Chapter 13
Belle
I woke up with a nervous sort of energy. I was excited about my date at Maverick's this evening. And I couldn't stop thinking about what we'd done in my store last night.
I couldn't walk down that aisle without my face heating and my body remembering the way he touched me.
I'd never done anything like that before. It felt so freeing to forget about everything for a few minutes and just feel. It was exciting, and I wanted more.
We were eating at his house tonight, and I wasn't sure what he expected. We'd already gone over that line, and it was reasonable to assume that anything could happen tonight.
I was going to be alone with him in his house. I wanted to see where he lived and how he'd decorated it. It could tell me a lot about who he was as a person, beyond what I'd already seen.
It was distracting when I needed to focus on other things.
When Clara texted me to go to coffee at lunch time, I was grateful to have the opportunity to talk to someone about what was going on in my head.
I turned the sign to Be Right Back and headed toward Meg's coffee shop. Clara waved to me from her place in line.
She hugged me. "Thanks for meeting me. I wanted some girl time."
"It's good to get away from the store," I said.
We ordered our drinks and sat at a table by the window.
"How are things with your store?" Clara asked.
I cradled my warm drink. "I'm getting a steady stream of customers. People seem to enjoy kids' story time, and then they linger afterward, usually picking up a toy or a book to take home. I'd like to add more events like that. Especially when construction is done and I'll have more room."
"How is the renovation going?"
"It's noisy, but otherwise, it hasn't been an issue."
Clara waggled her brow. "What's it like to work with Maverick?"
He gave me an orgasm, so I'd say it's more than satisfactory. "It's been…good."
She raised a brow. "Angela mentioned something about you two having history."
Angela was in the store when he first came by to give me an estimate for the patio. That interaction was uncomfortable. "We had a thing in high school—"
Her eyes lit up.
"A tiny thing." I held my fingers apart to show her how small it was. "He asked me out, then stood me up."
She winced. "Ouch."
I looked away, watching a woman walking with her two kids. "He said we were too different."
"And now?"
I sighed. "I'm not sure. He took care of me that day when I was sick, and then he stopped by the store last night."
She leaned close. "What happened when he stopped by?"
It was weird because we hadn't been friends that long, but I felt like I could trust Clara with something like this. She was nothing like my old friends who would have shared anything I said to them in confidence. "He said he was done trying to stay away from me. Then he kissed me."
She fanned herself with a napkin. "That's like something out of a romance novel."
I nodded. "It was hot. I hadn't even realized he'd been holding back. I assumed that he didn't like me. But it was the opposite."
She squealed softly. "This is such a good story. I'm living vicariously through you."
"What about you? Have you been dating again?" I remembered she'd recently gotten out of a long-term relationship.
She wagged her finger at me. "No way. We're talking about you."
"He kissed me. Then he said he wanted to take things slowly." I wasn't sure how I would manage that after everything else that happened. "And he invited me over for dinner tonight."
Her brows furrowed. "I can see why you're confused. So he's going to cook for you at his place?"
"Yes." It would have been easier to meet him somewhere in public. Then I wouldn't have to worry about my reaction to him. It was clear that I couldn't resist him.
"That's quite the first date. He must be trying to impress you."
"He probably wants to make up for how he treated me when we were younger."
"Or he really likes you and wants to win you over."
I turned that idea over in my head. "I don't know."
She nodded in understanding. "You probably want to be cautious, given your history."
I sipped the tea. "Yes."
"I'm excited for you. Maverick is attractive in that broody, bad-boy way."
I laughed, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "You should have seen him when I heard the construction noise for the first time and rushed outside in my pajamas. They weren't the flannel kind. They were silk and lace. He was so mad."
She paused, her drink halfway to her mouth. "You went outside in lingerie while he was working?"
"Bare feet and everything." I couldn't believe I was admitting all of this to her. She was so easy to talk to. "He was all growly, insisted on covering me with his sweatshirt, and maneuvered me inside so no one on his crew could see me."
She waggled her brows. "So he could have you all to himself?"
That made me pause. "I assumed he didn't want the other men seeing me half naked."
"What did he do once he had you alone?"
I huffed out a laugh. "It wasn't like that."
She just waited patiently for me to continue.
"He had his hands on my shoulders, and he was standing close. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was something about safety on construction sites. All I could think about was whether he was going to kiss me."
She fanned herself again. "That's so hot. I want a man to growl and manhandle me."
"It's hard to know where you stand with a man like that. Like do you annoy him because he doesn't like you, or is it because he does like you?"
"I was in a relationship for six years. I have no idea what that's like. For as long as I can remember, it was comfortable. I didn't get butterflies in my stomach when we were together, and there's nothing romantic about picking up someone else's dirty socks."
"You should enjoy being alone for a while." I was all mixed up inside. I wasn't sure if I should trust what Maverick was telling me or be worried that he'd change his mind again.
She smiled. "And then I'll find myself a hot contractor like Natasha and Angela."
"I wasn't looking for anything. It just happened." I wasn't going to share anything else we did. That was just for us. I couldn't believe it was real. It was so out of character for me. "He said some things that really surprised me."
"Oh? Like what?"
"That he liked my cardigans and reading glasses." I looked around before leaning in and lowering my voice. "He thought they were sexy."
She clutched her hands to her chest and closed her eyes. "Swoon. He likes you for you. Do you know how rare that is?"
I moved back. "He certainly tells it like it is."
She blinked her eyes open and lowered her hands. "So you can believe him when he says he's attracted to you."
"I think I do." Or it would sink in eventually.
Clara sipped her coffee. "What are you wearing tonight?"
"I haven't even thought about what I should wear. I'm going there directly from work, so maybe this?" I gestured at my cardigan set. "He said he likes how I dress."
