Chapter 17 #2
“I think you like to take care of people too.”
He glances over at me before returning to the road. “You do, huh?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t let someone go hungry any more than I could. You give to your friends, the community, your family. It's probably why I’m so drawn to you.”
“I knew you liked me,” he jokes.
He’s not wrong. “I think we knew I did.”
“Oh? Do tell me all the things you like…”
I laugh. “You’re such a dork.”
Killian chuckles. “I know I like to do things for you.”
“Like this date.”
“I want you to know exactly how a man should treat you, Tessa. You should have someone ease your burdens. He should be worthy of coming to pick you up, bringing you flowers, and spending time with you. If that man can’t be me, then I want you to at least have tonight to measure it against. If he doesn’t do these things, he doesn’t deserve you. ”
My chest tightens as a dizzy sensation passes through me at the thought.
I want it to be him.
I want this person who picks me up, who treats me right, who makes me feel safe to be him, but it can’t be.
I need my job and there’s nothing in Ember Falls that I could do and still help support my family.
Instead of letting the sadness of that reality ruin the night, I push it to the back of my mind and focus on the now, on what I do have—tonight.
I clear my throat, hoping I can say something flippant so he doesn’t see the riot of emotions he stirred. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
We pull up to what seems to be a small wood cabin with a big sign out front that just says: Marge.
“What is this place?” I ask, reading it again.
“This is the best restaurant in the area or at least that’s what the guys said.”
“I see, we’re trusting them, huh?”
He chuckles. “For this we are because if it goes bad, I’ll kill them. I should warn you, because the guys warned me—the owner serves whatever she wants, so don’t get too excited about anything on the menu.”
“Okay then.”
I go to open my door and he reaches his arm out. “What are you doing?”
“Opening my door?”
I’m not sure why he’s confused by this since I do it all the time.
Killian huffs. “We’re on a date. Stay put.”
He gets out and comes around to my door before I can say anything. He opens it and extends his hand, helping me out of the low little sports car.
“Thank-you,” I say, feeling incredibly special, which I guess is his entire point.
The inside of the restaurant matches the outer with a rustic feel and exposed wood logs. It’s cozy and very cute.
A short woman comes around the front. “You must be Killian!” She comes to him, grabbing his cheeks and pinching. “Hello, dear. I’m Auntie Marge. I own this place and I got a call from not just one, but two of my favorite people.”
Killian steps back, looking a little confused, but also has a small smile. “I’m going to guess Miles and Everett called?”
She scoffs. “Those two aren’t my favorite.
No, no, I got a call from Violet and Penelope.
I mean, the two idiots called first, and I know better than to take either of them at their word, so I spoke to the women.
” Marge turns to me. “You know, men don’t exactly make the best decisions, at least those two don’t. You are lovely.”
I blush and smile broadly. “Thank-you. This is a beautiful restaurant. I’m guessing it’s named after you?”
She shrugs. “It wasn’t supposed to be. My husband and I wanted a name fitting and classy, but we couldn’t agree.
He’s a little hardheaded and stupid so we just put up a sign that said my first name.
It stuck, despite how ridiculous it is. But regardless of the name, the food will be wonderful.
I can promise you that. Now, Everett said this is your first date? ”
I nod. “It is.”
“Wonderful. Come, come, this way.”
Killian shakes his head with a smile and places his hand on the small of my back, leading me to the table.
Marge seats us in the back where it’s secluded. The restaurant only has two other couples there, but I appreciate that it’s a little quieter. “Thank-you,” Killian says to Marge as he pulls my chair out for me.
“Oh,” she sighs, clutching her hands to her chest. “You’re a gentleman. Nothing like those other fools.” Then Marge turns her attention to me. “You should keep this one.”
I wish I could.
She heads off, informing us she’ll bring the wine and then our first course.
“So, we have dinner and then what?” I ask, smiling warmly as he takes my hands in his.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
Killian leans in. “You should be.”
He’s so cute. Not only in the attractive way, but in his heart. “You’re really going to make any man that comes after this work for it, huh?”
“Damn right.”
“Is this what you’d do if we weren’t just having casual sex?”
I don’t know why I just asked that. It’s stupid. No matter what his answer is, the facts remain that we are not dating. We’re having a lot of sex, working through his company’s issues, and then I’ll be on my way back to New York.
