Chapter 3
Silas
I texted him to set up the date the same night. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could get on with my happily single life.
I watched from the window as the driver’s door opened and a country boy in jeans and a denim jacket hopped out. Bryson’s mess of curls would make any bride jealous, and his thick stubble instantly made my inner thighs tingle with a rush of desire.
“Fuck me,” I muttered. “They sure know how to pick them.”
Bryson sauntered up the walk, looking comfortable in his skin. He hit the doorbell, but his gaze flicked to the window. Busted.
I smoothed my fitted paisley button-down, checked my hair in the hall mirror, and opened the door with a smile. “Hey, Bryson. Nice to meet you.”
Bryson swept his gaze over me, head to foot, and I had the sudden nervous thought that I might not impress him. Weird. I never had trouble interesting guys. Usually, one flicker of my bedroom eyes did the trick. My thick dark hair, expensive clothes, and trim figure didn’t hurt either.
Bryson smiled, warm and a tad suggestively. “This matchmaking service is off to a good start.”
I laughed because it really was. I’d fought the mamas for months, but if I’d known they could deliver a Bryson to my doorstep, maybe I’d have yielded before now.
Not that this would be anything but one fun night, but still, it could be really fun.
“Do you want to come in?” I asked.
He looked tempted, gaze flicking past my shoulder to the interior of my living room. He swiped his tongue over his bottom lip, making my body warm further.
“Better not,” he said with a regretful smile. “I’ve got plans all set up to romance you.”
“I’m not really the romancing type.”
“No?” He looked surprised. “You look like the type.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” I said tartly. “For example, you don’t look like the type to turn down a sure thing.” I stepped out on the porch and closed the door behind me. “Guess we were both wrong.”
He laughed. “You’ve got some fire in you. I like that.”
“Mm.” I brushed past him to take the steps down to the sidewalk. “You could have seen a lot more of that fire, but suit yourself.”
He caught up to me in one easy stride of his long-ass legs. “Easy, darlin’. The night is young. Plenty of time for fire after the romancin’.” He winked, and I wanted to be annoyed, but he was too freaking charming.
He jogged ahead to open the pickup door for me.
“Chivalrous,” I murmured as I stepped up into the cab.
He took my hand and raised it to his lips, bestowing a soft kiss to my knuckles. “Just trying to treat you right.”
It should have been corny. It was corny. But try telling that to my fluttering heart.
Shit shit shit.
I might be in trouble.
Bryson got into the driver’s seat and backed out of the driveway. He headed downtown, so I braced myself for a night at The Stag Pub. The Dinner Bell was too serious for a first date, and Taco Loco wasn’t in our path.
Sure enough, Bryson pulled into an angled parking spot a few feet from the pub a minute later. I laughed to myself. Okay. I wasn’t in any trouble if this was his idea of romancing me.
“Wait here,” he said. “Just gotta run inside for a minute.”
I paused as I reached for the door handle. “What now?”
“Just grabbing some takeout.” He winked. “Did you think I’d really take you to the local pub for a date?”
“Uh…”
He smirked and patted my thigh, which did weird things to my insides. “I can see I’ve got my work cut out for me. Be back in a sec.”
He slid out of the pickup and strolled inside. Well. He was full of surprises, wasn’t he?
Bryson returned with three bags stuffed with food and placed them in the back of the extended cab behind us. “Don’t worry. Maude hooked me up with all your favorites.”
“Oh,” I said faintly. “Okay. So…what is the plan then?”
He brushed his thumb along my jawline, making my lips crave a kiss. “I want to surprise you.”
“You already have.”
He smiled and withdrew, leaving me tingling for more. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
This was like no date I’d ever been on. Bryson drove out of downtown, through the northeast neighborhood, and then got on the highway. I watched the miles flash by, wondering if I should be worried about where this stranger was taking me.
I’d only known Bryson for half an hour, at most, but I was pretty sure I could trust him.
He’d already told me half his life story. He grew up in the South, and he’d only recently moved to Granville to open a sporting goods store with his brother. He’d been too busy to get out much, which is why I hadn’t seen him around town.
“Where the heck are we going?” I finally asked as he turned onto a dirt road.
“Just a special place I think you’ll enjoy.”
“And how do you already have a special place when you’re so new to town?”
He grinned. “I’m just lucky that way, I guess.”
He pulled to the side of the road and killed the engine. There were fields and trees as far as I could see.
I turned toward him. “You’re not going to leave my body here, right? Because I gotta warn you, I might be smaller than you, but I’m scrappy. I’ll fight you off and then the police will get involved. It won’t be pretty.”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of trying to take you on.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not kidding.”
“I know, darlin’. I’m wise enough to pick the battles I can win.”
Well, he was smarter than most men. I’d give him that. He opened his door. “There’s a pond a short walk from here. Gorgeous view. I’ve got it all set up.”
He retrieved the food while I hopped out of the truck. I wasn’t dressed for hiking through fields, but the ground was relatively dry and firm. It was an easy walk along a well-traveled path.
I was quietly trying to decide if I liked the idea of a picnic among the tallgrass or not when a clearing came into view. I sucked in a breath, stunned.
