Chapter 8
W e arrived at the restaurant about thirty minutes later.
Titan said I should have had her meet me since I lived in the city, and she lived in the countryside. Essentially, I was moving backwards, but I didn’t care. I wanted Jaeda to have the full first date experience. Although I doubted she’d never been on a date, she’d never been on a date with me .
I pulled up to the valet and climbed out of the car. Rounding the passenger side, I opened Jaeda’s door and extended my hand to help her out. My eyes scanned her frame once again. She looked so damn good tonight. That dress was hugging every single curve so well that it made me jealous.
Then the heels, . . . shit! I might have a little bit of a foot fetish. There was something about a pretty set of feet that did something to me. Jaeda’s feet with the nude-colored polish on her toes in the shoes, . . . major turn-on.
I shook the thought from my head as she linked her fingers through mine. We walked into the restaurant, and I gave the hostess my name. She let us know that our table was ready and to follow her.
After a brief look over the menu, we gave our drink orders to the server before she left the table. Jaeda turned her attention to me.
“Have you been here before?” she asked.
“No. You?”
“A few times. The food is amazing. Take your pick of anything on the menu, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
The server came to collect our drink order, then left us to look over the menu. After a brief discussion of what we wanted to eat, we set the menus aside.
“I’m glad to see you ordered something other than chicken tenders and fries,” Jaeda jested.
I chuckled. “I love food, and I don’t mind trying new things. One thing I’m gonna do is eat.”
“You cook?”
I nodded. “I do. My mother made sure of that. She used it as a way to bond with me since we couldn’t really bond over my actual hobbies.”
“I get that. I do the typical female things with my mom, like hair, nails, and shopping. My dad doesn’t get the whole techy thing, but he doesn’t mind taking me shopping for my tech habits and Lego obsessions.
He actually bought my first big Lego set as a kid.
He noticed I was . . . a little different. ”
“Different?”
“I was always more advanced than the kids in my class,” she explained.
“I was the first to finish my work, and I was always bored. The things I did to entertain myself was always distracting to the class, and my parents had to come to the school several times before they finally figured out the problem. Long story short, I skipped a few grades to give me more challenging work.”
“I’ve been there,” I said, taking a sip of my water. “It’s hard when your brain grows faster than your body.”
“Right. You and Titan went to school together, right?”
“We did. Don’t let this nigga fool you,” I said.
“He might look like a thug, but he’s smart as hell, and the eidetic memory ain’t nothing to play with.
Teachers hated him. He was a clown, but the man was a straight A student.
He could have skipped a few grades and graduated early, too, but he wanted to stay with his people. ”
She shook her head. “I would have happily chucked them the deuces if I’d been him. Who wants to stay in school longer than necessary?”
We shared a laugh. The server returned with our drinks and got our food orders.
“Did you always know you’d be the family tech?” I asked Jaeda, sipping on my water.
“Honestly, no. Fun fact,” she said, giggling.
“I really got into Criminal Minds as a teenager. Penelope Garcia was my spirit animal. Seeing how essential she was to her team really made me think about what I could bring to the family. I mean, I have hands, and I can shoot, but I don’t care to be in the field if I can help it.
I’ll leave that for my siblings and protect them in other ways. ”
I nodded. “I respect that. At least I know if we’re ever out and some shit pops off, I have backup.”
“Something tells me you don’t need backup. I mean, you were about to fight my brother, and Titan is your best friend. You had to have learned something from him. How long have you two worked together?”
“About four years now.”
“You ever thought about getting in the field?”
“Nah. That life ain’t for me. I’m happy running my cyber security company and helping where I can. Besides, my parents would kill me, even at my big age.”
That part was true. If Linus and Chandra ever caught me doing the shit Titan did, no matter the cause, they would skin me alive. If they knew the little I was doing now, I’d have to hear my mama go on and on about me going to jail for hacking people’s shit. If only she knew the things I’d seen.
