Chapter 12 #2
Mitch had no idea how they made it San Antonio safely.
He couldn’t remember the drive. His eyes had been on the road, but his mind had been on the woman in the passenger seat.
Her spicy scent enveloping the cab of his truck.
It was different to the coconut scent he always associated with her.
It was enticing and tempting and made him think of long nights where limbs were tangled up in sheets.
His body over hers. The sighs she’d make as he thrust into her.
He shifted in his seat, trying to relieve the pressure of his erection against the zipper of his pants.
He was glad he wasn’t wearing jeans otherwise he’d be in a bit of pain.
Ever since he’d turned around and spied Nadia standing behind him, his body had been primed.
If Cerise hadn’t been there he would’ve been tempted to blow off the dinner reservation and take her back to her bedroom, strip off her sexy pink dress and sink into her warmth.
He still wanted to do that.
His plan had been dinner and a walk around the famed San Antonio Riverwalk.
Then drive her back to her place, give her a kiss goodnight and go home.
Now though, the temptation to book a room at one of the many hotels in San Antonio was high.
For some reason he didn’t think Nadia would object if he suggested it.
But first they had to get through dinner.
The restaurant he’d chosen was intimate and their table was tucked into a quiet corner.
A battery-operated candle flickered in the middle of the white cloth.
The soft strains of violin music enhanced the atmosphere.
Gene had steered him right when he’d asked the older man for a good place to eat in San Antonio. Pierre’s ticked all the boxes for a romantic evening for two.
“Do you know what you might like to eat,” Nadia asked.
The words on the menu could’ve been gibberish for all the attention he’d been paying it. “Umm I’m not sure. Everything looks so good.” That sounded like a reasonable response, but he made sure he put thoughts of hotel rooms, tangled sheets and sweet moans out of his mind.
Their server returned at that moment with the drinks they’d ordered just after they’d been seated. “Are you ready to order?” he asked, looking between the two of them, a benign smile on his face.
“I think we need a few more minutes, thank you.” Nadia spoke before he could. “There’s so much to choose from and it all looks so good. Can you recommend anything?” She glanced over at him and winked.
He picked up his water glass and took a sip, hiding his smile.
Their server rattled off quite a few dishes in quick succession and Mitch had difficulty keeping up. When he walked way, Mitch lowered his menu. “Did you get any of that?”
Nadia giggled and he liked the sweet sound of it. “Umm, not really. He was rather fast, wasn’t he?”
“Yep.” He went back to studying the menu, finally settling on the New York Strip. When in doubt, the answer was always a good steak. He laid his menu down at the same time as Nadia. Their eyes met and held for a brief second before she looked away, licking her lips.
Reaching across the table he picked up her hand that was fiddling with the silverware. With his other hand he grabbed the glass of beer the server had set down and raised it in the air. Seeing what he was doing, Nadia copied his action with her wine glass.
Mitch wanted to say something deep as well as witty, but his mind drew a blank.
He’d never been one for big long speeches, could be a leftover hang-up from his Army days when instructions had to be fired out.
There was no time for long winded discussions when a soldier’s life was in his hands.
But he wanted to say something now. Something that Nadia wouldn’t forget.
Once again he trained his gaze onto hers, letting her see the desire he felt for her.
Wanting her to know that there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be than right at this table with her.
“Here’s to you. The woman who helped me when I wasn’t ready to admit I needed it.
Thank you for giving me the courage to face my demons.
Thank you for being you.” He tapped his glass against hers.
“That’s a beautiful thing to say, Mitch. Thank you. I know you’ve got a lot to give me too. Your courage is inspiring and I want you know,” she paused and licked her lips again. “I will always be here for you if you need me.”
Both of them took sips of their drinks, continuing to hold the look.
It was as intimate as a moment could be and one he would never forget.
Her fingers squeezed his hand and a breath shuddered through him.
He had no idea what he’d done to deserve her, but he was grateful that Nadia had come into his life.
Their server returned to the table and this time they were both ready to place their orders. He popped a basket of bread on the table before retreating again.
Silence descended around them as they both buttered their pieces of bread. Mitch wished he could come up with something witty to say, but his mind was a blank.
“I don’t want to trigger you and you can tell me to keep my nose out of your business, but was it hard to acclimate back into civilian life after being in the Army? Particularly doing what you did.” Nadia smiled hopefully at him.
Talking about his time in the service and out of it, wasn’t something he did. However, with his therapy sessions it was becoming a little easier to talk about it.
“If you’d asked me a few months ago if I was okay with it, I’d shut it down, but now I’m okay with sharing that part of my life with you.
” He took another drink to moisten his dry throat.
“I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy to adjust, you’ve seen that I’ve struggled with it.
But I’m lucky my parents have the ranch, and the work is something I grew up doing so I fell right back into it.
It’s physical and exhausts me. If I can’t sleep, I usually watch tv. ”
“Anything in particular? Do you have a favorite show you always watch?”
“I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He could feel the heat in cheeks. Admitting to watching a teenage show from the nineties.
Nadia looked at him, blinking as if she couldn’t quite comprehend what he’d told her. “You like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”
“Yeah, Joss Whedon created a fantastic show. Buffy is badass and there’s humor in it too. It’s easy to get lost in. I’ve got the whole series on DVD.”
“Maybe we can watch it sometime.”
Mitch couldn’t think of anything better. “I’d like that a lot.”
Their food arrived at that moment and halted their conversation.
“I think you’d look really good in black jeans and a black leather jacket.” Nadia said after the server had left.
He about choked on his steak. He chased the morsel of meat down with a long sip of his beer. “Give a man a little warning before you crack a joke.”
Nadia lifted one shoulder. “Now where would the fun be in that?”
“Where indeed.”
He had no idea how he deserved it, or why, but Nadia had been placed in his life for a reason and he for one, was very glad about it. Mitch hoped she felt the same way about him.