His thumb brushes the top of my hand. “If we were dating, and not just having casual sex—as you call it—we would be doing this. I’d take you out on horseback rides, which we’ve done now. We’d definitely do dinners, movie nights—”
“Which we do now,” I say.
He chuckles. “I guess we do.”
As much as I want to guard my heart and keep it locked away, with Killian, it’s as though I can’t.
Before I met him, there wasn’t a chance in hell anyone could get this close to me. I dated a guy, which is a generous description for what we did, in college for two months and I don’t think he even knew I had a brother. I definitely didn’t disclose personal information about my parents.
With Killian, it just comes out. As though I know that my heart is safe and he won’t break it.
Although, I think I’ll be the one who breaks it when I have to leave Ember Falls.
It’s nights like this that will cause the ache in my chest. He’s giving me things that I will never be able to forget.
“Killian,” I say his name softly.
His green eyes find mine in the candlelight. “Yes?”
“Thank you for being my first real date.”
He releases my hand, moving it to my face, before pulling me gently across the table while leaning in.
His lips are soft, sweet, and tender. I catalog every second, the way it feels.
The warmth of his lips, the callus on his thumb that grazes my cheek just a little, the smell of his cologne—a little leather, a little woodsy, and a note of musk.
All of it is him. All of it I will hold on to.
Too soon, he pulls away, his hand still resting on my cheek. “Thank-you for being the one who came to Ember Falls.”
Marge clears her throat and smiles knowingly as she places our first course down, and I do whatever I can to focus on the food and not on the man who is taking my heart bit by bit.
“Where in the world are we?” I ask as we pull up to a barn in the middle of nowhere. “Am I about to end up on one of those true crime podcasts?”
He huffs a laugh. “If you keep it up, maybe.”
“Great. I should’ve at least told my best friend where I was.”
“You don’t even know where you are,” Killian reminds me.
I pull out my phone and notice there’s no service. Well, if I am going to die, hopefully it’s painless.
Although…I’ve been in his house the past two weeks and I haven’t died, so I’m going to guess this isn’t anything nefarious.
Killian pushes a button on the mirror, and the convertible top drops down. He gets out, goes to the back, and pops the trunk, taking something out before coming to open my door.
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see. Here, climb in the back.”
Oh, maybe we’re going to have backseat sex.
He gets in after me, draping a blanket over us that he must’ve taken from the trunk and opening a bag. “Pick your poison.”
I smile. “What is that?”
“Snacks.”
“Oh? For what?”
Just as I ask, a light comes from behind us, and a rectangle of light illuminates the side of the barn where a movie will play.
I gasp and sit up. “Oh my God, we’re at a drive-in?”
Now that I look around, it’s clear that’s what this is. To the left is an area where there must’ve been a food stand, a swing set—minus the swings, and an old ticket booth.
“We are. This is my friend’s farm and it used to be the biggest make-out spot in the area.”
“You took me to a make-out spot? Hoping for something?”
He grins. “Always. I’m happy to let you take advantage of me.”
I laugh. “I bet you are, but I’m pretty sure I’m the sweet, innocent girl who is going to be corrupted by the hot guy who knows how to kiss.”
Not that I’m complaining one bit about that.
He grins and wiggles his brows. “Are you corruptible?”
“Maybe.”
“I sure hope you are.”
I’m pretty sure he knows there’s very little I wouldn’t let him do to me, but since this is a first date, I’m going to play hard to get.
Well, kind of.
“I guess we’ll have to find out. However, I just have to tell you, this is pretty much a surefire way to win me over. Dinner and a drive-in is perfect.”
“I know you love movies, and I thought this would add a little bit of fun to it. We are not watching one of your terrible movies, this one is a classic.”
This adds so much to it.
He opens his bag of popcorn and puts a bag of M&Ms inside it—his movie snack of choice—and I grab the Sno-Caps that I can’t ever resist. They remind me of my grandma, she always had a bowl of nonpareils sitting on the kitchen counter when I came over.
“What are we watching?” I ask as I pop one in my mouth. He picked the last movie which was a terrible karate movie. Yes, I usually fall asleep in the middle no matter who picks it, but in that one I was out in thirty minutes.
He grins broadly.
Oh boy.
“I decided we needed to watch something that has more meaning.”
I eye him warily. “Meaning what?”
“This is a movie that my father loved. He always made me watch it with him, so it’s special to me.”