Chapter 12
12
Lainey was glad they chose to eat out on the deck here at the Severn Inn. It was her night to try new things, and with the heat lamps and umbrella, it made their table seem extremely intimate as they gazed over the river. Okay, they might have spent more time gazing at one another. She didn’t think she had ever laughed more. Mateo’s friends on his soccer team were a hoot.
“So how long have you been playing together?” she asked.
“They’ve been a team for seven years. I transferred from another team four years ago, and I have to tell you, I’m glad I made the change.”
“I would say so. Just the stories about Jase are enough to keep me entertained all evening. Sixteen brothers and sisters? Are you sure you’re not pulling my leg?”
They were sitting kitty-corner from one another, and as Lainey leaned in, Mateo’s leg settled against hers under the table. She liked it.
“I swear, I’m not. His mother and father are remarkable people. I’ve met them twice. Once when they came to visit them here, and once when I went to his and Bonnie’s wedding. For the wedding, every single one of the siblings showed up. Then there were all of his nieces and nephews, and Jace knew every one of them by name.”
“It sounds like you have some great friends. It almost sounds like you’ve created a family of your own.”
“You’re right, in a sense I have.”
“What about you? Tell me about your friends and family.”
“Mine is boring compared to yours. I’m the youngest. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I come from a long line of prominent Southern families. The Simpsons and Winstons. That’s a big deal down in Charleston. I’m considered the rebel because I wanted to go to college.”
“Why would that be rebellious?”
She liked how Mateo leaned in as she was talking. He was really listening.
“My job, as a female, was to marry one of the young men from Dad’s law firm and produce three children, and one would have to be a son. College was only supposed to be for my brothers.”
Mateo frowned. “That sounds like the thinking my mom was up against in Argentina forty years ago. It doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what I thought. But then again, who names their girls Bennett and MacLaine?”
Mateo grinned. It was a glamorous smile, and she saw his lips move, but she didn’t hear his question.
“What?”
“That’s your name? MacLaine?”
“MacLaine Taylor Simpson. At least these days, girls are named Taylor, so not that big of a deal. But Taylor was another family name. My sister Bennett has it worse. Her full name is Bennett Parker Simpson. I blame that name for her being the way she is.”
“How is she?”
Lainey bit her lip. She didn’t want to air all of her family’s dirty laundry. But she could give him a small little slice. After all, her mother would be haranguing her for the next two to three months to return to the fold.
“Bennett married Frederick Laughton III, and of course he goes by the name of Trey. She hosts all the charity luncheons and galas with my mom. These are the approved ones. Things like sponsoring the symphony, or getting money for the arboretum. God forbid we earn money for a homeless shelter or for kids going hungry. Anyway, Bennett is pregnant with her third child. The first two were girls, and after she found out that this baby was a boy, she told me Trey had to get a vasectomy. Which I think is a good thing, considering what a player he is.”
Lainey sighed.
So much for only telling him a slice.
“And your brothers?”
“They all became lawyers. They work with my dad. They’re all married. One of them happily.”
Lainey shook her head. “I’m really talking far too much. I blame the lemon drop martinis.”
“I hate to tell you this, but you only had one and you didn’t have any wine with dinner. I think you needed to vent.”
Mateo’s voice was gentle. It matched the look in his eyes. “Is that why you don’t live in Charleston?”
“Yeah. It’s why I want to be a banker. Lionel Security and Trust Bank does a lot of loans for small start-up businesses. They do strenuous evaluations and I would really like to learn everything I could from this side of the business on what they require.”
“Why?”
“I checked it out. I would only need fourteen more credits to earn an MBA in nonprofit leadership. If I knew what banks needed for start-up businesses from their side of the table, and I had a firm foundation of nonprofit education, then I should be able to help people.”
“So, no Charleston charity luncheons for you, huh?”
“God, no,” she laughed. “I’d have to diet. That’s a four-letter word I abhor.”
