10. Graham
Ten
Graham
Willa was right.
Lunch turns out to be sushi.
Not only does Elsie love it...
She's adventurous.
“My treat,” I insist as the waitress sets another colorful platter between us.
“Okay, you asked me out,” Elsie counters, reaching for a California roll with her chopsticks.
“I did.”
“So I guess it's only fair.”
She pops the bite into her mouth and closes her eyes for half a second.
“Mmm.”
I chuckle.
“You really like sushi.”
“I really, really like sushi.”
“I can see that.”
She points her chopsticks at me.
“But...”
There's that little sparkle in her blue eyes again.
“... I should at least buy dessert.”
I grin.
“Already negotiating a second stop?”
A blush blooms across her cheeks.
“I just...”
She laughs, ducking her head.
“... really like dessert.”
She pauses before adding under her breath,
“Obviously.”
The last word comes out so quietly I almost miss it.
She glances down at herself, clearly thinking about her curves.
Like she's embarrassed.
My heart squeezes.
Without thinking, I reach across the table and cover her hand with mine.
She startles just a little, then looks up.
“Hey.”
I wait until those beautiful blue eyes meet mine.
“So do I.”
For a second she just stares at me.
Then something soft flickers across her face.
“You do?”
“I absolutely do.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.
“I've never trusted a woman who doesn't eat dessert.”
That earns me a real laugh.
Not the polite little chuckle she's given me a few times today.
This one steals her completely.
Her head tips back, blue eyes squeezing shut for a second as the sound spills out of her, bright and warm and utterly contagious.
I find myself smiling before I even realize I'm doing it.
Christ.
That laugh.
I could listen to it every day for the rest of my life.
She catches her breath, brushing a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
“Well,” she says, still smiling, “you can definitely trust me.”
I lean my forearms onto the table, unable to look anywhere but at her.
“Oh, Honey...”
The endearment slips out before I can stop it.
“I do more than trust you.”
My gaze drifts over her almost involuntarily.
Not in a way that feels crude.
Just...
Taking her in.
The way the sunlight catches her hair.
The way her cheeks pink whenever I compliment her.
The curve of her smile that seems permanently on the verge of making me grin too.
She catches me looking.
One eyebrow arches.
“Are you checking me out over lunch?”
Her tone is full of mock outrage, but the corners of her mouth betray her.
She's enjoying this.
I don't even consider denying it.
“I am absolutely checking out my hot lunch date.”
She presses a hand dramatically to her chest.
“Hot lunch date, huh?”
Her eyes sparkle.
“What about you?”
For a split second my brain completely stalls.
“What?”
I blink.
“Wait. You think I'm hot?”
The surprise in my voice isn't even a little fake.
It slips out before I can hide it.
She studies me like she's trying to decide whether I'm serious.
“You're kidding.”
“No.”
I laugh softly.
“Not kidding.”
She gestures vaguely toward me with her chopsticks.
“Well...”
She looks me up and down so unapologetically that my ears actually start to warm.
“You're built like you could bench-press my SUV.”
A grin tugs at my mouth.
“I probably could.”
“I knew it.”
“That's your evidence?”
“Oh, I'm not finished.”
Something flutters low in my chest.
“No?”
She shakes her head.
“Your eyes are the prettiest shade of green I've ever seen.”
I actually look away for a second.
“My eyes are pretty?”
I huff a quiet laugh.
“That's a first.”
“Well...”
She shrugs one shoulder.
“Whoever told you otherwise was wrong.”
The words settle somewhere deep inside me.
So simple.
So matter-of-fact.
Like she can't imagine anyone seeing it differently.
Nobody's ever said that before.
Not once.
She leans forward conspiratorially.
“So...”
My heartbeat picks up.
I find myself leaning toward her without thinking, closing the space between us until we're both resting our elbows on the table.
“What?”
“If you really want to know my kryptonite...”
Her voice drops just enough that I have to focus to hear it.
“I think redheads are sexy as fuck.”
Every coherent thought leaves my head.
I just stare at her.
“You do?”
She bites back a smile, suddenly looking almost shy.
“Well...”
A tiny shrug.
“Yeah.”
Then she wrinkles her nose.
“I mean... probably.”
She winks.
The playful confidence returns just as quickly as it disappeared.
A second later she's laughing again, clearly amused that she's managed to completely derail my train of thought.
Mission accomplished.
I can't even remember what I was about to say.
I just sit there looking at her like an idiot.
She reaches across the table, stealing the last piece of my dragon roll before I can protest.
“Hey!”
“You hesitated.”
“I was processing.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“So that made it fair game?”
“All's fair in sushi and flirting.”
I laugh.
“You're dangerous.”
“So I've been told.”
“You absolutely have not.”
“No,” she admits with another grin. “But it sounded confident.”
“It did.”
Our fingers brush as I reach for the soy sauce she'd just grabbed.
Neither of us pulls away right away.
It's barely a touch.
Just the backs of our hands.
Warm skin against warm skin.
Still...
My Bear practically purrs.
Mine.
I swallow around the lump suddenly lodged in my throat.
God...
I know I could spend the rest of my life sitting across from this woman, making her laugh, stealing bites off her plate...
And thanking whoever was looking out for me the day fate decided to bring Elsie Stevens into my life.