“Part of the reason this isn’t a typical first date.”

He liked her smile. The one she wore now . . . the one that wasn’t forced or fake. The one that reached her eyes.

“Can I think about it? I’d have to ask Austin and Mallory.”

“Yeah.” He placed his napkin on the table. “You have two weeks.”

Parker sat taller, pushed the dessert toward him. “I can’t eat any more.”

He picked up his spoon and finished the last bite.

Ten minutes later they were walking down the Strip and Colin slipped her hand in his as if to say, This is where you hand belongs when you’re with me. The way she smiled at him said she got the message.

Phase two . . . he wanted to see what made Parker laugh.

Parker couldn’t remember the last time she felt this good. She’d had two drinks during dinner, and that had certainly helped. The meal had been to die for. The view was perfect. Above and beyond all of that was the man she was with.

Colin kept ahold of her one way or another as they maneuvered through the Friday night crowd. It was as if he couldn’t stop touching her, and she ate it up. There was an awareness of him like this that she didn’t feel when they were in her yard talking about dirt and trucks. This was all man and woman and pheromones. Maybe she needed to change her major to chemistry when she went back to school. Colin was emitting something that made her want to curl into him and never leave.

They found their seats a few rows back from the small stage and ordered sparkling water. Colin told her to feel free to order another drink, but he was driving and had his limit.

“I hope this is okay.”

She glanced around the compact audience and took in the people. Most were in their age group, many were already several glasses into whatever they were drinking. There were a couple of groups of women, but most looked like they were with a date or with a significant other. “I haven’t been out this late in a long time,” she confessed.

“It’s not even nine thirty.”

“I know. Sad, isn’t it?”

He leaned over, laced his fingers with hers. “Hopefully this is good enough to keep you awake.”

Him touching her was enough to keep her eyes open.

The show went for an hour and a half. The first two acts had her and Colin both in stitches. One was a woman talking about her experience in a sex shop, and the second was an older man talking about the difference between teenagers now and teenagers thirty years ago.

Act three was when the happy tears started flowing down Parker’s cheeks.

The comedian started talking about first dates and then asked if there was anyone in the audience on one. Parker squeezed Colin’s hand and shook her head.

Too late. The heavyset comedian caught her denial and zeroed in. On the other side of the room was another couple that had pointed out they were out for the first time, too.

The comedian talked about how the man picking up the bill on the first date was all about his desire to get laid. When Colin shook his head, the man onstage jumped on him, making him the butt of the joke. “C’mon, man, look how you two are holding hands. You totally picked up the bill. Unlike Fred and Ethel over here . . .” He pointed to the other couple. “He made you pay for your ticket coming in here, didn’t he?”

Parker couldn’t see the other couple’s response, but some in the audience did and laughter erupted. For fifteen minutes Parker and Colin found themselves referred to during the whole act with half the audience staring at them. When the show was over and the lights came on, a few sideways glances connected their way.

“I had no idea that was going to happen,” Colin said once they were back in his car and headed home.

“It was hysterical. I haven’t laughed that hard in forever.”

They talked all the way home, and it wasn’t until they reached her gate that Parker considered how their date would end.

He parked the car and held his hand up, asking her to wait when she moved to get out.

She felt silly waiting for him to round the car to open the door for her.

The air was cool, and the sweater she wore wasn’t doing a good job of keeping her warm. They walked up the steps together and she fished in her purse for the keys. “I had a really good time,” she told him. The comedian’s synopsis of how first dates end sounded in her head, and she found herself saying them out loud to calm her nerves. “So how should we end this? Is it a kiss? An invitation inside? Breakfast in the morning?”

He knew she was joking, she saw it in his eyes.

Instead of answering, he stepped closer, brought the palm of his hand to her cheek.

She held her breath and the smile she’d worn all night slid, replacing it was a measurable tension that poets try to articulate and singers hum to. TDH was going to kiss her. Those lips parted and she leaned in just enough for him to know she wanted to sample him as much as he appeared to want a taste of her.

“It ends like this,” he whispered before lowering his lips to hers. He was warm and soft and oh so very smooth. Parker closed her eyes and stepped into his arms and let herself feel. She’d missed this . . . arms circling her back and the first taste of a man. One swipe of his tongue against hers and she knew what else her life was missing. He held her like he needed her, and made anything cold inside of her melt.

Like everything she’d seen from this man, he executed a good-night kiss as if he were born to it. Parker leaned in and felt his breathing shudder. She placed a hand over his chest, felt her fingers curl like her toes were doing. All her girl parts stood at attention and waved frantically while cursing her for being left dormant for so long.

Colin kissed her like he had nothing better to do, and ended with a tiny bite of her lower lip.

Parker licked her lips before opening her eyes. “That was, uhm . . .”

“Yeah, it sure was.” His hand lingered on her face.

“I’m changing your nickname.” She finally looked in his eyes, saw the passion swimming inside of her looking back.

“Oh?”

“TDY. Tall, dark, and yummy.”

“I’ll change the T-shirt order.”

She lifted her chin again. “Just a little more.”

He kissed her again, this time his hand swept around her waist and pulled her flush to him from knees to lips. Open mouth and hungry, she kissed him back.

Tall, dark, and holy shit, this was getting really hot, really fast.

Colin pulled back, rested his forehead to hers, and caught his breath. “So did I pass for a second date?” he managed to ask.

Her whole body shook with quiet laughter. “I hope so, otherwise it would make the next few months incredibly awkward.”

She heard Scout jump up on the window from the inside to look out.

“That is the equivalent of someone flicking on and off the porch light,” Colin said, giving her some space.

Her fingers shook as she attempted to twist the key in the lock. When it clicked, she sighed. “Thank you again.” She turned back to look at him.

All confidence and grins, Colin rocked on his heels, tucked one hand in his front pocket as if he didn’t trust himself not to touch her again. “Good night, Parker.”

“’Night, Colin.” She slid behind the door and closed it once he was halfway down the stairs. From the window, she watched the taillights of the Jeep moving down the drive. When the gate opened, the house system told her he was gone.