Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
EDEN
My shopping excursion with Nona and Gypsy ended up being a lot more fun than I’d expected. Turned out being with the girls was a blast no matter what we were doing.
Gypsy opened up a bit more, telling us about her five siblings and how crazy and sweet each one was.
Seeing the pride shining in her eyes as she talked about her oldest brother’s academic achievements, or her middle sister scoring the winning goal for her soccer team made me respect her even more than I already did.
It was written all over her face how much those kids meant to her.
They might as well have been her very own, and as far as she was concerned, they were.
The fact that she’d given up her life without so much as a blink to make sure they were all happy and healthy and together made her one of the best people I knew, and Nona and I didn’t hesitate to tell her exactly that.
Harley Madison didn’t know a damn thing if she thought Gypsy was anything other than a saint.
But now that I was back home, getting ready for my impending date with Lincoln, I was doubting the little black dress I’d let Gypsy and Nona talk me into earlier that day.
It looked a lot shorter than it had in the store as I turned to get a peek at the back in my bedroom mirror, but a glance at the clock on my bedside table showed it was too late to do anything about it.
Other than it being short, there wasn’t much else about the dress I didn’t like.
The soft jersey cotton hugged my body, but seeing as the fabric was dark, it hid the pooch of my belly.
The neckline was cut in a wide V in the front and back, exposing a hint of cleavage and my collarbones, but still made it possible to wear a bra, which was good seeing as my girls were big enough to require serious support.
The long sleeves would help ward off the chill of the fall night, but my legs were exposed from ankle all the way to midthigh.
I paired the dress with strappy stiletto sandals in a shimmery gunmetal gray that Nona swore up and down I just had to have.
I finished the whole thing off with a long, thin chain around my neck with a silver leaf dangling from the end, a thick shimmery studded silver cuff on my right wrist over the sleeve of my dress, and dangly earrings with the same stamped leaves as my necklace hanging halfway to my shoulder.
I blew my hair out so it was sleek and full of volume, then did my eyes up a little darker than normal with winged black eyeliner and heavier mascara.
Feeling completely out of my comfort zone with the dress, the big hair, and the darker makeup, I started to doubt I could pull this look off. Snapping a quick picture of myself in the mirror, I texted it to Nona and Gypsy for their input, having to wait only seconds before getting a response back.
Gypsy: Hot damn, babe! With those legs, that hair, and those boobs, you could TOTALLY strip!
Nona’s reply came as I was giggling at Gypsy’s.
Nona: Doll, you rock the HELL outta that dress!!!!!!
That was all the reassurance I needed, and the anxiety that had started twisting my stomach into knots loosened its hold.
Lincoln knocked on my front door a minute later, and I hustled out of my room and down the hall, throwing the door open without looking as I said, “Hey, gimme a sec. I just have to switch out purses and I’ll be ready.”
Moving to the antique sideboard I had set up a few feet from the front door, I began the task of moving my lip gloss and other various items from my big, slouchy handbag to the black clutch with shiny beading in the same color as my shoes that I’d picked up at the mall that day to match the outfit.
“Sorry for the delay,” I said as I focused on my task.
“I’d have been ready on time if it wasn’t for Nona and Gypsy.
Those two in a mall are a serious force to reckoned with.
If they had their way, we’d still be—” I turned and took a step toward the door, the words lodging in my throat at the primal, heated look in Lincoln’s green eyes.
His gaze had been pointed in the area of my ass when I first spun on my heels, but now that we were facing each other, they slowly dragged down, over my legs to the killer heels on my feet before starting their journey back up.
My skin pricked like his eyes were physically touching me, stroking up my thighs, along the curves of my hips, finally coming to a stop on my breasts.
My voice came out low and breathy when I spoke his name. “Lincoln?”
“Jesus. Fuck me,” he said in a hard, husky tone. “That fuckin’ dress….”
My hands trembled as I lifted them and placed them on my belly, trying to contain the millions of butterflies that had just taken flight. “Is it too much? The girls said The Groves was fancy, so I thought—”
“It’s not too much,” he grunted, stepping farther into the house and closing the front door behind him. “Jesus Christ, you look un-fucking-believable, baby.”