He frowned. “I can’t imagine why anyone would think you would need to go on a diet. Your body looks perfect to me.”
Lainey blushed.
“Okay,” she finally said. “That’s nice. In that case you won’t mind when I say that I want to see the dessert menu.”
“You can have dessert. I’m saving my appetite for more alfajores and milk when we get back to your home.”
“I’m glad you liked them.” Lainey looked down to where their forearms were touching and Mateo did what he’d wanted to do all night. He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
“Like is too lackluster of a word to describe how I feel about those cookies. Instead of me just liking them, how about I lust after them, I’m in love with them, and long for them?”
This time, she didn’t just laugh. She threw back her head and really laughed. As she tried to control herself, she snorted, and she turned beet red.
“Well, there you go. You’re never going to want to go out with me again. I snort when I really laugh out loud.”
“Yeah, and it’s adorable,” Mateo said, as he gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
“Hmm hm. I believe you. I’ve got your number now. You’re just after me for my treats.”
He brushed his thumb over the top of her hand. He watched how her pupils got bigger and she shivered. “I definitely want a treat from you.”
“I don’t give out the kinds of treats I think you’re talking about on the first date.”
She didn’t pull her hand away from his, which was a good sign in his book. “How about a kiss? Do you give those away on the first date?”
Lainey’s gaze dropped to his lips and Mateo felt it in his groin. God, what was he thinking? He just wanted information; he didn’t want to seduce this woman. She was the enemy.
Supposedly.
“Why don’t you take me home and find out?”
“How about we take your dessert to go?” Mateo suggested.
Lainey blushed and nodded.
Mateo grinned when Lainey didn’t move to open her car door. She had definitely been brought up in the South. It worked out well, because he liked opening doors and doing all the gentlemanly things for ladies. It was how his mother raised him and Luis. The Argentine way. The rare times that his mother would go out on a date, she would often come home disgusted with the lack of manners that American men displayed.
Mateo held out a hand for Lainey to grasp as she unfolded out of his Dodge Challenger.
“You know how you feel about the alfajores?” she asked as he brushed the small of her back and guided her toward the entrance of her building.
“Yes.”
“That’s how I feel about your car.”
He laughed. “Good. Then maybe I can talk you into another date if I promise you another ride.”
“I thought I was bribing you for another date with the chocotorta,” she corrected as she nodded to the older man who was behind the large desk in front of the elevators.
“I think this could be the start of something beautiful,” he said as he pressed the up button. “We continue to tempt one another with small treats to continue to see one another for an entire year, and then we realize that the ultimate enticement is just seeing one another.”
As he expected, Lainey blushed, but she didn’t just nod. Nope, she gave as good as she got.
“Fine, but you can only use your muscle car twice as an enticement. After that, you’ll have to come up with something else. After all, I’m going to have to up my game after the cookies and cake.”
“I’m not sure you can. But I’m going to love to see you try.” He ushered her into the empty elevator and then held out the hand that wasn’t holding her dessert box. She immediately took it and they held hands all the way up the elevator, down the hall, and to her door.
“Why don’t you have an alarm system?” he asked as he came in and helped her out of her coat.
“Why would I? There hasn’t been any kind of break-in here in this building in years. The only thing we’ve had is the occasional domestic dispute.”
Mateo put her lemon tart down on the kitchen island while Lainey got out plates, forks, and glasses of milk. She opened up her tart and the cookies container.
“I meant to ask you. Why do you take your glasses off when we eat?”
“I’m near-sighted. When I want to see you or my food clearly, I have to take off my glasses, but if we’re walking through the restaurant, I need to put them back on.”
He nodded.
“Why? Do they bother you?” she asked.
“I think you’re just as beautiful when you’re wearing them, or when you’re not.”
“You sure are full of compliments.” She looked down at her tart.
“Lainey. I don’t say things I don’t mean. If I didn’t find you beautiful, then I wouldn’t say it.”
