His Dream Role (4 page)

When he was finally content that it was okay, he hit SEND and waited. After staring at his phone for five minutes, he gave up, sensing defeat. She would probably avoid the coffee shop now in order to dodge him.

He pulled out of the lot and drove back to school. Although he didn't have class this afternoon, he could get some studying in before rehearsal. As he walked through the doors to the library, his phone buzzed.

His heart lurched into his throat. She hadn't dodged him. She wanted to go out on a date. He couldn't believe his eyes.

After checking the number to make sure it was, in fact, from Samantha, he responded:
Brilliant!

She wouldn't get the
Doctor Who
reference, but it was confident. Then he added,
I'll call you tomorrow and we'll figure out details.

Sitting down in a study nook, he realized that he wouldn't be focusing on books at all. His brain raced with ideas for dates. He needed it to be perfect.

S
am stood in front of the mirror and scooped her hair up, then let it fall again around her shoulders. She turned from side to side. Glancing down at her jeans, she had no idea if she was dressed okay for her date with Free. He'd said to dress casual, but then added something about wearing clothes she wouldn't care about getting messy. He wouldn't tell her what the date entailed, though.

He seemed really nervous the couple of times they talked, so she didn't press him. She was happy that he'd used her number to ask her out. When they left each other at the coffee shop, she'd been worried that he wasn't going to call. With a quick swipe of lip gloss, she decided that her outfit would have to do. If Free showed up wearing something fancier, she could change.

The phone rang, and the doorman let her know Free was here. She told him to send Free up. She snapped a hair tie on her wrist in case she needed to put her hair up later and waited nervously by the door. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this anxious over a date.

Maybe it was because Free seemed so different from the guys she usually dated. While Jess had been right in thinking she sometimes chose guys who would make her dad crazy, they had mostly been of the bad boy variety. Free didn't fit that mold at all. Although she didn't know much about him, she knew he was sweet.

Any guy who would dress up in crazy costumes to help his brother had to be nice. And given the costumes he'd chosen, he must've been a geek of the highest order. He dressed as characters she'd barely heard of.

When the elevator dinged, she opened her door to look for him. She didn't know what she'd expected, but he managed to surprise her. He got off the elevator carrying a bouquet of roses. From what she could see under his plain jacket, he appeared to be wearing normal jeans, which didn't tell her much because he also wore the same red Converses he'd worn when he was Doctor Who.

He looked up and when their eyes met, his face broke into a wide smile. “Hi.”

“Hi. I hope you didn't have a hard time finding the place.”

“Nope. Your directions were excellent. I actually don't live too far from here.” He held out the bouquet. “These are for you.”

She accepted them and brought them to her face for a deep sniff. “Thank you. They're beautiful.” She took a step back into her apartment. “Come in.”

He followed her and closed the door behind him.

“I'll put these in water.” As she moved around the kitchen, she continued to talk. “You still haven't said where we're going, so I hope I'm dressed okay.”

He strode into the kitchen with his jacket open. He, too, wore a T-shirt with his jeans. His dark blue T-shirt read H
ERMITS
U
NITE
! in white letters.

“Interesting shirt. Are you sure it's all right to leave your cave to be out in public?”

He ran a hand over the front of his shirt. “Uh, it's another Doctor Who reference.”

She smiled at that. Even not in costume, he wore his geekhood. “Speaking of which, I watched a few episodes of the tenth doctor. You were quoting him.”

“Huh?”

“When we talked about books. You said something like books are the best weapons. I thought it was cool at the time, but then I learned you stole the line from
Doctor Who
.”

He blushed but took a step closer to her. “I tend to do that—use lines from the character I'm portraying. It's the actor in me.”

“Is that all?”

“No. It also makes things easier when I'm nervous. If I use someone else's words, I won't embarrass myself.”

“Interesting tactic. I might have to give it a try.”

He laughed. “You? I can't imagine you ever get nervous.”

“Maybe I'm a better actor than you are.” The air between them filled with tension, but it was good. She drew nearer to him. “For instance, I'm extremely nervous right now.”

“Why?” His voice had dropped to a lower register, and it was sexy as hell.

“Because I want tonight to be good, and first dates tend to suck.”

“I'll do my level best to make sure it doesn't.”

She stood close enough that she watched his pulse thump in his neck. She had the urge to kiss him to see if his pulse would spike, but part of her feared it would scare him away.

She licked her lips, tasting her strawberry gloss, and asked, “Ready to go?”

He stepped back and swept out an arm. “
As you wish
.”

She pointed at him. “I know that one.
Princess Bride
, right?”

“Very good.”

“You won't need quotes tonight. You already got me on a date. No need to be nervous.” She reached into the closet and tugged her coat off a hanger.

“Easier said than done.”

“I always thought that for a guy, asking was the hardest part.”

“True, it only takes about
twenty seconds of insane courage
.”

“Ha! I know that one too.
We Bought a Zoo
. Don't you think it's a little weird that you can pull out quotes throughout a conversation like it's nothing?”

He took her coat and held it open for her to slide into. “
We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all
.”

She turned, still standing close enough to brush against him as she pulled her coat closed. She stared and tried to decide whether that was another quote.

He slowly slid his hands under her hair and freed it where it had been trapped under her collar. In doing so, he was even closer. She smelled his cologne and wanted to bury her nose in his neck. His thumbs caressed her neck and he leaned close to her ear. “
The Breakfast Club
.”

His breath on her ear sent a
zing
through her body. Something about his quiet mannerisms made her want to rub up against him. She inhaled deeply, and her boobs brushed his chest.

