Chapter 2 #2
But Theo did not feel called out or on the spot by her rebuttal, nor did he feel angry that she had corrected him, and continued the conversation by educating him.
No, Theo felt electrified and found his responses came easy, the banter between him and Miss Perfect sparking a desire within him he hadn’t felt in years.
He was flirting, and successfully. And, it seemed, she was flirting with him as well, reciprocating and teasing him. Theo wanted more. He did not wish to entertain anyone else in the cafe. He only wanted more of the spark Miss Perfect had ignited within him.
Though, to be fair, it wasn’t all Miss Perfect’s charms that had Theo feeling alive and excited.
Usually, it took a lot more than a couple fruity drinks to get Theo drunk, but Theo, like his friends, had been used to cheap beer and bottom shelf liquor.
He was not prepared for the strength of his sweet frozen cocktails.
Or maybe it’s just a change of scenery, a break, I don’t fucking know.
Whatever it is, I’m not fighting it. I feel relaxed and I’m having fun, Theo thought to himself as he stood tall and proud.
His verdant gaze drifted to Miss Perfect, to her vibrant red lips, her eyelashes behind her mask fluttering as she looked up at him.
With a smile on her face.
Trick would be proud.
Come to think of it, where is Trick...
Theo scanned the room momentarily, looking for his friend, breathing a little easier when he saw him at a table in the corner talking to a woman, smiling his patented perfect football player smile.
Theo sucked in a breath as he coolly sauntered past Miss Perfect, hoping that his flirtations and insinuations, along with his offer to buy her a drink, would give him the result he truly wished for.
He knew it was a long shot; after all, he’d only spoken with one woman and this was an hour-long speed dating event.
She could have anyone in the room if she wanted them.
He knew that. It was foolish to think she’d want him, when there were certainly many more men to choose from; men who came prepared to this event and probably had much more to offer her in terms of conversation and attraction.
But something inside him told him he’d made the right move.
No one else in this cafe would make him feel quite as bold and confident, make him feel as if he could take a shot like this.
Miss Perfect was clearly out of his league.
But as confident as Theo felt at the moment, his conscience threatened to poison his fantasy moment with a dose of reality.
If you had her interest, she wouldn’t be at that table right now. She’d be following you. The voice in his head bit, trying to squash his sudden burst of confidence.
Which is why I have to focus on walking as calmly as I can to the bar and not turning around once more to look and see if Miss Perfect Princess is looking at that other guy at the table instead of me, he thought, sliding his heated hands in his dark pants pocket.
The red lights strewn about cast an eerie glow over the bar itself, and the heavy bass beats got louder as he pushed past the mingling singles toward the bar to find an available stool.
It seemed most of the men and women were not as quick to cash in their chips as he was, and for that reason, alone, he relished the emptiness of the bar and the speed of the drink delivery.
Maybe I showed my cards too early. Maybe I should have been a little more mysterious or whatever, but fuck, I don’t want to waste another second entertaining anyone else when she leaves me feeling like this.
“What can I get ya?” the bartender asked nonchalantly.
“I’ll have another Pina Colada, please.” He took his seat.
The white-haired woman nodded and went about her business, pouring the icy liquid into glass, and garnishing it with an abundance of fruit and a cherry before sliding it to him.
The inkling to turn around and see if Miss Perfect was still there, sitting in her seat, staring at some other man, was prevalent, but Theo told himself if fate was truly on his side, she would find her way to him.
And Theo had decided, speed date or not, he was going to stay at that bar all night if that was what it took.
“What about you, sweetheart?” the bartender’s voice pulled Theo from his thoughts, and the familiar scent of vanilla and spice assaulted his senses, causing him to spin to his side to see who the bartender was speaking to.
He nearly jumped out of his chair when he saw her. Miss Perfect. His Princess.
Her long, slender arms reached out to brace her hands on the edge of the bar, tendrils of her dark hair tucked behind her ears, framing her mask. She’d been breathtaking before, when all he could see was half of her. A very hot half, I might add.
But standing before him, Theo could take in the entirety of this goddess’s beauty.