Her brow furrowed. "Maybe we should ask Eve for help. She has the dress shop, and Bianca styles people."
I shook my head. "It's dinner at his house. I don't need to overdress."
"You should wear a slinky top and jeans so tight they look like they were painted on. Maybe heels." Clara started texting on her phone.
I tipped my head to the side. "What are you doing? Who are you talking to?"
"Eve. I'm asking her if we can style you for your date."
I shook my head slowly. "That's not necessary. I'm sure I have something perfectly acceptable in my closet."
She looked up from her screen. "I get that he likes your cardigans, but wouldn't it be nice to surprise him a little? Let him see you in a different light?"
I thought of the way his eyes darkened when I was going down on him. How would he react if I wore something completely out of character? Something sexy. "Maybe."
She grinned. "Eve said she's reserving the shop for you. I'll tell everyone to meet us there."
I held up a hand. "This is too much. It's one date."
"I'm living vicariously through you, remember? And even if nothing comes out of it, at least you'll have hot sex."
We would have hot sex. That was a given. And I wanted to experience that once in my life. I was tired of being boring and predictable, the nerd who wore cardigans with skirts and practical flats. "I would like to surprise him."
"I'm so excited. This is going to be so much fun."
I sipped my tea while she typed away on her phone, probably telling Eve what to pull for me. If I dressed sexy, would he finish what we'd started last night? I sure hoped so.
A few hours later, I was standing in the middle of the dress shop next to Mistletoe Inn in dark jeans, a flowy sheer black top, and heels. I felt completely out of my element.
"You have to let us do your hair and makeup," Bianca insisted.
At my pinched expression, she rushed to add, "We'll make it very natural. More volume and waves in your hair, bright red lips, and a smoky eye."
Clara approached us. "Maverick's going to die when he sees you."
"That wasn't exactly the reaction I'm going for. A dead man can't give me orgasms," I said dryly as the girls laughed.
"You're gorgeous, and Maverick's going to love it," Eve said.
"Not that you weren't sexy before. He obviously loves your style. But it's nice to mix things up every once in a while," Clara said.
"I like to keep men guessing, and you're going to throw him for a loop in this outfit. Especially with a red lip," Bianca said.
I turned one last time to get a good look at myself in the mirror. The jeans were soft but also molded to my skin. I'd had to wear a thong to eliminate panty lines, and Bianca had insisted that I wear a tank top underneath the blouse with a shelf bra. The entire effect was sexy.
"Are you sure this isn't a little too much for an evening at his house?" I asked, suddenly doubting everything. What if he thought I was too much? What if he took one look at me and ran in the other direction?
"You look gorgeous. Sexy but casual at the same time," Clara said.
"Let’s get you to the salon so you can go on your date," Bianca steered me toward the doorway that connected the dress shop to the salon.
Everyone wished me well and made me promise to share the details with them later. It felt like a whirlwind.
Once my hair and makeup were done, I didn't have time to stop at home. I went directly to the address Maverick had sent me earlier in the day.
I pulled up to a surprisingly ordinary home. It was in a neighborhood of houses that were set farther apart with tall trees. I parked in his driveway and smoothed my sweaty hands over my thighs.
I didn't bring an overnight bag or anything really. I felt woefully unprepared and nervous. I'd let the girls talk me into this outfit, and now I was having serious doubts.
It was too much. I looked like I was going out for a night on the town, to a club or a bar. Not a night in for a first date. What if I wasn't what he expected? What if this freaked him out?
Maverick: Are you going to come in?
Belle: Maybe?
I waited for another text message to give me the encouragement I needed to get out of the car. But instead, my car door opened, and Maverick held out a hand.
I took a deep breath and slid out of the car. He smelled so good.
He closed the door and stood still, looking at me.
I wore a jacket over the outfit, and his hand pulled one side away from my body. The shirt was so transparent that I felt his heat.
The barest of touches sent a tingle through my body, and my nipples pebbled in desire. I shivered, and he said gruffly, "Let's get you inside."
As soon as the front door closed behind me, he lifted the jacket from my shoulders and hung it on a hook by the door. I turned to face him, his gaze sliding from over my body.
He wore a T-shirt that stretched tight across his chest and dark wash jeans.
I let my hands fall to the sides. "I feel overdressed."
He stepped close, pulling me against him.
The thin material of the shirt meant that I felt everything. The heat of his body, the hard planes of his chest.
"I wanted to cook a nice dinner for you."
I licked my lips.
"But you're a serious distraction."
I tipped my head slightly. "You don't think I'm overdressed?"
"You're perfect." Then his lips landed on mine, and his tongue swept into my mouth. I felt claimed, as if he was declaring me his for the night.
When he slowed his kiss, he said, "I want to serve you dinner first."
"That sounds nice."
He smacked my ass as he moved away from me. "I'm having trouble thinking about dinner when you're dressed like that."
I looked down at the outfit. "So you like it?"
His gaze heated, he said, "I love it."
"Should I take off my heels?" It felt a little weird to wear heels inside his house.
"Keep them on," he said gruffly, and my core heated.
If the outfit was supposed to drive him crazy, it seemed to be doing its job.
In the kitchen, he gestured for me to sit at the island, and he poured me a glass of wine. I'd have to stick to just one if I wanted to drive home. Although I wasn't sure what the plan was at this point.
Then he busied himself with a pot on the stove, lifting the lid and stirring what looked like boiling pasta. The air smelled like seafood, garlic, and butter.
"I thought you preferred the cardigans and glasses," I managed to choke out after a few sips of wine.
He shot me a look. "You'd look sexy in a paper bag."
"Thanks, I think?"
"I'm trying to be good here. I want to feed you before I have my way with you," he practically growled.
My pussy clenched at the thought of that. "Yum."