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My hands smoothed down the hair on either side of her face. “I think I might need some ground rules for going slow. All I want to do is kiss you right now, and I’m afraid I’ll fuck up if I don’t have set boundaries.”
She smiled. “Okay. That’s probably a good idea.”
“So lay it on me. How do we do this?”
Autumn tapped her finger to her lips. “I guess we should limit how often we see each other. What about once a week?”
“Three times.”
She laughed. “Oh my God. You just jumped into lawyer mode to negotiate. I feel like I need my own attorney now so I don’t get trampled.”
I smiled. “Sorry. How about two days?”
“I think that’s good.”
“Okay. What else you got?”
“What about if we try not to get into a routine? I feel like that’s what happens when a relationship moves into serious territory. You settle into a day-to-day, familiar predictability. Maybe we could extend what happens at the begi
I shrugged. “That sounds good to me. I like to try new things, and trying them with you is even better.”
“And we probably shouldn’t make long-term plans. I think keeping things to the immediate future—say, the next few weeks—keeps things lighter.”
“Alright. Anything else?”
She bit down on her lip. “Just one more, I think. But I have a feeling you might not like it.”
“Lay it on me.”
“Well, sex… I didn’t have it for a few years after…you know…and then I only had it without an emotional co
My face fell, though it had nothing to do with not having sex.
Autumn noticed. “I didn’t… No, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to say I didn’t have an emotional co
I dragged a hand through my hair, blew out a deep breath, and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Whatever it takes.”
“Thank you. I know I’m asking a lot.”
I ran my fingers down her cheek. “It’s fair. I’m getting a lot in return. You.”
She nuzzled her cheek against my hand. “I think that’s it for my rules. What about you? Anything you want to add?”
“You didn’t mention exclusivity. I don’t think I can take knowing you’re going out with other men at this point.”
She shook her head. “I won’t. Even when I was avoiding relationships that might lead to anything, I didn’t go out with more than one person at a time. It’s just not my thing.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.”
“So that’s it?” she asked.
The lawyer in me couldn’t help but think of things in terms of a contract, and one thing I always liked to negotiate for my clients was an out clause. “I’m going to stick to these rules as best I can,” I said. “Because they’re important to you. But the ball’s in your court, Red. If you get to a point where you’re ready to spend more time together, or want to make plans for the future, you just need to let me know.”
She smiled. “Does the same go for if I want to have sex? I just have to let you know?”
A wicked grin spread across my face. “No, sweetheart. For that, you have to do more than let me know. After all this time, I’m going to make you beg.”