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I looked from side to side as I repeated, “What do you want me to say?”
“Yeah, we’re good.” He dipped his chin in a curt nod, then walked back over to his camera set up. As soon as he was behind the tripod, I noticed him give Lydia the thumbs up, indicating we were ready to go.
My heart was pounding so hard that I was sure that they would be able to pick it up on the mic. I took a deep breath in through my nose and wiped my hands on my jeans. I wasn’t sure where my anxiety was coming from.
I’d never been nervous with women. That’s not to say I’d never faced any rejection; I had, but I had never taken it personally.
This wasn’t a blind date. I’d already slept with Daphne. Twice. So why the hell were my palms clammier than an otter on a slip-and-slide?
As soon as Daphne walked around the corner, I momentarily forgot all of my anxiety. I was transported back to the first morning on the farm when I’d seen her walking out of her aunt’s barn. The same feeling swelled in my chest. It was like I was seeing a real-life angel. An ethereal creature. A goddess.
Today, she was wearing a pair of blue jeans, sneakers, and a white V-neck t-shirt. Her long, silky blonde hair fell down around her shoulders in soft waves. Her makeup was light and natural, but it highlighted her bright blue eyes and full cherry lips.
With every step she took toward me, my heart beat faster. Aside from our dance at the masquerade ball, our interactions had mainly been in private or witnessed by only one otherperson, like Grandad when she dropped off Dini or Dawson when we kissed in the hallway. As happy as I was to see her, I wasn’t sure exactly how to speak to her with an audience. Obviously, I wasn’t going to say or do the things that I did when we were in private.
Her smile was wide as she approached me, and her voice trembled as she said, “Hi.”
It was obvious I wasn’t the only one battling nerves. Seeing her anxiety instantly erased any fear or trepidation I had. All I wanted to do was take care of her and make sure she was okay.
“Hi, good to see you again.”
Lydia had prompted me that because the photo of us dancing had gone viral, we shouldn’t introduce ourselves like her dates normally did. At least we didn’t have to act like we didn’t know each other at all.
Daphne reached her hand out, and automatically, I went in for a hug. Her body tensed, and I realized that might be too familiar.
Shit. I was already fucking this up.
“Sorry,” I apologized as I leaned back. “My family are huggers.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” She waved her hand, then dipped her head down and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked back up, she asked, “So, what are we doing?”
The format was the same for each one of her dates. She’d show up, they would introduce themselves, then she’d ask what they were going to do. There was an activity planned, followed by a dinner. I was given several options when it came to this date, but I’d chosen the gazebo because she’d said it was her favorite place to come when she was young since it reminded her of the gazebo inGilmore Girls. But the location wasn’t the real surprise.
“Do you trust me?” I asked as I stared into her eyes.
A flush lifted on her cheeks, and I realized I might have just had strike two in my time up to bat. My intention hadn’t been for the question to sound as intimate as it did, but when I saw her reaction, I realized that it had.
She licked her lips and took in a shaky breath.
Knowing that I needed to dig myself out of this hole, I grabbed the blindfold out of my back pocket. “It’s a surprise.”
Her smile widened, and she nodded. “Yes, I trust you.”
Relief washed over me. “May I?”
She nodded and turned around so her back was facing me. I placed the fabric over her eyes and then tied it in the back. We were mic’d up, there were several cameras on us shooting from all angles, and there was a small crew of people around. My brain knew that, but my cock was convinced that the act of blindfolding Daphne was an erotic one. It stirred behind my jeans, and I willed it to go down. The last thing I wanted was to embarrass myself on national television by popping wood like a horny teenager. In fairness, that is what I always felt like when Daphne was around.
Leaning down, I whispered against her ear, “I’m going to cover your ears so you can’t hear.”
“Okay.” She nodded.
Trying to ignore my body’s response, I motioned to Donna Lamb and her team, and then put my hands over Daphne’s ears. Donna, whose daughter Brianna took my Farm Strong classes, ran a children’s party business, and after spending a couple days trying to come up with the perfect date for Daphne, I knew she was the woman I had to call.
I could feel Daphne’s excitement radiating off of her as we stood in silence while the date was prepared. Or maybe it was nerves since she was blindfolded and couldn’t hear.
When Donna finished her setup, she gave me the thumbs-up, and I took my hands off of Daphne’s ears.
“What is it?” Daphne asked at the same time there was a tiny bark. “Is it a puppy?”
