Chapter Six #2
Alex dabbed her lips with her napkin and placed it on top of her empty plate.
By the time they’d actually gotten a table at Red Cedar and Sage, she’d actually been starving.
Probably due to the fact she’d been too nervous to eat anything this morning.
The stupid D word kept running through her brain, making her jumpy and jittery.
Dumb, really, because it wasn’t like this was a real date or anything.
More like two acquaintances doing some sightseeing.
And, if she kept repeating it to herself, she might eventually believe it.
Thankfully, the biscuits and gravy at the restaurant were so delicious, they erased all of her weird, inner turmoil.
The dish was her one of her favorites—as in, anytime it was on the menu, she ordered it.
Normally, she tried to eat whole foods and made sure to work out regularly—it was more or less a job requirement—but she did indulge every once in a while.
Janelle was fond of saying Alex used food as a replacement for human contact of the intimate variety, only not in so many words, and way more directly. Honestly, she was okay with that. She glanced at Nick. At least, she used to be.
He was just finishing off his scramble. He’d ordered it without the lemon dill cream cheese sauce, which was too bad, because it was the kind of sauce you could bathe in and still want more. Or, maybe, you could pour it over someone and then lick it off…
Nope, not going there.
Smothering that thought before it got her hormones all in a flap, she picked up her tea and took a sip.
Watched him over the rim of the cup. Over the last little while, she’d learned he was exceptionally disciplined.
Even when they’d gone for lunch the other day, he’d ordered something practical.
She hadn’t missed the way his eyes tracked Em’s milkshake, though. Did he ever let himself indulge?
He took the last bite and sat back in his chair.
Honestly, he looked even better than the food she’d just inhaled.
His light blue button up shirt highlighted the width of his shoulders and his muscular arms. The top button was undone and the glimpse of skin had her hormones sitting up and taking notice.
She licked her lips. His gaze dipped to her mouth. The blue of his eyes darkened, deepened, becoming something she could easily get lost in.
The air around them practically sizzled. She came close to grabbing the drink menu and fanning herself. That wouldn’t be too obvious, would it?
“Anything else I can get you?”
Her gaze snapped to the waitress, who’d somehow come up to the table without either of them noticing. “No, thank you.” Her voice sounded weird, an unplanned hint of annoyance laced through the words. She cleared her throat. “Just the check, please.”
The waitress nodded and hurried away. She glanced at Nick. He’d shifted so his bent arm was resting on the back of the chair next to him. He gave her an amused look, not quite a smirk, but close. She then realized what she’d done.
Covering her mouth with her fingers, she felt her eyes widen. “Crap.” The words were muffled. “You didn’t want anything else, did you?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
The waitress whizzed by and slid the check on the table. “Take your time.” And then she was gone again.
Alex reached for the check at the same time he did. Their fingers brushed. A weird tingling raced over her skin, raising goosebumps. She pulled the paper toward her side of the table. He slid his hand over top of hers and held it still.
The heat of his palm seared her. Part of her wanted to pull away, but another part reveled in the burn. It had been a long, long, long time since anyone had touched her in a non-platonic fashion, and even though this touch was innocent, it felt like so much more.
“I’ve got it.” The quiet words, combined with the deep rumble of his voice, settled inside her and sank south. She shifted in her seat, the move automatic, and almost infinitesimal.
He must have noticed, however, because heat sparked in his gaze. He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. The soft, slow glide was hypnotic. She swore her heart beat changed to match the rhythm. Tick, tick, tick. She shivered and sucked in a quick, quiet breath.
“Ready here?” The return of the waitress shattered the spell.
This time, disappointment she couldn’t deny whipped through her. Did servers take some sort of special class that identified the most inopportune moment to ask a question?
“Yes.” He slid the check out from under her hand. She wanted to snatch the paper back, but resisted. Wrestling over the bill probably wasn’t the most mature solution. She did narrow her eyes at him, though. One side of his mouth tilted up.
Heat bloomed low in her belly, and she shifted again. That seriously charming half smile just about undid her.
