.”

My brows raised. “From cover to cover? How long does that take?”

“About six hours.”

“Why on Earth did you spend six hours reading the Times?”

Holden shrugged. “You’re smart. I want to be able to discuss things with you.”

“You don’t need to do that. I like you the way you are, Holden.”

He shook his finger at me. “Ah… But that’s not true. You need more from me to see that I can be a good partner, and I want to show you I can give you what you need.”

Grinning, I set my wine down and crawled over to his side of the couch, lifting one knee over his legs to straddle him. Then I shimmied my hips up to sit on his crotch. “You already give me exactly what I need.”

Oddly, Holden didn’t take the bait. His face grew solemn. “I’m serious, Lala. I want to make you dinner, take you out, have meaningful conversations with you… I want to show you I can be more than just a good fuck.”

I shook my head. “That’s not all I think of you.”

He looked down at his lap where I was perched. “Sometimes it feels that way.”

I started to climb off, but Holden stopped me. “No, don’t go anywhere. Let’s talk.”

I shook my head again. “I’m sorry, Holden. I didn’t realize I was making you feel like a piece of meat. I feel bad.”

“Don’t feel bad. I understand why our relationship would be about sex. Hell, that’s the only man you’ve ever known me to be. But I meant it last night when I said I wanted more than that. I want a lot more, Lala.”

“Why?”

“Because I…” He stopped and cleared his throat. “Because I like you a lot.”

Adrenaline sparked through me. Was Holden about to say he loved me?

He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “Listen, sweetheart. Maybe I went too far trying to change things up this fast. But I really would like to try to shift the focus of our relationship, to show you I can be more to you than you think.”

“You are more to me than just sex.”

“Can you let me prove it to you? Do something for me?”

“Of course. What?”

“Let’s not have sex for the next two weeks.”

My eyes widened. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was astounded Holden would ever want to abstain that long, or because I wasn’t sure I could go that long myself. The man was more addicting than drugs.

“Really?” I said. “You mean no intercourse or no…everything?”

“How about we stick to kissing?”

I’d already made him feel like all he was good for was sex, so I couldn’t let on how disappointing the thought of two weeks without it sounded. So I forced a smile. “Sure. Of course. Whatever you want.”

Holden looked relieved. He leaned forward and gave me a tender, closed-mouth kiss. “Thank you.”

A minute later, he got up to serve dinner. The food he’d made was delicious, and after we ate, we snuggled together on the couch and watched an incredible movie he’d picked out. When I yawned, Holden kissed my shoulder.

“I’m gonna go. You should get some sleep.”

“You’re not going to stay?”

He sat up. “I think it’s better if I don’t.”

I pouted. “Okay.”

Holden rubbed his nose with mine. “You’re cute when you’re celibate.”

“I might turn hangry. Except the h is for horny instead of hungry.”

He laughed and stood, offering me his hand. “Come on. Walk me to the door so you can put the safety lock on.”