Chapter 44 Wined and Dined
Wined and Dined
Tripp
After we clean up, I slip one of my T-shirts over Quinn’s head and send her out to the deck with a blanket and a glass of wine to relax while I make her supper. I’m no gourmet chef, but I can grill a steak and some vegetables easily enough.
She deserves to be wined and dined at five-star restaurants and swept off her feet with caviar and Don Perignon. All I’d ever given her was greasy diner food, Peanut Butter M&Ms, and a cheap bottle of wine.
She was so far out of my league, but tonight I wanted to make an effort. I’d thawed some steak and even bought the expensive wine from the liquor store.
Twilight buzzes with the sound of the crickets and katydids and the stray hoot of an owl. I turn the outdoor stereo to my country playlist while I grill.
The deck’s lit up with fairy lights Allie insisted I needed for using the hot tub at night. Thank God for my little sister because it gives the space a romantic ambiance it never would have had without her little touches.
My T-shirt drifts up Quinn’s thigh as she shifts in the chair, her legs glowing gold in the fairy lights. She makes a contented sound, her lips tipping into a peaceful smile, and I have the sudden urge to kiss her. Instead, I bite back the desire and flip the steak.
“How was surgery today?” I ask.
She blinks one eye open and peers at me. “Amazing. It’s been ages since I’ve done field surgery.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “It’s a fun challenge. And it feels good working again.”
I give her a tight smile. “You always loved having a job to do.”
Pops has been doing much better, and I know it’s just a matter of time before she finds a job that will take her from me again.
The thought settles like sour milk in my gut. It’s not something I want to think about, but maybe it’s something I need to prepare myself for.
“Have you started looking for another job?” The question comes out as a rasp, something I have to push through the lump stuck in my throat to get out.
She tenses in the chair, her gaze swinging to mine. She shakes her head slowly. “No, I haven’t looked for anything.”
I nod. “You planning on starting the search soon?”
She shrugs, her expression unreadable. “I’ve been putting off making any decisions. There’s a lot to take into consideration.”
I have no idea what those considerations are.
I feel out of my depth when it comes to her career path and ambitions.
I know close to nothing about what having a specialty entails, what it means for her job or where she’ll end up.
But I do know that Cottonwood Creek has little to offer a woman like her, and no matter how much I want her, I would never hold her back.
I pull the steak off the grill and silently divide it onto two separate plates with the vegetables I roasted.
She eyes me suspiciously as I hand her a plate, her lips tipping up into a smile. “I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”
I snort and sit next to her with my plate. “I can’t cook, but I can grill.”
She takes her first bite, humming appreciatively as she chews, and something in my chest swells. Watching her savor it like it’s the best thing she’s had in weeks makes me wish I could give her more nights like this. A thousand of them.
When she catches me staring, she tips her fork at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I finally drop my gaze and shrug. “I just like watching you.”
She makes a face. “Okay, creeper.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t like being watched, honey. I know you do.” I smirk and take a bite.
“Don’t go using my kinks against me.”
I chuckle. “I would never.”
Her laugh is low and warm, and I’m caught in it like prey caught in the daze of the light from an anglerfish. It lures me in, making it impossible for me not to want to be closer to her. The music shifts to an old Tim McGraw song, and I hold out my hand. “Dance with me.”
Her brows lift, and she glances down at her T-shirt. My T-shirt. “I’m barefoot and wearing a ratty old T-shirt.”
“Hey, watch how you talk about my shirt. It’s one of my favorites.”
She sips her wine and finally takes my hand. I pull her close to me, and the feeling of her warm and soft body pressed against mine almost undoes me. We move in a slow circle, bare feet shuffling in the glow of the fairy lights.
I could spend the rest of my life chasing this feeling. And nothing would ever come close to this.
It feels so easy with her. Like she was always meant to be here, barefoot on my deck, my T-shirt hanging off her shoulder.
My heart stutters in my chest when her lips brush over my neck and down my jawline.
For a few minutes, it’s just her and I and the soft glow of the lights.
I don’t think about her career or the places she’ll go.
I don’t think about how far out of my league she is.
I just hold her, breathing her in, wishing time would stop right here.