I wanted to have some fun and Ryder seemed like exactly the kind of fun that I needed. I remind myself as I take another drink for courage.

  I’ve already picked up my entire apartment, not that it took long. I live in a little one-bedroom place above a hardware store in the middle of downtown. The place is tiny, but it suits me just fine. I don’t need a lot to be happy. Just a good book, a cozy blanket, and some snacks.

  I drain my glass of wine and grab the bottle, pouring some more into my cup as I pace around my kitchen. I still have half an hour until Ryder gets off work and comes here, and I’m not sure what to do with myself. I can’t keep pacing around, though.

  I finish off my second glass of wine and head to my bedroom. I start to rummage through my dresser drawer, looking through my lingerie for something to wear.

  I’ve always loved lingerie. It makes me feel sexy and powerful. That’s part of why I opened Wet and Wild. I wanted to help other women feel that way, too.

  My fingers find a red silk babydoll dress, and I pull it out, smiling as I hold it up against my body. I know that this is the one. I bought it months ago, but I’ve never had an opportunity to wear it.

  That’s actually the case for all of my lingerie and toys. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’m a twenty-four-year-old virgin. A twenty-four-year-old virgin who also owns an adult toy store.

  My parents were always sex-positive. They were always open with sex, letting us know that it was a natural thing. They never expected me to wait until marriage, but I knew that I didn’t want to lose my virginity to just anyone. I wanted what they had.

  True love.

  I’ve never been interested in anyone before, not until Ryder. I know that’s why I approached him tonight. I’m sick of being a virgin. I want to use the toys that I have in my shop with someone. I want to stop feeling like a fraud when I help customers out with things around the store. I want to finally be with a man.

  I see the time on my alarm clock and strip in a hurry, pulling on the dress and checking that it’s in place in the mirror hanging over my closet door. The red silk of the cups pushes up my breasts, and the fabric hanging down hugs my curves, giving me a perfect hourglass shape. I smile as I look at myself and then do a little twirl, giggling as I stumble into my bed.

  Okay, I might be a little tipsy…

  A knock sounds at the front door, and I take a deep breath as I make my way down the short hallway and over to answer it. I trip over my own feet a few times, and my head spins as I make my way.

  I paste on a smile, cocking my hip in what I hope is a seductive pose as I pull the door open and look up into Ryder’s blue eyes.

  “Heyyy,” I say with a giggle.

  I step aside to let him in, and he reaches for me, his hand landing on my hip to steady me as he comes into my apartment.

  “Hey, you look… amazing,” he says, swallowing hard.

  “Can I get you a drink?” I ask, and I’m proud of myself for sounding coherent this time.

  “I’m okay.”

  I nod, grabbing my empty wine glass and the bottle. I pour the last of it into my cup and then make my way to the couch. He follows suit and sits next to me. There’s too much room between us, and I take another sip as I scoot closer.

  I wonder if he can tell that I’m nervous.

  “I don’t normally drink this much,” I blurt out, and he smiles.

  “I know.”

  “Is it obvious that I’m a lightweight?” I ask with a giggle, and he grins.

  “Yeah, a bit. I’m not much of a drinker either,” he tells me.

  “But you work in a bar!”

  “Maybe that’s why then. I’m around alcohol all the time, so it’s lost all of its appeal,” he suggests, and I snort.

  “Not for me. I’m around lingerie and sex toys all day long, and sex is all that I think about.”

  His mouth drops open, and I sway towards him.

  “What about you? Do you think about sex too?” I whisper, and he swallows hard.

  “More and more,” he whispers, and I finish off my wine, dropping the glass down on the coffee table a little too hard.

  Ryder reaches over and saves it before it can fall off of the table, and I blink.

  “Whoops!”

  “Why did you drink tonight?” He asks me, and I lick my lips.

  “I was nervous,” I admit, and he smiles softly.

  “Me too. We don’t have to do anything. I mean, I wasn’t planning on sleeping with you tonight anyway.”

  I frown at his words.

  “Then why did you agree to come here?”

  “Well, in case it isn’t obvious, I’m into you, Maple. I have been since you got to town, and I didn’t want to turn you down because I was afraid that you might never ask again.”

  “So, you were just going to come and let me down easy?” I ask him, hurt starting to pop the giddy bubbles in my bloodstream from the wine.

  I grab the blanket off of the back of the couch and pull it around myself. Suddenly, the lingerie isn’t making me feel sexy or confident. Just embarrassed.

  “No! I just thought that I could ask you out or that we could talk and get to know each other more. I don’t just want one night with you, Maple.”

  He looks like he wants to say more, but he bites his tongue and just watches me, studying my reaction. I wish that I hadn’t gotten drunk so that I could do a better job of hiding my feelings. I feel vulnerable and exposed right now, but I find that I’m not that upset by it. I trust Ryder not to hurt me.

  “Alright,” I say finally, and he blinks.

  “Alright, what?”

  “Alright, treat this like our first date. Tell me about yourself.”

  He seems surprised by my words, but he does as I ask.

  “Well, I was born and raised here. I moved away for college, but I’ve been back for a little over a year now. I actually came back to town right before you moved here.”

