Chapter Six
Iknew the moment Julia agreed to meet me tonight that she would walk in wearing that pencil skirt and blouse. It looked great on her but didn’t do her body justice – nothing like the green silk that’s covering her body now. She’s walking ahead of me now, following the hostess as she leads us toward a table located in the back, and the only thing I can focus on is the dramatic way Julia’s hips sway from side to side.
“Could I start the two of you off with drinks?”
Julia goes to open her mouth, but I clear my throat and smile. “Just two cokes or Pepsi, whichever one you guys have. Thank you.”
“Sure thing, enjoy yourselves tonight.”
Julia sinks into one of the empty chairs and I move behind it so I can push her in, then walk around to the chair in front of her. She clears her throat. “You make a habit of ordering a girl her drink?”
“Not particularly, but I wanted to forgo the wine for tonight.”
She hums in response and leans forward in the seat. “So, how does this work?”
I chuckle. “Well, first things first, you don’t ask that.”
“Give me something, at least.”
The hostess comes by our table with the drinks and places them in front of us, flashing a megawatt smile our way, and says, “The waiter will be with you two in a moment.”
When I look back at Julia, she’s got her shoulders lifted high and her back straighter than an arrow, and I sigh. “Loosen up, Buttercup. Am I that terrible to be out on a date with?” I’m trying to make light of the situation,
Julia smiles and shakes her head. “Not at all. I get nervous.”
“And why’s that?”
She blows out a rough breath. “That’s a long story and not one for a first date.”
I shrug. “Does it count as a first date if we’ve known each other for years?”
“I’m not sure you really want to know about my past,” she says softly.
“Now I really need to know.” I lean forward and arch a brow. “Bad ex?”
Her eyes dart away from my face, a tell of hers letting me know that I’ve got it right on the head, and she shakes her head. “It’s really not something we should be talking about right now.” The way she fidgets nervously in her seat makes me more interested in knowing what happened.
“Julia, you can talk to me. I won’t judge you.”
“It’s not about you judging me,” she says quietly, rubbing a hand over her arm. “The entire situation is pathetic.”
“What situation?”
The idea that she’s uncomfortable with the conversation, that someone made her feel this way, has the edges of my vision turning red, and I want to know what happened to her.
She sighs loudly and slumps forward. “I got embarrassed in college, okay?” She whispers. “My ex treated me like a Queen, until it no longer benefited him. As soon as his grades went up, he ditched me for the girl he really cared about, and I was nothing to him.” Julia shakes her head and frowns. “It really screwed me up, you know?”
I nod in understanding because I’ve been used in a similar thing. Women only ever want to be with me for the fame and fortune that comes with being on my arm, which is why commitment isn’t on my radar. I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone, than get hurt by someone who doesn’t have pure intentions in being with me.
Julia watches me curiously as I lean forward and place my hand over hers, and then I give her a small smile. “He missed out on a great girl.” Her cheeks heat at my words and I give her hand a reassuring squeeze, then pull away when our waiter clears his throat beside us.
“Do you guys need a few more moments to look over the menu?”
“Uh,” Julia says, her eyes skimming over the menu in front of her that neither of us ever bothered to look at. She smiles at the waiter. “Could I please do an eight ounce sirloin, medium rare, with a side of mashed potatoes and fries?”
The waiter nods and jots it down, then looks over to me expectantly. “I’ll have the, uh,” I say, then point at the first thing I see on the page and look at what it is. “Chicken Alfredo, extra sauce, please?”
“Of course, we’ll get that started for you right away. Is there anything you need in the meantime, a refill perhaps?”
I shake my head, then look over at Julia to see that she’s doing the same, and our waiter gives us a curt nod before hurrying through the dining room with our order.
“Favorite ice cream,” I blurt out with a smile. “May as well get to know each other while we wait for our food.”
Julia scoffs. “No way, you’ll laugh at it.”
“Hm, maybe I can guess.”
“Good luck with that,” she says with a smile.
The brightness of it catches me off guard, removing all logical thoughts from my mind. I say, “You’ve got a beautiful smile, Julia.” As soon as the words slip from my mouth, I clamp them shut and mentally slap myself on the back of the head.
What the hell am I thinking?