“We better leave, or we'll be late.” He took a step away from her.

“Hmm . . . if it's something we'll be late for, then it's not just dinner. At least not someplace casual enough for T-shirts and jeans. Any other clues?”

“Nope.”

Then he surprised her by reaching out to hold her hand. It was a simple thing, but as her palm slid against his, another
zing
zipped through her, up her arm, down her torso, and straight to her girly parts.

They got into his car—a modest Honda—and he drove to Halsted. She had no idea where he was taking her until she saw the theater. “Are we going to Blue Man Group?”

He twitched a little at her question. “Yeah. Is that okay? I mean, unless you've seen it recently, it's still a great time. They change it up.”

She practically danced in her seat. “No. I mean, yeah, it's okay. I've always wanted to see it, but my friends never wanted to go.”

His shoulders relaxed and he smiled. She put her hand over his on top of the gear lever. “Stop being nervous. Even if I'd seen it yesterday, I wouldn't have said anything. It would be a really bitchy move to ruin something that you obviously put thought into.”

“Yeah, well . . .”

“What kind of girls have you dated that this was a real concern?” Although she asked the question rhetorically, part of her wanted the answer.

He pulled into a lot, paid for parking, then walked around to the passenger side to meet her. Definitely a sweet guy.

Inside the dark theater lobby, he led the way. The place was crowded and although he turned to make sure she was close, the press of people worried her. Then he reached back and grabbed her hand. She liked the connection. He led her down near the front and handed her some plastic.

“What is this?”

“We're in the poncho seats. Trust me, wear it.” He unfolded his poncho and slipped it on, so she did the same.

They settled in their seats, and nerves rattled through her. How gross was this going to be that they needed ponchos? Maybe she misunderstood what the show was.

As if sensing her fear, Free leaned close and said, “Trust me. It's fun.”

And he was right. The show was awesome. Paint splattering, marshmallows flying, drums beating. It was excellent. She laughed so hard she'd cried. When she saw Free laughing with her, she knew she was experiencing the best first date of her life.

Free couldn't remember a time he'd laughed so hard with a girl. With Adam and Hunter? Sure. But never on a date. He didn't even know why he'd thought Blue Man Group would be a good choice for Samantha, but he was glad he got the tickets. When the show ended, they fought their way out into the cold night air. After getting in the car, he asked Sam where she wanted to go for dinner.

“Whatever. It doesn't matter.”

“Well, given the way we're dressed, we need to stick with something casual. Are you sure you don't have a preference?”

“Nope. I'm safe in your hands.”

Satisfaction burned through him at her words. He'd known he hit the mark when he caught her laughing throughout the show, but hearing her acknowledge it was even better. Who needed to throw out a line when the direct approach worked? Hunter was on to something here.

He drove down the street and over to Clark where they could find a bar that served food.

Unfortunately, he was not a bar aficionado and the one he chose had crappy food. At least the beer was okay. As long as they ordered bottled beer. But none of that seemed to matter to Samantha. They laughed and joked about school and parents and friends. Before he knew it, it was after midnight.

“I should probably get you home.” What he really wanted more than anything was to go home with her, but he wasn't smooth enough to nab that invitation on a first date. It was important to know your limitations.

She released a loud yawn and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. “I'm so sorry. That had nothing to do with the quality of our date. I was up really early this morning.”

He helped her into her coat and drove her home. On the drive, his mind raced. Should he park and walk her in? Should he pull up and let her out? What about a kiss? He definitely wanted a kiss. His car was not made for a lingering good-night kiss. Reaching across the console left too much space.

Park. Definitely park. He pulled into a metered spot on the street.

“You don't have to park.”

Shit. She had a good time. Didn't she want him to kiss her?

“I mean, you've paid for our entire evening. It seems silly to pay for parking for a few minutes' walk up to my door.”

“It's worth the extra couple of bucks to walk you in.” He paid the meter and opened her door to help her out.

They walked toward the front entrance and she suddenly spun around. “I don't sleep with guys on the first date.”

“Okay. I didn't have that expectation.”

She smiled and looped her arm around his. “I like that you're a gentleman who opens doors and walks me in. A lot of guys don't do that.”

“My mother taught me and my brother that there was a certain way to treat women. If we aren't willing to put in the little bit of extra work, we don't deserve the girl.” His mom's words echoed in his head every time he was on a date.

As they walked through the small lobby, Samantha waved at the doorman. She pressed the elevator button and leaned against the wall. “I had a really good time tonight.”

“So did I.” The elevator arrived and with each climbing floor, Free's heart rate kicked up as self-doubt reared its head.

On her floor she stepped out and he followed her to her door. He swallowed hard, determined not to screw this up, and reached for her hand. “Will I see you at the coffee shop this week?”

“I'll be looking for you.”

“I'd like to take you on another date.”

“I would like that very much.” She spoke quietly and her eyes focused on his.

He stared into her light brown eyes and tried to read them. She tugged him closer with a hand bunched in his jacket. “Do you have a movie quote for this moment?”

His mind scrambled through a thousand words he could use, but his concentration was on her soft pink lips. He nodded slowly. “Have you ever seen
Bull Durham
?”

She shook her head.

“
I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days
.”

She nodded and twined her arms around his neck. “That one definitely works.”

He lowered his head and their mouths met. Soft and slow, lips interlocking, then Free tilted his head a little more and teased her lips open with his tongue. She tasted like strawberries. She sucked on his tongue and he felt it all the way down to his dick. He pressed her up against the wall, enjoying the softness of her body. He couldn't feel much through the layers of clothes, but his hands gripped her hips and held her close.