CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jack
I was holding her hand. I was holding her hand!
I stared down at our intertwined fingers in awe, startled by two things.
First, I wanted to hold her hand. I had been the one to instigate the contact, not her.
And second? If it was possible, it made me feel even more possessive of her.
I wanted to care for her, protect her, keep her.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with delight.
“You’ll see,” I said, walking casually down the cobblestone street in Savannah, just enjoying being with her as we walked under huge old oak trees, Spanish moss thick in their branches.
We walked down to the corner and stood by a gas light, flame flickering with the evening breezes coming in off the river.
Before I could look at my watch, I heard the clopping of horse’s hooves approaching and felt my shoulders relax. Everything was going as planned.
A shiny, white hansom cab pulled up beside us.
“Mr. Lancaster?” the driver asked.
I nodded while Daisy nearly clapped her hands in delight at the thought of riding in the horse-drawn carriage. I helped her up, then climbed in beside her.
We had a twenty-minute ride through the city to The Olde Pink House, one of Savannah’s best restaurants.
I took the time to chat with her, surprised that I didn’t feel awkward or self-conscious.
We’d gotten to know each better over the past few days, and if I’d been infatuated with her before, it was bordering on obsession now.
I wanted to spend all my time with her. I didn’t care so much about the next installment of CaveSphere.
I sure as hell wasn’t working late. I got to work late and left early, and I could tell my family was shocked.
Grandma thought I had been body snatched.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that meant something entirely different now than what she was referencing.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Daisy’s question made me smile, and I realized I’d been staring at her. She looked… perfect. Even after our bout of amazing sex before we’d left the condo. Her hair was long and shiny, her eyes were bright, and her smile was the sweetest I’d ever seen. And her body. Goddamn. It was killing me.
I’d heard of hourglass figures before, but hers was insane. The dress she was wearing highlighted every curve to utter perfection, and I was having trouble not wanting to punch every guy who stared at her.
“What have you been up to lately?”
I glanced at her, surprised. “You mean at work?”
She laughed. “Yeah.”
“Oh, um, just boring stuff. Work. I’d much rather be home with you.” I realized what I’d said at the same time her eyes went wide. Home. I’d called the condo home.
It kind of was. I’d slept there every night since I’d ‘won’ her at the auction. And, as far as I was concerned, no one would keep me away from her ever again.
But she didn’t need to know that. No sense in scaring her.
She easily talked over the awkward moment, detailing her spa days, her shopping excursions, and her classes, until we pulled up in front of the old pink mansion. “Ready?” I asked, stepping down and reaching up for her hand.
She put her hand in mine, then stepped down easily and elegantly from the cab. I thanked the driver, tipping him handsomely before turning to offer her my arm.
She looked around with interested, understated excitement. She was classy. No one would ever have thought I bet on her in a sex auction. The thought was fleeting, and I shook it from my mind. I didn’t want anyone to know that or think less of her for the way we’d gotten together. Ever.
She talked and laughed as we walked up to the waiting area, and everything was going well until she suddenly went stiff beside me.
I turned quickly to look at her and saw that she was staring at a college-aged guy standing with an attractive blonde. She had nothing on Daisy, though, and the guy was staring at my date as if he was seeing her naked. I frowned at the look of longing on his face.
“Hey, Daze.”
Daisy smiled tightly, but there was no warmth in her eyes. “Hello, Myers.” She looked at the girl. “Hannah.”
The blonde looked miserable. “Hi, Daisy.” She eyed Daisy with hope, as if she wasn’t expecting an answer but hoping she got one anyway.
Daisy didn’t even bother smiling at her.
“Who’s this?” the douche asked, staring at me as if he was going to try to take me.
Before Daisy could answer, I stepped forward, offering the guy my hand to shake. I shook his, gripping it hard enough to hurt. He winced a little. “Myers is it? I’m Jack Lancaster. This is my girlfriend, Daisy.”
Myers’ eyes went crazy as they darted to Daisy’s. “Girlfriend? You’re with this guy?” He said it as if I was a bridge troll. He also ignored his date completely, and she looked as if she’d like to crawl in a hole.
