24. Dinner and Some Movie Talk
24
DINNER AND SOME MOVIE TALK
Mara
We drove all over Pittsburgh, and by the time we drove away from a location where scenes from The Fault in Our Stars had been filmed, my virtual health bar was dipping into the red zone.
As we climbed back into Ford’s car, I slumped in my seat. “I think you’ve worn me out. I can’t squeeze another bit of movie trivia in my head..”
Ford gave me a quick look, then asked, “Hungry?”
“Famished.” My stomach grumbled in agreement.
“Let’s head back to Mt. Washington. I made reservations at a restaurant there with a spectacular view of the city.”
As we arrived at the restaurant, a valet took Ford’s keys and he escorted me inside. The interior was tastefully decorated in black and cream, with large windows that offered an amazing view of the city.
The hostess led the way to a table alongside the window. I barely noticed anyone around us because I kept my gaze firmly fixed on the startling view. Below us, Pittsburgh was drenched in sunlight. The world seemed to fall away as we gazed out at the city together.
“This has to be one of the most beautiful city views in the world,” I murmured, unable to tear my eyes away from the skyline.
Ford’s eyes were fixed on the view as well, but when he finally turned to me, his gaze was intense. “I need to include this in my movie,” he said, his voice low and rich.
I couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement at the thought of being a Ford turning Ghost into a movie. “You know, you said you wanted to show me around the city today,” I teased, “but I suspect you were actually working. Admit it. You were scouting film locations.”
Those blue eyes flickered with worry. “Would that bother you?”
The corners of my mouth quirked up. “I feel dirty. Used.”
His lips curved in a matching smile. “I can see I’ve traumatized you. I’ll have to think of some way to make it up to you.”
“I expect nothing less,” I replied, wiggling my eyebrows at him. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and I knew I wanted more than just a paltry kiss this time. If he was up for it, I was ready to collect.
Ford picked up the menu, his eyes smoldering briefly before he glanced away, and said, “Maybe if I feed you, you’ll forgive me.” I felt his leg slide against mine under the table.
I let out a long exhale, feeling way too good—the kind of good that makes you worry because you wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.
Quickly scanning the menu, I ordered an appetizer before focusing all my attention on Ford. The restaurant faded away as we talked, and I found myself more interested in him than the food. Ford was a tidal wave of passion, sweeping me into a surge of energy I didn’t know I’d been missing. His presence, his intensity—it was impossible not to feel alive around him.
Ford was an immersive experience.
All his passion. All his energy. It radiated off him, and I’d spent the day absorbing every bit of it, like a pale plant that had spent too long in the dark. I hadn’t even been aware of my pervasive lack of energy until it came flowing back into me. Ford’s passion and creativity had infused me and made me ready to take on the world.
The realization filled me with gratitude, and I knew I wanted more of this feeling, more of him. When the waiter brought the bay scallops appetizer, I watched as Ford spread butter onto a slice of rosemary bread. My mind drifted to what it would feel like to have those hands on me, savoring every inch of my body. I hadn’t felt that kind of touch in far too long, and I knew Ford would drive me wild.
As he took a bite of the bread, I imagined his lips grazing my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. Our gazes met, and I saw a dark intensity in his eyes that made me think he had read my thoughts or the flush on my skin.
I glanced down and focused my attention on the... scallops? Yes. That was what they were. I even remembered ordering them, barely. They were delicious, but my attention was entirely consumed by the man sitting across from me?—
—and visions of how the rest of tonight would unfold.
As we left the restaurant, every step felt like it was leading to one inevitable conclusion—I had to invite him up to my apartment and really kiss him, not just the teasing butterfly kisses we’d shared the other night. The way his hand brushed against mine made it impossible to resist the pull.
I needed to touch him.
Explore him.
Have sex with him.
Plain and simple.
Or hot and kinky. Heat slashed through me at the thought. I bet that man’s imagination could take us to some extremely interesting places.
But right now, I just wanted him.
“Dessert?” Ford asked.
I glanced at my empty plate, realizing with some surprise that I’d not only finished my appetizer but my main course as well. When had it arrived? What the heck had it even been?
