17-REAGAN
I didn’t know what to wear. This was my first date in almost ten years. Also, the date would show me who Vincent was outside of The Forewarning and if we actually liked each other. I mean, it could have been the energy between us, the woods, or the setting.
I chose tight jeans, a plain belt, and a tight maroon long-sleeve shirt tucked in. A small purse sat with his order of cheese danishes by the front door. I had my front camera pulled up on my phone, waiting for his arrival as I applied perfume and slipped into my ankle boots.
I looked into the bathroom mirror and exhaled.
“Shit,” I muttered. “We can do this.” I undid my outfit one last time before going to the bathroom.
The view of the driveway was still streaming on my phone, sitting on the counter.
A dark old Dodge slowed down on the street before pulling into my driveway.
My stomach and my heart tried switching places, and for a moment I thought I would puke. I closed out of the app and finished up in the bathroom, knowing he would be at the front door soon.
As I exited the bathroom, a knock sounded from the front door. My boots thud against the tile before switching tone against the hardwood floors across the living room.
Box in one hand and purse over the shoulder, I rubbed my hand against my pant leg before trying the nob. The cool air circled me almost as cool as Vincent’s gaze. “Hey there, Wildflower.” He smirked.
I couldn’t help but match his smile. “Hi.” Why was I so fucking nervous?
Stepping onto the welcome mat, he reached out for the box of pastries.
“Here, let me.” After passing them to him, I had the opportunity to lock the door behind me.
My body brushed against him when I turned around.
His hand was warm on my waist, pulling me against him, and his mouth was on mine.
I accepted him just as easily as the first time.
Pushing into him, I thought for a split second about unlocking the door.
But knew that would seal our fate, and we would only ever amount to sleeping with each other.
His palm dragged across my lower back before drawing back. “Ready?”
I gave a gentle nod while remembering every color in his eyes that the sunset had to offer.
Vincent popped open the passenger door, giving me a hand to jump inside. Sitting on the leather bench, he handed me the box of danishes, and after the door shut, I took the middle seat. I was putting everything on this date. It was either going to work or it wasn’t.
He darted around the hood before climbing in on the driver’s side. The truck rumbled to life, and Vincent paused and faced me. “You look really nice. Beautiful actually.”
“Thank you, you too.” His lip twitched, and he threw his arm behind me to back up. It was interesting to see him in something other than a hoodie. He looked real, no longer the fantasy or the man behind a mask.
He wore a dark trucker jacket, dark jeans, and a black T-shirt. If my eyes weren’t deceiving me in the dark, he had on black cowboy boots. Did we match? Almost.
“Where did you want to go tonight?”
“I was thinking of a bar and grille just a few miles down. I could go for a burger, and I’ve never been there.”
“Sounds good to me.” His right hand dropped down to my thigh, curling his fingers into the soft, tender skin that was already screaming to open for him.
The whole drive, my nerves were alerting me; this was safe, this was what I wanted.
How could I be more nervous now than in the woods?
Maybe because there was expectations now.
I didn’t realize the restaurant would be so busy tonight. But I also didn’t keep track of the college football schedule, and the game tonight was a big one. The bar was filled with men. Loud and shouting at different televisions.
Vincent added us to the waitlist before weaving through the entry back to me. “It’s going to be about ten or fifteen minutes.”
“That’s fine.” I nodded.
His hand found the small of my back, pulling me into him as a man almost stepped back onto me. A tiny gasp entered my lungs, and I’m not sure if it’s from the man or from the way Vincent moved me so easily. “Thanks.”
Even after the man had exited the building, Vincent still held me close. “Careful, people might think we like each other.”
He nuzzled closer to my ear. “Yeah, that would be terrible.”
Part of my nerves came from being seen with someone other than my ex-husband.
Someone intense, dark, and taking the attention of the room.
If I wasn’t with him, I would be looking at us too.
This man had seen me split wide open, so I tried acting normal.
“So what is a typical Saturday night for you?”
“Horses. Hooves. Family. Sometimes fishing in the pond. What about you?”
“Not much. Sometimes I go see my mom and brother.”
“Vincent, party of two.” The hostess announced more quickly than expected.
He guided me to the hostess, then down the aisle of tables to an empty table, still wet from being washed.
Before sitting down, Vincent removed his jacket and set it folded on the inside of the booth.