Julia’s cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink, and she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Uh, thanks, Brent.” She fidgets in her seat, a sign of her nerves, and glances around the restaurant as if she’s going to find something more entertaining to focus on. I watch her gaze come back to me, though, and we stare into each other’s eyes, an emotion mirroring the other’s that has my heart softening.
This is not the time.
I need to remind myself that this is a fake date, no matter the slight feeling that it’s not, and I will not be messing it up by making a move on her.
What would she do if I kissed her goodnight before dropping her off in front of her suite? Does that go against the whole fake dating, flirting lessons, and situation we have going on? She’s got the lip gloss on that makes her lips look fuller and soft; all I want to do is brush my own across them to see if they feel the same way.
I could tell her it’s practice for when she needs to do this on a real date.
At least there’s one bright side to this night – Julia hasn’t been as tense since we started talking, which means she’s getting comfortable. That’s exactly what I wanted for her. I was more than willing to help her get the experience she’s craving, but after hearing what her ex did it makes this that much more important. She deserves to feel better about herself rather than someone who’s only good for what she offers.
I’m going to kiss her tonight.
Julia leans back in her chair with a groan, her hand coming over her belly to rub small circles, and she chuckles softly. “God, there’s nothing like good resort food. I feel like I’ll barely be able to walk.”
I smile. “You enjoyed yourself, then?”
She nods slowly. “Honestly? Yeah, I did. Thank you, Brent.”
“Ready to head out?” I’m already dipping my hand into the back pocket of my jeans when Julia pulls out a few bills from hers. I frown at the cash now lying on the table. “Uh, what is that?”
“Money?”
I roll my eyes. “Obviously, Buttercup, but why is it sitting there?”
“Because I need to pay for my food,” she says slowly, no doubt wondering if I’m going insane.
“Julia. Put the money back in your wallet.” When she doesn’t make a move to do as I say, I lean forward and push it toward her with narrowed eyes. “I’m not such a dick that I’d make you pay for your meal during a date that I asked you on. This is on me, so put it back.” She taps her fingers over the cash slowly, then reluctantly pulls it from the table and shoves it into her wallet. “The guy always pays for the food. If he doesn’t, there should never be a second date.”
She nods, taking in my words, and clears her throat. “Got it.”
After I’ve got the cash put into the black book with our receipt, I walk over to Julia’s chair and help her out of it with a smile. There’s a few eyes on us, some widening as they recognize who I am, but otherwise we manage to walk through the exit without distraction. A slight breeze from the ocean swirls around us, and I watch Julia shiver from it, so I do the only thing I can think of. She stiffens slightly when I pull her against me, my hand resting above her hip, but quickly relaxes into my hold.
Should it feel this natural?
“Is Mallory worried about you?”
Julia snorts. “Unlikely. She’s got her own thing going on.”
I groan loudly at the meaning of her words and shake my head. “Yeah, I’d rather not talk about my sister’s romantic life right now.”
“I figured that would be the case.”
We walk in silence for a few minutes along the sidewalk and a tingle shoots up my arm as Julia’s fingers brush over mine, an unintentional movement with us walking so close together. I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to thread our fingers together in a way that would make this more real, but I immediately shake the thought from my head.
What is going on with me?
Since the restaurant is located on the resort, it doesn’t take us long to step through the lobby and head toward the elevators. There’s a few people waiting outside of them, each stumbling from the alcohol they’ve consumed, and I hang back a few feet with Julia tucked under my arm. As soon as we step into the elevator, something about her shifts, a tension filling the air that I can’t bring myself to ignore, and I watch her swallow thickly as she watches the floor numbers increase.
She steps out as soon as the doors open onto hers, not even bothering to look back over her shoulder at me, and I shake my head with a small smile before hurrying after her. “Julia,” I say. “Wait up.”
Her steps falter and she comes to a stop, barely turning toward me with her eyes cast to the ground. “Yeah?”
I come to a stop in front of her, cup a hand against her cheek, and nudge her face until she looks into my eyes. “You forgot something that would be great practice for you,” I whisper. She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion and I lean forward, then brush my lips against hers softly. It’s barely anything, but it’s enough to have my body lighting up in flames. “Goodnight, Buttercup. Thank you for joining me tonight.”
And it’s as I walk away, with the need to turn around and watch her disappear, that I realize how screwed I might be after all.