A Date to Remember by LeTeisha Newton Read Free Book Online Page A

she got up, popcorn bowl empty, to pick another movie.
    “You up for it?” she asked Joel, turning over her shoulder to peer at him behind her bent form.
    His eyes were glued to her ass. She remembered, belatedly, that she hadn’t put on underwear. It seemed pointless to shower if she were just going to put on some messy underwear. Yuck. She sank down to her knees, not wanting him to think she’d meant to entice him.
    “I’m up, all right.”
    She laughed, but just shook her head. “I think you’ve beat me up enough. You’ve pulled my attention now with these movies. You’re stuck with a movie marathon now, buddy.”
    “I think I can handle that. Why are you so interested in these movies?”
    “I don’t know. I guess I always have been. And, before you ask, no, I didn’t grow up with a bunch of brothers. Actually, I’m an only child. It started with anime first, as a kid. Then I started watching movies. Over time I started understanding the language. I guess I watched one too many subtitled flicks,” she said, laughing.
    “So you understand Chinese?”
    “Chinese and Japanese, actually. I just got really into it. I loved the culture, the movies, the history. It went from a hobby into… Well, it just grew from there,” she corrected hurriedly. She’d almost said it had grown into her career, but that had no place with her as Natalie.
    “Speak languages to many clients?” he asked then. He was shrewd. He’d picked up on her slip. He watched her intently now. She thought that going closer to the truth would be better.
    “Yes, sometimes. It’s nice to have someone who can translate or be your guide.” She shrugged then, choosing the Shaolin movie and reclaimed her seat. “It pays,” she finished.
    “I see,” he said.
    She thought she saw disappointment before his expression cleared quickly. When he pulled her to his side, his fingers making lazy circles on her hips, she figured she’d imagined it.
    “Well, I can go for an all-nighter. Besides, I think you dried me up for the night. Pick a few, and we’ll watch them. Remember, we’ve got all month long to go through them all.”
    “Yeah, but you’ve got about sixty, at least down there. You’re looking at two movies a night, buddy, at least. Be sure you want to make that promise,” she said, laughing.
    “We’ll see plenty tonight, and maybe I’ll just set a day aside for us to do movie day until we go to bed. How does that sound?”
    “I’m in. Start this buddy up. We’ve got a night ahead of us!”
    * * * *
    By the time the last movie they were going to watch finished, the sun was rising. She’d let Joel fall asleep hours ago, quietly putting another movie in every time one went off. Now she was exhausted, her eyes heavy. Joel was a pretty good pillow. He’d stretched out on the couch, and she sprawled against his chest, legs tangled with his. In sleep, he looked very nearly boyish. His jaw was slack instead of firm, his assessing gaze hidden. The crescents of his eyelashes were like dark half-moons on his cheeks. He was so handsome. She smoothed her hand down his chest and laid her head down on him. She’d never had a date like this before. She’d only watched movies like this alone. Never had someone else shared her love of films. She sighed, feeling comfortable in a way she hadn’t quite expected. When she shifted again, Joel’s arms tightened around her.
    “Good morning, I think,” he grumbled, his voice deeper with sleep.
    “You would be right. What time do you have to go to work today?”
    “I’m the boss. I go in when I want to. I told you I wanted to get some shopping done for you this morning before I could get to work.”
    “I think I’m too tired to go shopping. I’ll probably sleep for a while. After that, I’ll go through that kitchen and find something to make for dinner.”
    “A woman that doesn’t want to go shopping? They make those?”
    She laughed and swatted at his chest playfully. “I’m one in a