“Yes. Jack and I are together,” Daisy said, as I pulled her closer and she smiled up at me. “Well, y’all enjoy your dinner,” she said, as a hostess directed us to our table.
“Daisy, wait. Please,” the guy said, but she moved away from him as if she hadn’t even heard him. Fine by me.
“What was that about?” I asked as I pulled her chair out for her then walked around to mine.
She looked upset, and it made me want to run back over there and punch the guy in the face. “That’s my ex-boyfriend.”
My eyebrows raised. “How long were you with him?”
“Over a year. Until I walked in on him fucking my former best friend.”
“And you know that girl he was with?” I was horrified.
“Yep.” She popped the ‘p.’ “She’s one of my former sorority sisters. We used to be friends.”
When the waiter stopped in front of us, I asked for a bottle of rosé champagne. “Tell me about it.”
“That’s all there is to tell.” She shrugged her shoulders, but there was a look in her eyes, almost fear, that made me wonder if she thought Myers was her stalker.
I studied his build as surreptitiously as possible.
He looked too big to be the guy I’d seen outside Cinnamon House, but I couldn’t be sure.
And I couldn’t exactly tell her that I knew she had a stalker, and I didn’t think she needed to worry that it was him because he was too big.
“Let’s not think about them, though,” she said forcing a smile. And bringing my head around fast to look at her.
I smiled back but glanced at her worriedly.
Was she still in love with that guy? From the glances he didn’t seem able to stop throwing our way, it was pretty clear how he felt about Daisy.
Hannah, his date, sat at the table basically ignored while he ate and stared at his former girlfriend. The one he’d cheated on repeatedly.
And he was ruining my romantic dinner. His eyes were glued to Daisy’s every movement. I raised a hand for the waiter to come over. “Would it be possible to move to a different table?”
The waiter glanced around at what I’d already seen; a very full dining room. “I don’t think we can accommodate that request sir…”
He stopped talking and his eyes widened when I held up several hundred dollars. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Let me check with the ma?tre d’.”
He scurried off to make it work out for us, while Daisy covered my hand with hers.
“This isn’t necessary. I don’t care about Myers anymore, if that’s what you’re thinking.
He’s just had some trouble hearing the word ‘no’ lately, and it’s been long enough since we dated he should have caught a clue by now that I’m not going back to him. ”
“Exactly why you shouldn’t have to look up to find him staring at you constantly across the dining room.”
Soon, the ma?tre d’, the waiter, and several other waitstaff converged on our table and bade us follow them.
They took us up to the roof. I had to admit as I looked around the deserted area, it was perfect.
It was clear they used the area for private functions, parties, things of that nature.
For us, they’d lit several candles and turned on light instrumental music in the background.
It was exactly the vibe I was going for, and the full moon only added to the atmosphere.
They’d turned on a couple of the large fans on the extended wooden pergola above us, as well.
It wasn’t exactly hot out, and there was a hint of coolness in the nighttime breeze. But the lazily spinning fans and candles helped give it all a cozy, luxe vibe, and I leaned back, relaxing in my seat.
We ordered after assuring the ma?tre d’ this was the perfect location for us, and I’d tipped them well.
“Does this suit you?”
She looked around, beaming. “Yes. I can’t believe they did all this for us.”
I reached out to grab her hand. “You know you have nothing to fear from that guy, right? I would never let him hurt you.”
She gave a brief, small smile. “I know. It’s just… well, I wish I’d never given him the power to hurt me.”
“What do you mean?” I was confused. Was she saying she wished she’d never loved the guy?
“I knew Myers wasn’t the right guy for me pretty early on. People teach you who they are, you know? My grandma always said that, and she was totally right.”
“Grandmas are wise,” I agreed.
She fidgeted with her cloth napkin. “Myers wanted to date me from the first time he saw me at a party we both attended. He was the kind of guy I knew I should stay away from. He was good-looking, rich, popular… and kind of mean. But I didn’t listen to my gut.
I told myself I could change him. And he would help me, too. ”
“How do you mean?”
She sighed. “I’m not proud of it, but when I first came to college, I was ready to leave that small town vibe behind me. In Crosston, everyone knew I was one of ‘those Tiller girls’.”
“Why was that bad?”