22. Beau
Beau
A nna didn’t stir for two hours, which gave him plenty of time to catch up with the guys at the garage and overthink every single thing Anna had said since the day he met her.
Things weren’t going well. The tightness in his chest was worsening, and the impending separation coming for them after this trip ended hung over him like a rain cloud.
When Anna sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head, Beau made every effort to ignore her.
“How long was I out?” she asked in that sleepy voice that zipped into his brain and paralyzed him.
“A few hours. Feeling better?”
“I am. Have you had dinner?”
Beau glanced at the clock on his phone. “Nope. You want me to go grab something for us? ”
“Actually, I was thinking about a steak. I wonder if there’s a wait at Liberty Grill.”
“I’ll call and find out.”
Anna threw the blanket off her legs and slipped out of the bed. “I’ll get ready.”
Within minutes, they had a table waiting for them downstairs. They’d been together every moment for almost a week, and their time together was slipping away.
This was the last thing he could have seen coming. He’d gotten a peek at life with Anna, and now he wanted more.
Fifteen minutes later, Anna stepped out of the bathroom with wavy hair and wearing a shiny gold dress that should have been classified as a weapon.
He was staring—no, gawking—and he had zero motivation to stop as she casually slipped gold rings onto her fingers and hoop earrings into her ears.
Anna brushed her hands down the sides of her dress, looking down to inspect it before lifting her gaze to him. “What? Does it look okay?”
Beau looked away, scratching the back of his neck as he stood quickly from the couch. “Yeah. You look amazing. I should change.”
Ducking into the bathroom, he had a couple of minutes to give himself a pep talk before facing Anna again. Never in his life had he been so flustered over a woman. Now, he was stuck in close proximity to the one who had gotten under his skin .
He could do this. He could have dinner with a beautiful woman and not lose himself.
What a joke. He was already gone. The damage was done, and he’d let it happen.
When they stepped into the empty elevator, Anna checked herself in the reflective walls, turning and swiping her hands over her curves.
Beau stuffed his hands into his pockets and stretched his neck from one side to the other. “Will you stop that? You look amazing.”
Anna turned her bright eyes on him, and she might as well have pinned him to the wall. She reached up to adjust the collar of his shirt before sliding her hands down his chest.
Good grief, if she didn’t stop touching him, his hands were going to come out of his pockets and do something they shouldn’t.
“You look amazing too,” she whispered.
Beau set his jaw. Why was the elevator moving at a snail’s pace? He needed air and space between them.
Lots of space.
The torture chamber finally released them, and Anna slipped her arm around his as they made their way through the lobby to the Grill. The hostess quickly sat them at a small table for two next to the large windows overlooking the dark mountains.
They both skimmed the menu in silence. Beau quickly decided on a pork chop, then made every effort not to stare at Anna.
How could he be expected not to look at her when she was two feet away? It was the equivalent of setting a hot steak in front of a starving man.
Anna finally laid her menu down and picked up her phone, immediately sighing at whatever waited on the screen.
“You can turn it off,” Beau reminded her.
She scrolled through the notifications. “More calls from Mom, texts from Olivia, messages from Brittany. I should have invited her to dinner.”
He’d keep his mouth shut on that point. Brittany did seem to like Anna, but she also overstepped her bounds a little too often for his taste.
“We don’t have anything planned tomorrow except the church service in the morning. Should I ask her to have lunch with me?” Anna asked.
“If that’s what you want. This is your trip, remember. You’re in charge.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “Wow. Ten missed messages.”
“From who?”
“Brittany.”
Beau tapped his knuckles on the table. “I’m not trying to make decisions for you, but that’s a lot. It might be a good idea to put some distance between you two.”
Anna’s shoulders rose and fell as she typed quickly on the phone. “She sends so many messages. I can’t keep up.”
Reaching out, Beau rested a hand over Anna’s braced wrist. “Stop. You don’t have to reply to every message and email immediately. This is your time.”
She looked up at him, and the crease between her brows disappeared. “You’re right. I’ll reply to the messages after dinner.”
Great. Now that she wasn’t on the verge of exploding, Beau released her hand. It wasn’t a good idea to hang onto her longer than necessary.
She pulled her hands back and twirled the rings on her fingers. “This has been the best trip I’ve ever taken.”
Beau sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m glad.”
Their waiter appeared and took their orders before slipping away again.
Anna leaned forward, propping her arms on the table. “Where does this trip rank for you?”
“That’s not really a fair question. I haven’t been away from home many times.”
“Still, would you rate this experience a five out of ten?”
Beau shook his head. This was a dangerous game. He didn’t like lying, but telling her the truth was just asking for trouble.
“Higher or lower?” she asked, twirling her rings again .
“Higher.”
“Seven?”
“Higher.”
“Nine?” she asked, eyes wide and ridiculously beautiful.
Shoot. He might as well seal his fate. It was impossible to resist her when she asked for anything.
“Higher.”
Anna’s smile spread wide, and she clasped her hands in excitement.
Well, she clasped her right hand. The left one was still injured, and something shiny fell to the floor.
She gasped. “I dropped my ring.”
“I’ll get it.” Beau slid out of his seat and knelt beside the table. The ring shone underneath the table. He picked it up and handed it to her.
A loud gasp from a woman behind him drew his attention. The woman was staring at him with a wide-open mouth.
“He’s proposing!”
Good gravy, he was kneeling in front of Anna holding a ring between them.
When he turned back to Anna, her hand covered her mouth, trying to hide a mischievous smile.
Take the ring. Take the ring. Take the ring!
As soon as she removed her hand from her mouth, his stomach sank .
“Yes!”
Oh no. She was having the time of her life acting in front of a crowd, and he’d just gotten himself roped into it.
The entire restaurant erupted into cheers, and Anna sprang to her feet, practically jumping for joy.
Beau stood and pulled her close until they were nose to nose.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
“Just having fun,” she said, giggling through every word.
Beau shook his head, but she was actually cutting through his walls with her joy. “You’re a menace.”
Chants pulsed around them. “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”
The warm vanilla of her hair drew him in as he leaned closer. “Sounds like they want a show,” he said as the crowd chanted on.
Anna’s smile faded as she glanced down at his lips before looking back up to pin him with her blue eyes. “What do you want?”
That was the moment that all restraint flew out the window. Without even stopping to think, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his mouth to hers.
Her hand slid around his neck as she melted into his arms. The restaurant erupted into a wild roar, but he heard everything through a fog. Nothing existed except the woman in his arms. He kissed her madly, and she met each move match-for-match.
Someone behind him shouted, “Get a room!”
Remembering this was a family restaurant, he broke the kiss and blinked past the haze in his vision. Anna stared at him with a look that straddled the line between shock and terror.
Before he had a chance to freak out, she rose onto her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
Everyone was clapping and whistling, but Beau was paralyzed. Had he just kissed Anna for the first time in front of dozens of people?
Shoot, the fact that he was thinking about it as the first time wasn’t good. He already wanted more.
Anna held out her hand, and Beau slipped the ring onto her finger. She held it above her head for everyone to see.
It was all for show. They’d just played a whole room full of people, and Beau’s heart was about to tear out of his chest. He wasn’t proposing marriage, but what would it be like if Anna Harris really said yes to him?