CHAPTER 6
NIYAH
“As far as first dates go, this was great. We gotta do this again,” Xander joked.
Niyah laughed. “Date? Surely, you jest.”
Xander raised a brow. “I jest not. I got to spend time with you while enjoying a free dinner. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Niyah smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time.”
Xander’s expression turned serious. “You have a beautiful smile.”
Niyah turned away bashfully. “Stop, Xander.”
His warm hand covered hers. “I’m serious. I wanna see it again. I wanna make you smile all the time.”
Niyah’s cheeks warmed. In an instant, the conversation went from playful to heavy, and she was beginning to feel the pressure. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Xander attractive. Appearance-wise, he was a god among men. He was also thoughtful and extremely funny.
“Come on, Niyah. Give me a chance. Let me take you out,” he implored.
“Hey,” Bella interrupted, leaning over her shoulder. “We gotta go.”
Niyah looked up at Bella with a frown. “What?”
“We caught another case, same MO.”
“Oh, okay.” Niyah took the napkin from her lap and placed it on the table.
She grabbed her purse and stood to leave. “It was good to see you again,” she said to Xander.
“Um-mm,” Xander responded, grabbing her wrist. “Dinner?” he pressed.
Niyah was on the spot, and Xander wasn’t about to let her get away without a response. The voice of reason, yelling in the back of her mind, said to turn him down gently. But his hypnotic blue gaze elicited acquiescence. “Okay. We can do dinner.”
Xander gifted her with a smile that reached his eyes. “I’ll call on you soon.”
“Okay,” Niyah responded before walking away.
Bella took in step beside her and whispered, "It's about time.”