We talked for a little longer before the server returned with our entrees. After a quick blessing of the food, we dug in, taking a few minutes to enjoy the meal before speaking again.
“Sooo . . .” Jaeda said, taking a sip of her wine, “how long have you been single?”
“A few years now. I’ve dated, but there hasn’t been anyone with an official girlfriend title. What about you?”
I remembered her brother letting it slip that she was a virgin. I wouldn’t bring it up because it wasn’t my business. I wouldn’t even act like I knew if she decided to disclose it.
“Um, . . . longer than that. Like since high school.”
“You’re kidding, right? As beautiful as you are, you mean to tell me nobody has tried to wife you since high school?”
She blushed. “Well, they weren’t as interested in wifing me as they were trying to sleep with me. I’ve never been the girl that gives my body to just anyone.”
“I respect that.”
She peered over at me, biting on her bottom lip. The look on her face said she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Would you respect it if I were a . . . virgin?” she asked, just above a whisper.
I didn’t hesitate to answer. “I respect your right to wait, and I would never pressure you to do anything you aren’t ready for.”
She eyed me curiously. “Did you know that already?”
“Full transparency, I did.”
“Titan? I know him and Mia pillow talk when they’re on good terms.”
“Maceo.”
She gasped. “I’m gonna kill him.”
I chuckled. “In his defense, it was an accident. We were having a conversation, and he mistook something I said as me being a virgin too. I let him know that while I’m not, I’m also not out here freely indulging in every woman that bats her lashes at me either.
I’m a man that loves and values commitment. ”
She smiled softly. “That’s good to know.”
I reached out and grabbed her hand. “You don’t know it yet, but you, Jaeda Dillinger, . . . you are going to be my wife.”
She blushed. “You’re sure about that?”
“I’d bet my life on it.”
She grinned, and her smile was infectious. First date or not, this woman was perfect for me. My father always told me when a man knew, he knew . Maybe I made my mind up about her the first time I saw this pretty face, but now that I had her, I wasn’t letting up.
Dinner was great.
The more we talked, the more at ease I could see Jaeda becoming.
There were moments I found myself just staring at her as she ate or swayed along to the soft music playing in the restaurant.
I loved her smile. I loved the little shimmy she did when the food was good.
I loved that she was just so damn beautiful.
Like, she didn’t need to do much. Baby could walk around bare faced in a bonnet and mumu, and she would still be flawless.
I glanced over at her as we drove through the city to the second part of the date.
She held a smile on her face, completely engrossed in the scenery.
We were heading to get dessert. The place I picked was right across the street from the park.
I’d checked the weather this morning, and as stated, the skies were clear tonight.
It was perfect for a stroll or a carriage ride.
I pulled into the street, parking in front of the ice cream parlor.
Getting out, I rounded the passenger side to retrieve Jaeda.
Hand in hand, we walked into the building.
It was pretty busy. There was a plethora of couples and families waiting to be served.
We were almost shoulder to shoulder in the small space.
Jaeda took a step back to let someone by, causing her to stumble a bit. Instinctively, my arm went around her waist, pulling her into me.
“You good?” I asked.
She peered up at me, smiling shyly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I went to remove my arm, but much to my surprise, she pulled the other one around her and rested her back against me. She relaxed her head against my chest.
“I’m good like this,” she said softly.
I smiled to myself as I kissed her temple.
Holding her like this felt natural. She was a perfect fit in my arms. We stood comfortably as the line moved along.
When it was finally our turn, we both ordered double scoops of cookies and cream and chocolate.
After paying, we grabbed our ice cream and headed out of the shop.
“It’s kinda corny,” she said, giggling. “I’ve always loved the cutesy shit in movies where couples order different flavors and feed each other samples.”
“So you like the sappy shit, huh?”
She shrugged. “I’m a hopeless romantic that’s watched one too many Hallmark movies.”