The sound of the others in the restaurant took over as we chose our meal for the evening.
Originally, I wanted a burger, but the cheese steak looked good too.
I set it down and thanked the waitress for my drink.
Vincent focused on the menu. He had put effort into his hair, slicking it back, but it resisted. I assumed the product wasn’t strong enough to hold. I was seeing a man who didn’t do everything effortlessly and wasn’t perfect. He was real, he was human.
Seeing him at the event and now outside, Vincent was real. Part of him still made my stomach flutter. His dark hair, brows, and stubble contrasted with his light eyes. His pierced ears and tattoos didn’t make him look any less intimidating to a stranger.
He slid his menu to the edge of the table. “Alright, I know what I’m getting.” He rested his chin on his fist, balled and propped up on his elbows.
“So Vincent, what is the weirdest part of The Forewarning?”
With his eyes stuck on me, he thought for a moment. “Being a stranger’s fantasy.”
“What’s the weirdest thing someone asked you to do?” Did I want to know?
His voice lowered, “You won’t believe it, but this one girl asked me to fuck her like I hated her. Wanted me to choke her too. Oh, and the way she squirmed before I even got her to the cabin. Mmm.” He bit his lip.
The blood rushed to my face. “Vincent!” I hissed. “Lower your voice.”
He let out a quiet chuckle from his smile. “If you want me to be honest, I was nervous she was going to use her safe word because I wasn’t her number one.”
Fiddling with the napkins, I looked up at him. “I did think you were Smoke at first. Did that bruise your ego?”
“Only a little. But I think I recovered.”
“So why did you choose me if I was meant for Smoke?”
Vincent crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back. “You think taking my mask off was the first rule I broke?”
“You’re right. Fang probably chases the wrong girl every year.”
He laughs. “No. I was a rule follower until I saw you.”
My eyes dropped to his arms, recollecting each detail of his tattoos. One caught my eye, and then another until all ten lined up. “Do you still have my number on your arm?”
Without dropping a beat, he shot back. “I got it tattooed on me.”
I leaned in closer. “You’re messing with me.”
“Hm. No.” He licked his thumb and wiped down the third letter to my phone number. “It’s real.”
“Why did you tattoo my number on your arm?”
Something mischievous tugged at his lips. “I was afraid it would wash off.”
Was I flattered? A little. “But why?”
“You left an impression I never want to forget.”
“You make it sound like the memory won’t be enough.”
“This is for insurance purposes. When I get old and senile, I’ll call you up again asking who you are and why you have your phone number tattooed on my arm.”
I couldn’t help but laugh and internally noted that I need to think twice before drawing on him again. A moment passed, and I groaned as my hunger pangs grew stronger. “I swear if this sandwich isn’t huge, I’m sending it back.”
“Just to clarify, you like things big, huh?”
My straw left my lips before I finished, dribbling down my lip. “Be quiet!” I caught my chin and wiped away my stupid, embarrassing mistake.
“What? No one’s going to say anything.”
His knee brushed mine under the table, just barely. What I believed was at first an accident became intentional as his legs surrounded mine. And somehow it felt safe.
“So,” he asked, securing his arms across his chest again. “Is this us picking up from where we left off or pretending it didn’t happen?”
“Would you prefer pretending? Because I had a good time.” I countered.
“So did I, but I can see you’re nervous and didn’t know if that would help.” Our waitress interrupted momentarily with the food. “I just don’t know the rules anymore.”
I laughed. “You broke half of them already.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” he murmured, leaning forward. “You got me into trouble, Wildflower.”
My stomach fluttered. There was something unreal about him under real bar lights—no role to play. Just Vincent. A man trying his best to look calm.
“Okay,” I said, dragging a fry through ketchup. “Let’s talk real then.”
“Shoot.”
I took a bite. “What’s the difference between you in the woods and you right now?”
He thought for a heartbeat too long. “In the woods, I knew exactly what you wanted,” he said quietly. “Tonight I have no idea because I don’t have a cheat sheet.”
I didn’t know what to expect in his response. Not from someone like Vincent, who was coming off unbothered. He studied me with that same hungry curiosity he had in the cabin but slower now, like he wanted to savor this part too.
He propped his forearm on the table, leaning in again. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything.”
The noise of the bar surged—cheering, hands slamming on the bar top, a touchdown roar in the background—but it sounded like it was in another room.