Her long, slender pale legs jutting out from the slits in her toga sparkled in the low light, and the motion as she propped her leg out drew attention to the sinful curve of her back, her tight, round ass standing out.
Her form was exquisite, but it wasn’t her breasts or her ass or even her slender fingernails that pulled his attention.
It was her eyes; amber irises hidden behind a dark mask that called to him. That enticed him. He got the feeling that if he let himself, he could get lost in her amber gaze.
“I’ll have a Pina Colada, extra pineapple, please,” she said sweetly, her voice soft like a bell.
Theo couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face.
“Was starting to think you’d lost your appetite,” he said, before sucking down a fresh, icy bout of his frozen drink through his straw.
Unfortunately, he’d been too overzealous and the instant brain freeze caused him to seize up, scrunching his shoulders and squinting his eyes as he hissed, the frozen bits oozing out the top of his straw.
“Fuck,” he bit as he closed his eyes.
Miss Perfect giggled, but the sound was as charming as a wind chime.
“Open your eyes,” Miss Perfect casually commanded, and Theo tensed, trying to combat the cool air spreading through him that was making him shiver.
He did not hesitate to do as she asked, without thinking, noting the way she was staring at him through her mask, her eyes glowing almost golden in the light.
It’s a trick of this lighting, for sure. People’s eyes don’t glow like that. His gaze settled on hers, his conscience once again trying to explain the strange thoughts and feelings coursing through him.
He’d only just met the woman, but she felt strangely familiar. As if he’d seen her somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place her. But such things were hard to discern with half her face hidden.
Miss Perfect reached out for him, her fingertips moving some stray golden-brown hair out of his eyes, off his forehead. Her nails tickled his skin, but she didn’t drop her hand. Instead, she just massaged his temples, and Theo started to feel a little warmer all over. And a little less tense.
“I nearly did. Lose my appetite,” she said smoothly, her fingertips gently grazing his skin as she touched his cheek.
Theo could not move, nor could he take his eyes off of her. He tried to think of a name, a color that would describe the depth and warmth, but nothing fit. Not gold or ochre or amber felt pristine and rich enough.
I don’t know the shade, or the name, but fuck. They are beautiful. She’s beautiful. Even behind a mask.
“Oh, really?” Theo asked, shifting closer to her with his own seat.
Miss Perfect dropped her fingers from his face, her gaze dipping to his lips before she took her own drink in her hand, delicately and demurely sipping her liquid through the straw.
“Mhmm.” she murmured, licking her lips when she was done.
No brain freeze for Miss Perfect, obviously. God, I’m so out of my fucking league, clearly.
“What changed your mind?” Theo asked, without thinking. His voice sounded darker to his own ears than he knew it should. He returned to his drink, this time slowly sucking some liquid through his straw, careful not to overdo it again.
Though if overdoing it means she gets to touch my face and make my skin all tingly again, I’ll take it...
Miss Perfect batted her eyelashes at him, giving Theo a sweet, yet seductive grin.
“Sometimes, you just get a craving for something and you can’t stop thinking about it.” Her gaze drifted to the rim of his drink, hovering for a moment over his untouched fruit before her attention was back on her own drink.
“I feeling the know,” Theo said stupidly, because apparently his damn brain freeze had made him forget how to speak properly.
“I mean, I know the feeling,” he said, letting out a chuckle as he tried to recover from his momentary blunder.
“But I can’t say I don’t like it. The...
feeling. Craving something sweet, I mean.
” Theo felt as if he was grasping at his sanity, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol.
No, not entirely, anyway. For as he fought his blush, as he gazed upon Miss Perfect and her amber eyes, the reality dawned on him she had taken him up on his offer.
She was interested. Otherwise, why would Miss Perfect have come to the bar to share a drink with him if she was not intrigued by him and his sudden burst of confidence?
And that reality—that understanding that perhaps she felt the same attraction—was equally as terrifying as it was exciting.
The night, as it seemed, was going rather smoothly for him. It was turning out to be the best night ever for one Theodore Lange.
But certainly he’d screw it up somehow, right?
He let out a heavy breath, trying to push his vicious anxieties aside.
No, think positive thoughts, Theo! Don’t fuck this up!