The Dating Experiment (The Experiment, #2)(49)

I groaned and dropped back onto the bed. I bounced a few times on the mattress and blew out a long breath. What was wrong with me?

Could I get out of this? How? When? I was running out of time.

I didn’t—

Knock, knock, knock.

I sat bolt upright.

No.

No, no, no. Was he early? Didn’t he know women were always late? We had at least a ten-minute leeway before it was considered rude. He wasn’t allowed to be ten minutes early.

Shit the bed and call me Sally, I was in trouble.

But, wait. What if it wasn’t Dom? What if it was someone else, and I was wrapped in a towel that was very close to showing off my vagina?

I clutched at the towel and tentatively made my way downstairs. Another round of knocking sounded, and I hovered in the doorway to the kitchen. The unclear reflection through the wavy glass looked like Dom, so I took a punt and opened the front door.

Thank God.

It was Dom.

His dark eyes roved over me from head to toe. “Do you always answer the door in a barely-there towel?”

“Only to people I’ve slept with,” I quipped.

“Are there many of those?”

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” I grinned.

He did not. “You’re not dressed.”

“You’re early,” I fired back. “I’m almost ready.”

He dropped his eyes to my legs. “Chloe, you’re not even wet. How long have you been wrapped in that towel?”

“Long enough to dry off naturally, evidently.” I adjusted the towel at my chest again. “You’re still early. You’re not supposed to be here until twenty-to.”

“I said six-thirty.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t include my obligatory extra ten minutes. I’m a woman. It’s almost guaranteed I’ll need to pee right before we leave.”

“Oh, good. You’re an adult-sized toddler.”

I pursed my lips. “If you were hoping to get laid tonight, calling me a toddler isn’t a step in the right direction.”

Dom put his hands in his jeans pockets, lips tugging into a smile. “Is getting laid on the cards?”

“Not anymore.”

“That’s all right. I’ll always have my memories.”

I rolled my eyes as he laughed. “How dressed up do I need to be?”

He waved one hand down himself before stuffing it back into his pocket. “Just be comfortable. And by comfortable, I don’t mean yoga pants.”

“Do I have to wear a bra?”

“Yes. I don’t want you scaring away any children.”

I glared at him. He was such a dick.

“Also, you said sex was off the table, so you going braless doesn’t help me at all.”

I sighed and turned for the stairs. “I’m regretting this already.”

“I can see up your towel.”

I reached behind me and held the towel against my butt. I didn’t think it made the blindest bit of difference—at least that’s what I got from his endless laughter—but it made me feel better.

“I can still see!”

Goddamn it.





Chapter Eighteen – Chloe


Not all dates are created equal.

Just ask Miss Rhode Island from Miss Congeniality.

April 25th is the perfect date.

That one where someone tells you his ex-wife’s life story? Not so much.



“What are you doing?”

“Shh. I can’t hear.” I leaned a little to the left to hear the conversation of the couple on the bench closest to me.

Dom sat down with two plastic bags full of food. “Seriously. What are you doing?”

“The couple behind us are on a date,” I whispered. “And he keeps talking about his ex-wife. Seriously. It doesn’t stop.”

“You’re also on a date, and you’re more interested in theirs.”

I sighed and looked at him. “Where did you get the food?”

He nodded toward a small Cajun restaurant on the other side of the park. “I made a deal with Josie. I’ll help her find a date for free if she gave me a take-out before they technically start doing them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I think I’m a little impressed.”

“You should be. I owe her three months of free help. And I had to pay for the food.”

“You must be horrified. How will you cope?”

“You could take off your bra.”

“No can do. There are still kids around.”

He laughed and pulled containers out of the bags onto the blanket we were sitting on. “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got a whole bunch of stuff.”

“Okay.”

“You’re still trying to listen to their conversation, aren’t you?”

“I see a business opportunity,” I lied. “We could help that girl.”

“Chloe, you’re not going a great job on your own date.”

“I know, but I’m really good at it for other people.” I gave him a cheesy smile.

“You can’t just pluck random people off the street. Especially not if you don’t have business cards with you.”