A goofy smile stretched across my face, and I was helpless to stop it. “Really?”
He came closer, one slow step at a time, like a lion teasing a gazelle before finally pouncing.
“Oh yeah,” he growled, reaching out and hooking me behind the neck before yanking me into him and slamming his lips down on mine in a claiming kiss, devouring me like I was the main course he’d been waiting for, not the expensive dinner we were supposed to have in just a little while.
His tongue dove inside, thrusting against mine as his hands roamed my body, skating down my ribs before wrapping around and palming my ass greedily.
A needy whimper crawled up my throat and into his mouth as I pressed even closer, clutching at his back, fisting the fabric of the dove gray button-down he was wearing tucked into a pair of black dress slacks and black cowboy boots.
I hadn’t gotten a long leisurely look at him while he was standing in my doorway, but I saw enough to know he looked fucking incredible dressed up.
All too soon, Lincoln broke the kiss, but I could see on his face how damn hard it was for him to do it. I felt his pain.
“We don’t leave now, baby, we’ll miss our reservation.”
“I’m okay with that,” I panted, having lost all breath thanks to this amazing man.
He chuckled, looking down into my eyes while his arms held me close. “Believe me, Edie, nothin’ more I’d rather do than keep you here. But a woman like you in a dress like that? Be a cryin’ shame not to show you off, darlin’.”
Damn, but that was a really good answer. “Well then I guess we better get to it, huh? And all that shopping today really took it out of me. I’m dying for a steak.”
His smile was absolutely brilliant. Each full-blown smile I got from him felt like the most precious gift. And when his arms clenched tighter, I knew there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than wrapped in them. “Then I better get my girl fed, huh?”
Yes. Yes he should. And he should always call me his girl.
When Lincoln finally pulled his truck into the parking lot of the restaurant, the sight of it nearly took my breath away.
It was built to look like a rustic wood cabin with huge diamond-paned windows tucked into the base of the mountain and surrounded by towering trees.
With tall, beautiful gas streetlamps lighting the walkway on both sides to the entrance, it created a cozy glow all around the property, there was only one way to describe The Groves.
It was out of this world.
“Oh wow,” I whispered, leaning forward to stare out the windshield. “This place is incredible.”
“Just wait ’til you get inside. The view of the mountain and trees is something else.”
“I think I just discovered what I want my forever dream home to look like.”
“A big-ass cabin at the base of a mountain?”
Sitting straight, I turned to Lincoln and smiled. “Don’t forget the diamond-paned windows.”
“Of course,” he said with a teasing smirk pulling at that dimple. “Can’t forget the diamond-paned windows.”
He pulled up to the valet stand near the entrance of the restaurant and quickly hopped out. After the last time, I made sure to remain in my seat and waited as he rounded the hood.
I tugged my wrap tighter around me to ward off the chill just as Lincoln opened my door. Instead of offering me his hand, he wrapped his large fingers around my waist and lifted me down like I weighed next to nothing.
“Thanks,” I said, still grinning like a giddy teenager.
With my stilettos firmly planted on the ground, Lincoln slung his arm across my shoulders and held me firmly against his side as he led me into the fancy restaurant.
He hadn’t been lying. The inside was just as spectacular as the outside.
The expansive dining area was lit by beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The ambiance screamed class and romance.
The place was packed, proving that it was extremely popular, and the delicious smells coming from the kitchen made my stomach rumble.
“Table for two under Sheppard,” Lincoln said to the hostess.
She led us through the other tables to a booth near the back, and as I took my seat, I stared out the windows at the breathtaking view of the evergreens strung with white twinkle lights.
“So, what do you think?” Lincoln asked, pulling my attention back to the table.
“I think I want to move in here and never leave.” At my response, he let out a delightfully warm chuckle. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so beautiful before.”
I’d gone on a few dates in my life, but only a few, and all the guys turned out to be losers who never would have considered shelling out the kind of money to take me to a place like this. It just went to show that Lincoln was even more incredible than I could have ever imagined.
Resting his elbows on the table, he looked me in the eyes as he said, “I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
“For what?”
“For sayin’ yes when I asked you out. Trust me, Edie. I’m the lucky one tonight.”
Oh man. This guy just kept getting better and better.