I chuckled. “Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” I stopped walking and turned to her. “We might have the same flavor,” I said, scooping a helping of chocolate ice cream onto my spoon. “But I don’t mind feeding you.” I held the spoon to her lips. “Open.”
She hesitated for a moment before following instructions. I watched as she wrapped those pretty lips around my spoon and sucked the ice cream from it.
“Good?” I asked.
She nodded. “Somehow yours tastes better.”
She giggled as she started walking toward the car.
“How about a walk?” I suggested. She turned back to me, and I nodded toward the park.
“It’s giving serial killer vibes,” she said, following my gaze. “You know, great date. Late-night romantic stroll in the park, then bam! I come up missing.”
I laughed. “What? You’ve been watching those Lifetime movies my mama likes?”
“I’m an avid Lifetime movie fan.”
“Don’t watch anything else. Besides, I think I might need to be the one afraid of a late-night stroll with you. I mean, I’m not the trained assassin. Also, you did have me kidnapped.”
She playfully smacked my arm. “I thought we were past that!”
“I mean, we’re past it, but we’re not gonna act like it didn’t happen.”
She giggled. “I’m trying to make up for it. Cut me some slack. Anyway, I’m down for a stroll. Lead the way.”
She linked her fingers through mine, and we made our way across the street.
The park was moderately occupied. There were a few people having a late-night picnic.
A few couples were taking a leisurely stroll.
There was the occasional homeless person sleeping on a bench or rolling a cart down the walkway.
Jaeda and I minded our business. We casually strolled along, making conversation while eating our ice cream.
“I really enjoyed your company tonight,” she said, stabbing at her last little bit of her dessert. “This was a lot nicer than my last date. I didn’t feel the need to run out on you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. So did I. I just know my mother is gonna be calling me in the morning to get details.”
“At least she’ll just be calling. I’d be willing to bet money that my parents or my siblings are waiting at my house when we get back. They are not going to let me sleep until they get the details.”
“Maceo warned me that y’all were a nosy bunch.”
“We are. It’s only because we work together, and most of us don’t have many outside friends.” She tossed her cup in the nearby trashcan and came back over to me. “I guess I can brag on you a little.”
“Just wait until I can really give you a reason to brag.”
Her eyes glossed over with a shade of lust. Virgin or not, she was curious. I wouldn’t pressure her into anything, however. Whenever she was ready and if she deemed me worthy, I would handle her with care. Until then, I was content with finally having her in my life.
She linked her fingers through mine again, and we continued our walk. We ended up at the small pier overlooking the pond. It was the perfect romantic backdrop, with the bright moon reflecting off the water and the sounds of nature buzzing all around us.
Jaeda stood at the railing, looking out at the view while I stood back, admiring mine. As though she felt my eyes on her, she turned to face me.
“Why are you all the way over there?” she asked innocently.
I chuckled as I took strides toward her. She peered up at me while her fingers toyed with the fabric of my shirt.
“I would say our second date was a success,” she said.
“I thought this was our first.”
“My sisters said the coffee and books was absolutely a date. An impromptu date, but a date nonetheless.”
I playfully shook my head. “I’ll let you have that. Besides, either way, I’ve enjoyed your company.”
Reaching out, I cupped her chin. Our gazes locked, and I licked my lips.
“I, um . . . It’s taking everything in me not to kiss you right now, Jaeda.”
“What if I’m okay with that?”
“Are you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I mean, . . . I’m not an experienced kisser, but I want to kiss you too.”
I stepped closer to her and slid my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. My free hand cupped the back of her neck as I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. We lingered for a moment before I took the initiative in deepening the kiss.
I didn’t have to fight her for dominance.
She willingly relinquished control and followed my lead.
The moan she produced as my tongue slipped into her mouth was so fucking sexy.
I knew right then and there that she was going to be dangerous for me in the best way possible.
When our lips parted, I looked down to find her blushing.
“I’m definitely gonna like kissing you,” she said with a giggle.
I chuckled. “My sentiments exactly.”