“Gorgeous, huh? Just wait until the sun starts to set.”
A sparkling pond sat before us, sunshine reflecting off its gentle ripples, and a lush weeping willow stood off to one side. It was pretty enough to be a landscape painting.
A small, wrought-iron table for two was set up with china and silverware.
“How…” I glanced around. “Do you live out here?”
“No. I wish.” He chuckled. “Met a nice fella who was interested in our store. He brought me out to go fishing, and I couldn’t get over how peaceful it was out here.”
“It’s pretty amazing.”
As a guy who planned weddings in plenty of rural locations, I was impressed. This was a well-kept secret. I sure had never been out this way.
Bryson carried the food to the table and set it down, then pulled out a chair. “Please, sit.”
This was surreal. I’d never met someone who made this kind of effort, especially on a first date. I couldn’t decide if it was sweet or scary.
Maybe both.
I sat down, and Bryson put his hands on my shoulders, thumbs brushing up along each side of my neck. “I hope it’s not too much,” he murmured. “I just believe in starting how I mean to go on.”
“And how—” A shiver racked me, and my voice cracked. I cleared my throat. “How do you mean to go on?”
Bryson stepped aside and began unpacking the food. He set a large cobb salad and container of blue cheese dressing in front of me. “I just believe in showing people you appreciate them. If this goes beyond one date, I want you to know that I’ll treasure you.”
I bit my bottom lip, glancing at the handsome man, the scenic view, and the romantic table setup. Never had my jaded heart been so conflicted.
“I know,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m coming on too strong.”
“It’s…sweet,” I said carefully.
“But too much for you?”
He didn’t seem offended, more curious.
I chose my words carefully. After all this effort, Bryson deserved that much.
“I don’t date much. I should be honest with you. I agreed to this match because the mamas wouldn’t leave me alone. It was the best way to get them to back off.”
“Ouch.” He laughed and mimed stabbing a dagger into his heart.
“It’s not about you at all,” I said quickly, not wanting to ruin this beautiful night. “All this is lovely. You seem like a really great guy.”
He smiled easily as he dug into the steak dinner he’d plated for himself. “I am a great guy. A real catch, Silas. You’d be crazy to toss this fish back.”
I laughed. “The fishing metaphor really sells it.”
“I figured that’d resonate with you. You look like a man who loves to get his hands dirty.” He winked playfully.
“Oh, I do,” I purred. “Just depends on the kind of dirt.”
Bryson swallowed hard, looking thrown for the first time. Good. He’d unbalanced me enough for one night. It was about time the tables turned.
He cleared his throat. “So, uh, what do you do, Silas? Tell me about yourself.”
“Besides get dirty with men?” I joked.
He shifted, as if maybe things were getting cramped down below. “Yeah,” he rasped. “Besides that.”
I smiled sharply. “I plan weddings.”
That startled a laugh out of him. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“But you said you weren’t the romantic type.”
“Not for me.” I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I can’t help others get their perfect day.”
“I guess not,” he mused. “If we’d met sooner, I would have told my brother and his fiancée to hire you. They’re getting married in a few weeks.”
“Good for them,” I said, “but I’d rather talk about us.”
He smiled. “I can get on board with that.”
I got lost in his blue eyes for a minute. My heart skipped a beat. What was this guy doing to me? I didn’t respond this way to men. Not anymore. Not since—
I didn’t want to think about Michael.
I pushed back my chair abruptly, needing space.
Bryson turned his head just then, not seeming to notice. “Oh, look at that sunset. It’s almost as gorgeous as you.”
I slowly let my gaze drift to the pink and orange streaks in the sky, the sun a blazing ball lowering on the horizon.
It really was beautiful. For some silly reason, tears pricked my eyes.
I didn’t notice Bryson had gotten up until he took hold of my hand. “Come here.”
I stood, letting him draw me close. He placed his hand on my jaw once more, caressing softly while those blue eyes saw deeper into me than I liked.
“Can I kiss you, Silas?”
I swayed into him, falling into his warmth and sweetness with a breathless, “Yes.”
He kissed me gently, brushing my lips lightly, then lingering as if savoring a delicious dish. There was nothing rushed about it. This was a man who knew what he was doing.
It wasn’t hot or sexy, not like the kisses that preluded sex.
This was something different.
If I had to describe it, I’d call it romantic.
Fucking hell, Bryson had broken right through my jaded defenses and made me want more. As we kissed, and the sun sank behind us, I melted in his arms.
“Take me home?” I asked, eyes catching his. “You can romance me in bed.”
“Only if you let me take you out again,” he said. “I don’t want a hookup. I want—”
I kissed him again so that he wouldn’t say it. But I already knew I’d give in. How could I not, with such a sweet, genuine romantic like Bryson?
I was powerless to resist, no matter how much it scared me.
“You win,” I murmured against his lips.
He smiled, and then as if a switch had been flipped, his kiss shifted from sweet to searing. His hands slid down to cup my ass and drag me tight against him.
His body was hard in all the right places, and I had zero doubt that the sex tonight was going to be amazing.