“Wow,” she said, breathlessly. “We gotta stop.”

“Why?” His expression went very serious.

“Because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

His eyebrows pinched. “And what idea would that be?”

“That I do this.” She moved a little, hoping he’d pull his body away but he didn’t. “This isn’t like me. This was just supposed to be a night out at a ballgame. Not a…”

He finally pulled his body away from her. “Not a what?”

“Not a date. Even on a date I don’t—“

“I was on a date.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “And you do this on all your dates?”

He thought about it for a moment then smiled. “Can’t say I’ve been on many dates.” She rolled her eyes. “What? It’s the truth. Ask Valerie. I’ve never been the dating type.”

That she believed. “And suddenly you are?” She crossed her arms in front of her, eyeing him.

“Well, if it’s anything like tonight. Sure, I’m down if you are.”

Isabel pushed herself away from the car and started toward her apartment. He slipped his hand in hers and walked with her, stepping in front of her just as they reached her door. “When do we get to hang out again?”

Hang out? She eyed his lips, knowing that in moments they’d be on hers again and she could hardly wait. “Next week?”

“Next week?” His voice went up an octave and his eyes widened at her apparently offensive suggestion.

She laughed. “Well, tomorrow’s out of the question. I’ll be busy all day.”

“What about during the week?”

“I work.”

“Not all day. You’re a teacher. You’re out by what, two or three?”

“Three thirty.”

He smiled. “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at four on Monday.”

Before she could protest, his lips were on hers and she gave in to his kiss completely.

***

Isabel hung out with Romero almost every night for the next three weeks with the exception of a few times when she had dinner with her mom and sister Pat. They’d finally talked about his security firm. She was actually very impressed. He hadn’t gone to college, but he’d mentioned at least half a dozen certifications he had mostly from online courses or state exams he had to pass, and he had an intricate knowledge of every piece of equipment used in his business. Some of it looked very complicated, not to mention his expertise in countless security softwares, including some he said he wasn’t supposed to know so well.

She saw the excitement in his eyes when he spoke of his business. He’d hired a few more employees in the last two weeks alone and was actively searching for more. It kept him busy, too. Some of the nights they’d hung out for only about an hour before he had to leave.

The kisses were getting heavier but Isabel was hesitant to take it any further. She still didn’t know what his intentions were. As up front as he was, he still hadn’t mentioned how he characterized their relationship. The comments he made were about having fun with her, and enjoying their time together. None of that said exclusive relationship to her. She could do the friendship thing if they stuck to just kissing. She’d never once had what some of her friends in college referred to as friends with benefits. And after seeing how painful it was for Valerie to carry on her non-exclusive relationship with Alex, it made her nervous to think about getting involved in something similar. Though she had to admit, just from his kisses, she knew sleeping with Romero would be an exciting first for her. That alone was making it harder and harder for her to resist trying the friends with benefits thing for once.

At the same time, thinking about an exclusive relationship with him made her even more nervous. How could he possibly fit into her world?

They’d gone to the show once before, but this time they hardly saw any of the movie. She felt like a teenager in the back row of the theatre, getting felt up. Every time she hesitated, feeling like they were going too far, he backed off, but each time she went back for more and they continued where they’d left off.

His hand made its way between her legs but over her jeans. Still, even through the thick material, he knew exactly where and how to rub to make her tremble. “Let’s get out of here,” he whispered against her mouth.

“And go where?”

“My place.”

Her instincts said no, but before she could respond, his tongue was in her mouth again. If his kisses alone could drive her insane, she wondered what else he could make her feel. “Okay,” she whispered and he stopped and stared at her.

“Yeah?”

She smiled and nodded.

“Let’s go.” He stood up and took her by the hand.

She followed him out. As soon as they were out of the theatre in the cool parking lot, he stopped in front of her and cradled her face. “Will you stay the night?” She stared at him surprised by his request. “Please?”

But her own response surprised her even more. “I have to pick up some things at my place first.”

He smiled and kissed her unlike he’d kissed her all night. They were soft gentle kisses and the way he stopped and stared at her in between made her melt.

They stopped by her apartment and she threw a change of clothes and some toiletries into a bag. Valerie was busy trying to get something on her keychain as she walked by, hoping her roommate wouldn’t notice the bag in her hand.