Chapter 26 #2
I lean back in my chair and quirk a brow.
“Is that supposed to be a came in my pants joke?” She sucks in a breath and her teeth dig into her lip.
That look has me ready to skip the date entirely.
“And if you want flowers or to be picked up at your door, I’ll do that next time.
I just didn’t think that was your vibe.”
She huffs a laugh and tilts her head. “Awfully presumptuous of you to think there will be a next time.”
I shrug and look up at her. “I have a good feeling about this.”
It’s the forced smile she gives me that has me doubting my own confidence. “Are you alright? If this is too much, too fast, or you want to do something else, we can—”
She shakes her head rapidly. “No. It’s nothing like that. Just a long day and a little on edge. We’re good.”
Her lips curl up into a smile that looks genuine, easing my anxiety.
“You sure?”
She nods and her smile grows wider. “Positive."
Her eyes drift to the edge of the balcony.
She steps toward the edge and leans on the wooden railing.
The balcony is framed into the side of the house, so it has a bit of privacy, even if you can still hear the early dinner crowd on the patio below.
Being recessed into the house, it’s protected from the elements and is one of my favorite spots to sit and relax, even in the spring rain or winter snow.
I watch as she takes in the view of the surrounding mountains through the treetops around us.
The gentle summer breeze flutters her hair and she looks like a dream.
“So what are we doing tonight? You were very secretive about this date.”
I get up from my chair and stand at her side. I give into my temptations and run my fingertips up the delicate skin of her exposed back, tracing the tattoo just under her hair.
“I’m giving you a chance to get to know me.” To my pleasant surprise, she leans into my touch.
She lets out an amused hum and angles herself just enough to face me. “And how are you planning on doing that?”
I shrug. “Hang out and talk before we get dinner. Maybe some chocolates and a bottle of wine.”
Her eyes light up and I continue to trace lazy circles on her back. She peeks over her shoulder to where my fingers graze her skin. I’m already obsessed with this dress and the way it bares her to me.
“Do you always try to seduce your date before the actual date?”
I shake my head. “I’d have to go on dates for that to be a possibility and I thought I was clear the other night that I haven’t been.”
I could lie to myself and say it’s all because of the crazy service industry hours I keep, and the back and forth travel, but it’d be pointless. Even if I had the time to try and go on a date with someone else, I wasn’t ever going to stop thinking about her.
She swallows. “Oh. Yeah. That’s right.”
“Speaking of seduction, you look fucking amazing.” My palm flattens over her back, but she turns to face me.
That movement brings my hand to her ribs and dangerously close to the side of her breast. My eyes drift down her neck, to the low cut of her dress.
The gentle breeze wafts a hint of her coffee and honey scent, and I swear my cock has never been harder, which is saying a lot because she’s made me come in my pants before.
“You don’t look bad yourself.”
My lips curl into a smirk. “Would you dare say… pretty?”
“Dork.” She glares at me playfully, but her lips betray her and pull up into a soft smile.
I take that as my opening and lean in to kiss her. She tilts her head back for me and her lips part when a contented hum escapes them, breaking the short kiss. “So this is what you call hanging out? Aren’t we supposed to do this after the date?”
“That’s what they want you to think.”
She gives me a confused look. “They?”
I nod, running my fingers over her side.
The fabric is a thin linen that feels so soft under my fingers, but it’s the skin underneath I wish I were touching.
Standing this close, I can feel the always simmering tension between us reaching a boiling point.
I bring my other hand to her neck, rubbing the pad of my thumb over the soft skin of her cheek.
“Yes. They—the RRR. The romance, roses, and restaurant industrial complex.”
Her brow arches and she tilts her head. “The what now?”
“It’s a closely guarded secret, but a bottle of wine, some chocolates, and sex before dinner really takes the edge off and makes for an infinitely better date. Stuffing your face over a big dinner might be good for my business, but being too full to have any fun is not my ideal date.”
Her finger traces over my collarbone and the neckline of my shirt making my mouth go dry. I want her to be touching me much further south, but I’m also having too much fun talking with her.
She lets out a contemplative hum and her eyes track her fingers that are still dancing over my neck. “Interesting theory. Why am I just now hearing about this?”
Her eyes meet mine and she smirks, which scrunches her nose and it’s impossibly adorable.
I’m this close to getting completely lost in her eyes again.
The way they bore into me makes me forget every other bit of drama I’ve dealt with this afternoon.
I could stay on this balcony with her, breathing in the crisp mountain air, and be perfectly content.
“What aren’t you getting? The whole roses and restaurant industrial complex would collapse if people knew this. I’ll probably be kicked out just for telling you the trade secret.”
She giggles and slaps my chest. “You’re seriously a dork. You know that, right?”
My shoulder rises and falls in a one sided shrug. “Maybe I’m just comfortable around you.”
She nods and hums to herself. “Me too.”
She stands up on her toes and gives me a quick kiss before grinning at me mischievously. “Now, why don’t you tell me more about this fun before the date theory?”