Chapter 16
16
“ I ’m going to order the osso buco. Get whatever you want.” I admire Sarah as she reads and re-reads the menu. As much as I love her legs, this top is too damn sexy. Her chest is right on the edge of a wardrobe malfunction. It’s taking so much willpower to keep my eyes off her perfect, definitely more-than-a-handful-sized tits.
“There are too many options,” Sarah says, stress in her tone.
“Have you ever had their homemade pasta? It’s great.”
She shields her lips with her hand, whispering, “I’ve actually never been here before.”
“You haven’t supported a fellow Main Street business?” I tease and am honestly surprised this is her first time being here.
“I know … I’m on a pretty tight budget with the studio and the building’s mortgage right now. Fine dining isn’t exactly something I’m allocating for at the moment.”
I grab my glass, raising it up for a toast. “To splurging on special occasions and supporting our Main Street businesses. And to financial responsibility—because it's incredibly sexy.”
She giggles, and I mean it. She is so dynamic and independent, and that is very sexy.
“For your paintings, what’s your style?” I ask, trying to keep the conversation light, but also wanting to know more about her.
“I’m a mood painter,” she admits with a slight smile. “Probably why I've had a hard time establishing a brand. I just want to paint what I feel like, when I feel like it, in whatever style matches my mood.”
Before I can respond, Anna arrives at the table. “A little gift from our kitchen,” she says, sliding us a dish of arancini. “Do you both know what you’d like to order?”
I look at Sarah, and she nods, saying, “I’ll have the homemade pasta with mussels.”
“Great choice. And you, Aaron?”
“Osso buco.”
“You’ll love that,” she purrs, staring deep into my eyes. “Since when did you two start dating?”
Sarah chuckles, and I know that whatever I say is going to be used in a game of telephone throughout the town. “It’s new.” I smile at Sarah, grabbing her hand again.
“Just in time for Valentine’s Day. How cute,” Anna says in a tone that could be taken as sarcastic before walking away.
“It’s new,” Sarah repeats, her face beaming.
I wish I could have told Anna that she’s my girlfriend. Now there’s something I haven’t thought or wished for in a long time. But I want it. I want Sarah to be my girlfriend.
“So, what are you up to this weekend?” I change the subject, not ready to admit how easy the connection is with Sarah and how comfortable I feel with her already.
“I’m teaching a kids’ watercolor class on Saturday in the late afternoon and a needlepoint class on Sunday morning. Otherwise, I’ll be fiddling around in the studio hoping some people come in to buy some kits or want to craft. What about you?”
“I’m working on figuring out how I’m going to see you again.”
“Swoon,” she teases. “I could always stop by the bar on Saturday and make your fan club jealous.”
“Fan club?” I groan at the insinuation.
“Wait!” she says, too excited. “Are you wearing your wings on Friday? I might have to come by if you are.”
“I think the wings were a one-night-only special.” I take a sip of my wine, considering if I should just say it—tell her I’m her secret admirer. But I like the growing idea of coming up with one more special surprise as part of the reveal.
“You should really wear them on Friday. It’s Valentine’s Day!”
“We’ll have to see. How about you plan on not making plans on Friday evening, and we can go from there?”
“Sounds like not a plan.” She winks. “So, what were you up to today, before dinner?”
“Woodworking.”
She giggles mid sip, and I shake my head with a smile. “Get your head out of the gutter. I’m building a new banister for the house.”
“I’d love to see your place.”
“Yeah?” She wants to see my place? Should I read into it? I want to read into it.
“For the woodworking. I’d like to see your attention to detail,” Sarah flirts.
Shaking my head again, with a smirk glued on my face, I refill her glass. “I’m only biting my tongue because we’re in public,” I say and take a moment to check her out again.
This date is going incredibly well, and I can’t help but think about what comes next. It’s only our second date, and I have a rule about not taking anyone back this soon. But being with Sarah feels different. The chemistry between us is undeniable, and I’m more than tempted to show her my place.
“What about you?” I refocus on the present, staring at Sarah. “What were you up to today?”
“I spent too much time putting this outfit together.”
“Sarah Anderson, nervous. That’s a cute mental image.”
She furrows her brows, disagreeing with me. “So, when did you get this tall?” she asks. “I don’t remember you being this tall in high school.”
“When I was twenty.” I pause, taking a sip of my wine. “I know it’s weird. But that’s when I stopped growing.”
She chuckles a little.
“You’re fucking naughty,” I whisper, and she blushes a little.
“When did you get buff?” she asks, eyeing me.
“Over the last few years. I really enjoy calisthenics with a little weightlifting.”
“Just a little weightlifting?” she asks flirtatiously.
“Enough that I can throw you around sometime.”
“You think that’s what I want?” she asks in a high-pitched, maybe nervous, tone.
I take the opportunity to slowly rake my eyes down her, savoring everything about this flirtation and the way she looks. “I know that’s what you want.”