  “Do you like it here?” I ask, and he nods.

  “It’s home. It’s always been home. I love the people and the small-town way of life.”

  “Me too,” I whisper, and he smiles. “So, is being a bartender the dream then?”

  “No,” he says with a laugh. “I’m a web designer. Things have been going pretty good the last few months, but I kept working at the bar because it was something to do. It filled the nights and brought in some extra cash.”

  I nod and he shifts, his body angling towards mine more.

  “What about you? Was the dream to always own a sex shop?”

  “No,” I say with a snort. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but our parents died, and Olive wanted to move, and the rest of us followed her. We came here, and Olive opened her bakery, and Saffron started the bookstore, and well, I needed something to do. I’ve always liked lingerie. It makes me feel sexy, and I just… landed on that,” I finish.

  He nods, his eyes dark and filled with heat.

  He wants me.

  That’s the only thought in my drunken mind as I stare at him.

  “What about Halloween?” I blurt out, trying to ignore the way that my body reacts to the lust in his eyes.

  “What about it?”

  “It’s coming up next week,” I inform him, and he nods.

  “Yeah.”

  He doesn’t seem as excited about the holiday as I am, and I frown.

  “You don’t like Halloween? You don’t dress up? Hang out with friends? Go to a party? Pass out candy?”

  “Not really. I haven’t celebrated since before I left for college. Probably not since I was a little kid,” he tells me almost apologetically.

  “You can come with me to a party this year! We can pick out costumes together!”

  “Do we have to dress up?” He asks, and my enthusiasm wanes.

  “No, you don’t have to,” I say quietly.

  My eyes start to feel heavy, and I smother a yawn as I lean back against the soft couch cushions.

  “You don’t have to go to the party,” I murmur sleepily.

  “I want to.”

  I nod, my eyes starting to drift shut.

  “You don’t have to stay.”

  “I want to do that too,” I hear him say before sleep pulls me under.

  FOUR

  Ryder

  “Oh my god,” Maple groans next to me, and I blink my eyes open, watching as her hands come up to scrub at her face.

  I smile as she stretches and sighs.

  “Good morning to you, too,” I say, my voice sounding rough with sleep.

  She gasps, her big green eyes widening as she spots me in bed next to her. A second later her whole face turns as red as her hair.

  “Oh my god!” She yelps.

  I watch in amusement as she buries her whole head under her pillow. I’m guessing that she regrets drinking so much last night, and I scoot closer to her as I lift the corner of her pillow to peek down at her.

  “Is this how you wake up every morning or…” I trail off, and she groans.

  I laugh, and she pops her head out, giving me a sheepish look.

  “I’m so sorry about last night,” she starts, and I tense, wondering if she regrets getting drunk, oversharing, or inviting me over altogether.

  “I had fun,” I tell her honestly, and she looks at me like I’m insane.

  “Your idea of a good time is watching someone embarrass themselves?” She grumbles, and I laugh.

  “You didn’t embarrass yourself. You were adorable. It was nice getting to see you with your walls down for a bit.”

  “I don’t have walls,” she protests, and I snort.

  “You have walls and a whole damn moat.”

  She sighs, pulling herself up in bed until she’s sitting, and I follow suit.

  “I don’t mean to have walls,” she says softly, and I nod.

  “I know.”

  We share a look, and I wait to see what she’ll do next.

  Does she want me to leave? Should I ask her out now?

  The blanket sits down, and I see that damn lingerie. I was hard as soon as the door swung open last night, and my erection didn’t go away until I was falling asleep next to her in bed.

  I had carried her to her room after she fell asleep on the couch and tucked her in, but then she had reached for me and pulled me closer. I had laid down next to her on top of the covers, but sometime during the night, I guess I found my way under them with her.

  Her breasts are spilling out over the top of the red silk, and I bite back a groan, shifting away from her in the bed.

  I had never planned on sleeping with her last night, but when she answered the door and I saw that she was tipsy and on her way to drunk, I knew that it was definitely not going to happen. I meant what I said last night. I want Maple for more than one night. I want her forever.

  “I’m sorry again about last night. I mean, I invited you over for sex, bored you with all of my ramblings, and then fell asleep on you,” she says, her cheeks heating with a blush.

  “No apology necessary. I wasn’t bored, and like I said last night, I never intended on sleeping with you last night. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

  “Still, let me at least make you breakfast,” she insists, crawling out of bed.

  Her cheeks heat even more when she realizes that she’s just wearing the babydoll lingerie.

  “Sure, I’ll just… head out there.”

  I climb out of bed and head out to her kitchen to wait for her. I grab her wine glass from last night and start to clean up. I toss the empty wine bottle and then wash the glass, leaving it to dry in the sink.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she tells me as she joins me in the kitchen.

  She’s changed into black yoga pants that mold to her thick thighs and a knitted white sweater. She looks sexy and reserved, just like always.

  “It’s no bother. Why don’t you let me take you out for breakfast? I know that you have to get to work soon.”

  She seems surprised as she glances at the clock and then nods.

  “Yeah, grabbing breakfast would be better.”