She frowned, then bit her lip. “Okay. Thank you.”
She passed over a plate of cookies and the glass of milk, then came over to sit beside him. “Would you prefer to eat at the dining room table?”
He’d noted that she had paperwork and her computer set up on one end of the table, so he figured she normally ate here at the island. “I like it here.”
She blew her bangs out of her face, then smiled. “Good. So do I.”
Then she bit into a piece of her tart and hummed. “Dang, this is good.”
Would she hum with pleasure when he kissed her?
He stopped his wayward thoughts and tried to think of something else. “Dang?”
She grinned. “I have nieces and nephews. I try to keep my language to a ‘G’ rating. If I don’t do it all the time, then it will spill over when I’m with them.”
“Makes sense.”
“What about you? I haven’t heard you swear. Are you around kids much?”
Mateo thought back to the birthday horror show. “Sometimes,” he mumbled. He hated thinking about that day. Those bastards had targeted kids. Amber and Lachlan could have died that day.
He remembered the first time that Nolan had introduced him to Iris, who had just turned two years old. She was all fussy and determined to get put down so she could crawl.
Then there was Laura, who had been huddled next to the toilet bowl, seconds away from being killed.
All of these moments flashed before his eyes as he stared at Lainey.
Lainey who had deposited a quarter of a million dollars of gold bars lying around to sell and deposit into her bank account. Lainey who’d done the cryptocurrency bank transfer.
“Are you okay?” Her voice was soft and concerned.
Mateo realized he had zoned out for just a moment. “I’m fine,” he clipped out. “Look, I have to go. I have a lot of work I have to get done tomorrow. I have a presentation I need to do for the team first thing on Monday morning. It’s important.”
“Oh.” She set her fork down on the plate of her half-eaten tart. “Well, I had a lovely time.”
“So did I, Lainey.” He forced a smile.
Mateo stood up and Lainey turned her stool so her knees brushed his thighs, causing a current of electricity to race through his body.
Nope, time to shut this shit down.
He headed for the door.
“Wait a minute.” Lainey rushed after him. He looked over his shoulder and saw she was holding the container of cookies. “Don’t you want these?”
“Oh yeah,” he muttered. This way, he’d have a reason to see her again. He’d need to return the container. No dates. No kisses. Just returning the container and getting his questions answered.
“Thanks again, Lainey.” He took the container from her and turned to the door. She touched his bicep.
“Matt. Did I do something wrong?” Her voice was soft and confused.
He was glad she couldn’t see him wince. He turned around. Her eyes were wide, and she looked hurt. God, if she wasn’t with the Kraken, he’d done something he’d never done before. He’d hurt the feelings of a good woman by being an asshole.
“Lainey, I’m sorry. I really am. When it comes to my job, I have myopic focus on certain tasks, and I can be a bit of an asshole to others.”
“Oh.” Yeah, she sure was agreeing about that.
He reached out and stroked the back of his knuckles against the soft skin of her cheek and she took a step back.
Shit, that wasn’t good.
“I’d really like to take you out again next week. I promise I don’t have any other tasks coming up, and I can focus entirely on you.”
“Okay, sure.”
He knew what that meant. There wasn’t a chance in hell she would pick up his call. Hell, she’d probably block his number.
“I really am sorry.”
She nodded.
Mateo was too conflicted to kiss her, so he pushed back a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll call you on Wednesday. That will give me time to have received feedback and change the presentation.”
She nodded again.
He hated the vulnerable look in her eyes, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not now. Not after thinking about Amber and Lachlan and that gold deposit. He took one last look at her, but he couldn’t shake it. He just had to go.
“Don’t forget to lock the door after I leave.” He kept his voice soft.
“I won’t,” she replied just as softly. Then she straightened her shoulders and there was a glint in her eye. “Goodbye, Matt.”
He could almost hear her saying; don’t let the door hit you on your ass on the way out.
Man, he needed a beer.