I shook my head. “I couldn’t eat another bite...” because I’m dying to bring you home with me. I want your warm hands on my skin. I want your tongue tracing my lips before you dive in and make me yours. I want you to take me completely.
Ford’s fingers brushed mine as he tucked cash into the check holder, sending a jolt of electricity through me. When he stood and held out his hand, it felt like an invitation—to more than just leaving the restaurant. “Ready?”
As I stood up, he pulled out my chair and our bodies were suddenly close. I could feel the heat emanating from him, and it took all my willpower to resist the urge to lean in and kiss him. But the eyes of the other diners made me feel exposed, and I craved privacy.
Once outside, a valet brought Ford’s car and he opened the door for me. We drove home in comfortable silence, the lack of conversation feeling natural rather than awkward. I let myself relax into the moment, enjoying the warmth and comfort of being with him.
As the sun set, its glare blinding us, we pulled up at a stoplight on Ohio River Boulevard. Ford gestured toward a flower vendor and we pulled over. He selected a bouquet of pink roses, and as he handed them to me, he said, “These will look perfect with your green dress.”
“Are you sure you’re not secretly a color theorist?” I joked. “You sound like Chance. He was always going on about the color wheel and complementary colors, But seriously, thank you. They’re so romantic.” I inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers and smiled like a love-struck teenager. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
His eyes seemed to drink me in. “I like doing things that make you look this happy. Your smile, your eyes, they’re like sunshine to me. You just have this way of making me feel alive.”
I saw my own infatuation and desire reflected back at me in his gaze. Our hands connected and we interlaced our fingers.
This.
This was perfect, in every way.
The fading light bathed the city in soft hues of pink and orange as Ford pulled into a spot outside my store. The quiet hum of evening traffic faded into the background, leaving us in our own bubble of intimacy, isolated from the world. Other than a mother and daughter I spied on the sidewalk in the distance, my street was nearly vacant, which was fairly typical for a Sunday night.
“I had a wonderful time with you today,” I told him.
“So did I. More than you know.” We stopped at my door. He leaned toward me and barely grazed my lips with his. His mouth was soft and seductive. Then he repeated that gentle kiss a second time, leaving me trembling. My breath hitched in my throat.
This kiss.
This kiss that was barely a kiss... this subtle, devious kiss that set my body trembling with desire. Why did it drive me wild for him? I was a direct and forthright woman. Why did his astonishingly soft touch set me on fire, ablaze like the orange light of the setting sun that surrounded us?
I let him set the pace as he grazed his lips across mine a third time…teasing me. His butterfly softness set my entire body ablaze. I wanted him. Wanted him like I wanted air to breathe after diving into the deep end of the pool and staying underwater so long my lungs were starved of oxygen.
His hand caressed the side of my hip in exactly the way I had imagined when he’d buttered that roll in the restaurant, and I leaned into him, needing his touch. Needing him.
“You’re a dangerously seductive man,” I managed to murmur as all logic spun away from me. I didn’t want to retrieve it.
He inhaled sharply, his breath hitching as he leaned closer. “You bring out the devil in me, Mara Stellar,” he murmured. “You drive me absolutely wild.”
Before I could respond, a young girl’s voice shattered the moment. “Uncle Ford!” she shouted, her footsteps pounding toward us. “Where have you been all day?”
I froze, my breath catching in my throat as if the world had ground to a halt. Emma’s voice was like a director calling “Cut!” just as the scene was about to hit its climax, shattering the moment.
The last thing I wanted was to stop. All I really wanted was for Ford to fulfill the promise he’d been making with his lips.
He froze and then pulled away, turning to face a girl of around nine with the remains of a mostly eaten ice cream cone in one hand.
“Emma,” Ford said, smiling down at her. “How’s my favorite niece?”
“I’m your only niece,” she said, for the millionth time judging by the eye roll. “You have to see my movie,” Emma said, skewering him with pleading eyes. “Mom wouldn’t let me call you because she said you had plans all day. You’re back now though, so that’s good. I want you to come and see it.”
“I’m so sorry we’re interrupting your date. I’m Hailey, Ford’s sister,” the mother said. “We were just on our way home from the ice cream shop.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured.