  We both put our shoes on and then I hold the door open for her as we head out onto the street. We head over to the Nosh Diner, and I wave at Ford, the owner, as we head to a booth in the back.

  “Hey there!” Cameron greets us.

  “Morning,” Maple says with a warm smile.

  The Baker sisters made a lot of friends when they moved to town. I’m not surprised. It’s hard not to like them.

  Ford comes over and wraps his arm around Cameron’s waist, pulling her in and dropping a kiss on her cheek.

  “Take your break soon?” He asks, and she nods.

  “Yeah, I’ll meet you in your office,” she says with a smirk.

  Maple’s face is a light shade of pink as she watches her friends flirt in front of us, and I smile at her.

  “What can I get you two?” Cameron asks as Ford heads back behind the counter and disappears into his office.

  “I’ll have the pancakes,” Maple orders, and I nod.

  “Same, with a side of bacon, please.”

  Cameron nods and heads back to put our orders in, and I turn to face my girl.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask her.

  “Hungover,” she says with a little laugh, and I grin.

  “I bet. You’ll have to drink lots today,” I tell her as Cameron sets two glasses of water and two cups of coffee down in front of us.

  I reach over and add two creamers and three sugars to Maple’s cup and she blinks, seeming surprised.

  “I’ve been paying attention,” I tell her, and she nods.

  “I can see that you have.”

  She looks like she doesn’t know how to feel about that. I give her a moment to process it, grabbing my own coffee and taking a sip.

  “Have dinner with me tonight,” I say, and she chokes on her coffee.

  “I… I,” she stutters, her green eyes wide and locked on mine.

  I bite back a smile as she swallows a drink of coffee and then she straightens in her seat and nods.

  “Alright. Dinner.”

  “It’s a date,” I say as Cameron drops off her food.

  “I’m headed on break now, but here’s the check when you’re ready.”

  “Thanks,” I say, grabbing the check before Maple can try and pay for breakfast.

  She gives me a look, and I just give her a wide smile in return. She rolls her eyes, but I can see the beginnings of a smile at the edge of her lips.

  We both dig in, and I nudge the plate of bacon closer to her. She smiles sweetly as she takes a piece and bites into it.

  I ask her about what she has to do today and listen as she tells me about a shipment that’s coming in for work.

  “And we’re decorating for Halloween a bit more. I ordered more decorations, and they came in last night.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  She eyes me dubiously, and I wonder what that’s about.

  “You hate Halloween,” she says, and I shake my head.

  “I don’t hate it.”

  “You don’t celebrate it,” she argues, and I shrug.

  “I never wanted to, I guess.”

  She raises a brow at me, and I shake my head.

  “I like it,” I tell her.

  I don’t think that she believes me, though.

  We finish eating, and I pay the bill and offer her my hand as we stand and head for the door. As she slips her small hand in mine, tingles race up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I pray that she doesn’t notice them.

  “I’ll wake you to the shop,” I tell her, and she shakes her head.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to.”

  She doesn’t argue after that, and we walk to Wet and Wild in companionable silence.

  “Thanks for breakfast,” she says as we stop outside the doors.

  “Anytime. I’ll pick you up for our date at six,” I tell her, and she nods, her cheeks turning pink as I smile down at her.

  “Until tonight,” I whisper, leaning down and brushing a kiss against her cheek.

  I hear her sharp inhale as my lips brush against her soft skin, and I smile as I pull back and head down the street.

  Now, I just need to nail this first date and win my dream girl.

  FIVE

  Maple

  Tonight.

  I’m going out on a date tonight.

  With Ryder.

  My mind has been racing since he left me at Wet and Wild earlier today. Part of me still can’t believe that I’m going out on my first-ever date tonight. I can’t help but wonder if maybe he only asked me out because he’s trying to get lucky since I kind of fell asleep on him last night before we could get to that part.

  I wince as I remember it.

  “What’s that look for?” Saffron asks as she peers at me from above the book in her hand.

  “Just remembering something,” I mumble, and her eyebrows raise.

  “Remembering what? Your last dental appointment,” she jokes.

  “I wish.”

  “What could be that bad?” She asks as the front door opens and our youngest sister, Ginger, walks in.

  “What’s bad?” She asks as she hops up on the other chair behind the counter.

  “My dating life,” I tell them, and they both snort.

  “What dating life?” Ginger asks, and I sigh.

  “I asked Ryder out last night.”

  “What!?!” Ginger asks, leaning forward with excitement. Saffron just looks surprised.

  “Yeah…”

  “How did it go?” Saffron asks, and I sigh again, louder this time.

  “Terrible. Or, well, not so bad considering that I got drunk and fell asleep on the guy that I had invited over for sex.”

  “How is that not so bad?” Ginger cries, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “Okay, yeah, it was pretty bad,” I admit.

  “I hope that you didn’t like the guy,” Saffron mumbles, and my smile drops.

  “I do,” I tell them quietly.

  “Then we’ll help you figure out a way to salvage this,” Ginger says, and Saffron nods, closing her book.

  My sisters and I have always been close, and I love that even though they have no experience with dating or guys, they’re willing to drop what they’re doing to help me out with my boy troubles.

 

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