He flipped the cheque over so the printed side was up. She couldn’t help but notice the handwritten name and telephone number scrawled across the top. Apparently, Candice the waitress wanted him to call her.
And that absolutely did not send a white-hot streak of jealousy crackling through Alex’s veins.
He didn’t react, just pulled his wallet out of his pocket and plopped his credit card on the table. Candice appeared almost instantly, the quickest she’d been all day, credit machine in hand.
“Ready?” Her smile was aimed specifically at him. He nodded. She picked up the card and swiped it. “I’m a really big fan.” Her voice was all breathy and, had she just batted her freaking eyelashes?
“Thanks,” he said. There was no inflection, no encouragement in his voice.
Candice handed the payment machine to him. He did his thing and handed it back to her without taking his eyes off of Alex.
Her cheeks tingled, and she was pretty sure the tips of her ears were pink. She glanced at Candice, who was staring at him. A handful of tense heartbeats later, Candice gave a curt nod and flounced away.
“That happen often?”
He gave a half shrug. “Not really. Sometimes.” He pushed his chair back. “Shall we?”
“Sure.” She stood and grabbed her coat and bag.
“Here, let me help you.” He took her coat and held it out so she could slip it on.
Very suave and gentlemanly. It was enough to make her swoon.
If she was the swooning type. Which she wasn’t.
The swoon had been stomped out of her when she’d found herself a divorcee and single mom at the age of twenty-two.
The restaurant was busy, the buzz of voices and the rattling of dishes bouncing around the space. It was a maze to get to the door.
He placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her. The light pressure sent her pulse on a joyride, kicking her hormones into high gear. It was an innocent touch, and yet she was ready to vibrate out of her skin.
The buzz of the restaurant, and the fact they’d kept the conversation over brunch neutral—mostly the weather and training and innocuous stuff—had helped to ease the tension between them. But, now that the meal was over, it was back with a vengeance.
The cold, crisp air outside provided a welcome burn against her warm skin.
“Where to now?” He stopped beside her, putting his hands in his pockets and glancing around. She was glad to see he was as unsure as she was about whatever was happening between them. At least, she thought he was, if the tension in his shoulders and back was any indication.
“Umm, do you want to go down to the water?” She waved in the direction of the ocean.
“Sure.” He finally looked at her, gave her that small smile. Boy, he was handsome. Not traditionally pretty, but more rugged. Her knees actually wobbled. “Lead the way.”
She turned and led him toward the back of the market.
They crossed the street, headed down toward the aquarium and pier.
It had been a long time since she’d done the touristy thing here in the city, and she’d forgotten how many stairs there were.
Was his knee going to be okay? This would put a lot of strain on the joint.
He seemed to be alright, although she couldn’t stop from glancing over at his knee every couple of seconds.
“While I appreciate the concern, my knee and I are fine.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but that didn’t stop heat from flaring in her cheeks. Had she ever blushed so much in her life?
They made it to the bottom, the salty scent of the sea calming her frazzled nerves.
She loved the ocean. It was one of the reasons she’d decided to stay in the city, even after she and Kevin had split.
That and because Em had carved out a life here.
She’d been in school, with her friends and social activities and everything.
The sunshine had brought out the people, and they were all milling about. She and Nick wandered along the pier in silence, the air between them alive with all sorts of tension. Not all of it bad. Depending on how you looked at it.
The sexual tension practically had a pulse of its own.
He stopped, leaned against the pier railing, and stared out at the water. She pulled up beside him, resting her forearms on the wood. The water sparkled in the sunshine, although there was a rough and choppy quality to it, too. Today, more than any other, she understood that restlessness.
She didn’t know what to do with any of her feelings. This whole attraction thing wasn’t something she had a whole lot of experience with. Kevin had been her first real boyfriend. Then she’d gotten pregnant, they’d gotten married, and romance had died.
And if she was being honest, he’d never made her feel the way Nick did. They hadn’t even done anything other than flirt a little, and she was tied up in knots.
She didn’t know if it was because she was older now, or because of their past connection, but there was something about him that, for the first time in forever, actually made her want to give into her rogue hormones.