Hailey nodded her head toward her daughter. “It’s been an exciting day. Emma and her friend filmed a short movie and she’s been dying to show it to Ford. I told her not to bother him since I knew you had plans together.”
“But you can come over now,” Emma said, bouncing up and down on her toes and swinging Ford’s hand back and forth. “You’re done, right? We can show the movie on the big television in our living room. We’ll pop popcorn. It will be just like watching it in a real movie theater.”
Ford looked from me to Emma and back again, reading my mood and clearly unsure how to reply.
I took in Emma’s excited face and realized that tonight was a bust. I might want Ford all to myself, but that clearly couldn’t happen right now. “It’s okay. You should go,” I said, giving a wobbly smile. Fortunately, my phone chimed with an incoming text, so I used reading it as an excuse to break away.
“Sure thing, Emma,” Ford said. “I’d love to come over.”
“Awesome!” Emma crowed.
I glanced at my phone and tapped out a quick message. “It’s Gertrude,” I told Ford. “She wants to know when I’m picking up Zephyr. I told her I was on my way.”
“Zephyr?” Hailey asked, her eyes lighting up. “Your dog?”
I nodded. “Yeah, my friend’s been watching him all day.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” Hailey offered. “The more the merrier.”
I hesitated, considering her offer. “Thanks, but no. He’ll be all squirrelly after being away from me all day. I should take him straight home.”
“Understood,” Ford said, turning to his sister. “I’ll head over to your place in a few minutes.”
Hailey took Emma’s hand. “Come on kiddo. Let Uncle Ford say good night to his friend.”
As they walked away, Ford closed the distance between us, and my heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry to end our night so abruptly,” he said, his voice low and regretful.
I shrugged under the weigh of my disappointment. “Me too, but what else could we do under the circumstances?”
Ford reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “Thanks for being understanding. Oh, and don’t forget to give Zephyr the treat I brought him this morning. He deserves it,” he said, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You deserve something special too.” His tone was soft. Teasing. It sent a shiver of desire down my spine.
Stupid shivers.
My heart raced at the playful note in his voice, and I couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of desire. “Can we try this again tomorrow?” I asked, my voice laced with hope.
He cupped my cheek. “That’s a promise.” He leaned in?—
I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, and then I felt him lean in, his breath hot against my skin. I prepared myself for the feel of his lips on mine, but then he whispered in my ear, “I can’t kiss you right now. If I do, I’ll never be able to leave. You’re a wicked, dangerous woman, Mara Stellar, like a siren tempting Odysseus to his doom.”
I pulled back, surprised by his words, and the absence of the kiss I so desperately craved. “You’re the one doing all the tempting and teasing right now,” I softly accused. “And if you’ll recall, Odysseus resisted the sirens. Just like you’re resisting me right now.”
Ford shook his head as he exhaled softly. “He only managed to hold out because he lashed himself to the mast. In this scenario, I think Emma is my mast.” He hesitated, then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, his body solid against mine. “Even so, if I stay here any longer, I won’t be able to tear myself away.”
My heart racing, I leaned in, my forehead resting against his. “You’re stretching the metaphor a bit thin,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Honestly, though, I think you should go. If you stay any longer, I won’t be able to let you leave.”
Ford sighed, his breath warm against my cheek. “You’re right,” he said, reluctantly stepping away.
Disappointment coiled in my chest as I watched Ford pull away, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the night—not yet. A flicker of mischief sparked inside me. “You have to make me two promises,” I said, my lips curving into a slow, deliberate smile.
“Anything.”
“First, promise you’ll take me someplace amazing tomorrow. Pick me up at one.” A spark of excitement coursed through me at the thought of spending another day with him.
“As you wish. And the second promise?”
I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear. “That our day together will have a much happier ending.”
Ford’s eyes darkened with a heat that made my heart race, and for a moment, I thought he might give in to temptation, pull me close, and make good on every promise his lips had whispered. But instead, he stepped back, that familiar longing still simmering in his gaze. “I promise,” he said, his voice a velvet caress. “I’ll pick you up at one.”