Chapter 14 Butterflies
Butterflies
“Deal. I’m having way too much fun.” A flush crept up Kate’s cheeks, accompanied by a surge of both excitement and uncertainty. Her skin prickled with awareness, heat blooming across her face.
Did he just call her beautiful? She had felt his gaze lingering on her, sending a tingle down her spine that started at the base of her neck and cascaded like champagne bubbles all the way to her fingertips, but doubt gnawed at her—sharp-toothed and persistent—was it genuine admiration or simply the typical male appreciating a woman in front of him?
“So, what’s next? We just wait for your sheriff and Ghost to get back to you?” She glanced between Zach and Nick, her fingers twisting together. She hated waiting—it made her antsy, like her skin was too tight for her bones.
“Yes, that’s it. Neither one should take long,” Zach’s deep, gravelly voice resonated in her bones. His presence evoked a sense of security, like standing in the shadow of an ancient oak during a storm.
“I’m going to head back in and call Logan—give him a bit more info on what’s happening.” With a lazy salute to Nick and a warm smile to Kate that crinkled the corners of his eyes, he strode back inside, his boots making a solid, reassuring sound against the stone, leaving her alone with Nick.
“Such an exciting life you lead!” The words tumbled out, lighthearted, but laced with a need to make him smile—she loved seeing the genuine smile he hid behind the practiced facade he wore, the way it transformed his entire face and made something in her tighten with pleasure.
“Corporate espionage, spies. You know, I could write a bestseller from this.”
Nick chuckled, the sound a balm to her anxious heart, warm and rich like honey drizzled over toast. Yes! Her spirit soared, light as a feather caught in an updraft.
“Don’t forget to change the names to protect the innocent.
And the rest of us, too.” His smirk carried a playful edge, but shadows flickered in his eyes—dark and quick as a passing cloud—a hint of seriousness infringing on their banter.
It tugged at her heart, weaving a thread of concern through the levity of the moment.
“What’s wrong? You seem a little off.” Kate couldn’t keep the sliver of unease from her voice, which came out softer than intended, almost tender.
A wisp of surprise crossed Nick’s face, his eyebrows lifting, before he offered her a sexy smile, the kind that lit up his emerald eyes like sunlight through sea glass and set off a swarm of butterflies, their wings beating frantically against her ribs.
“You are indeed observant. Nothing is wrong, per se. I’m just trying to figure out how to ask you to dinner while we’re still hiding here from the staff.”
Kate’s heart raced, thundering so loudly she was certain he must hear it, her breath hitching in her throat as she stared at him in shock.
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. She had hoped Nick might be interested in something more but hadn’t really expected it.
As she had told Callie, why would Prince Charming choose ordinary her?
Sure, she was reasonably attractive, but not like the stunning women often photographed with him—women with razor-sharp cheekbones and legs for days.
Nick continued, his voice dropping to something more intimate.
“We could eat here at the residence, but knowing my pain-in-the-ass brothers, they would either invite themselves or keep interrupting. I can’t invite you to my suite for a private meal on a first date; you might think I expect something in return. ”
He ran a hand through his dark hair, the gesture endearingly uncertain, mussing the styled strands, before meeting her eyes with an intensity that made her pulse quicken and cheeks flush with warmth.
The air between them crackled with possibility.
“So, if I can figure out arrangements, would you join me? I’d love to get to know you better. ”
“I would like that.” Her heart fluttered, and the rest of the world melted away—the residence, the corporate espionage, everything fading to a soft blur until only Nick remained in sharp focus.
“It may not be normal for a first date,” she said playfully as she met Nick’s gaze, noting the flecks of gold in those green eyes, “but we can cook in my suite.” A teasing smile danced on her lips as she glimpsed his surprised expression, his mouth opening slightly.
“Your brothers wouldn’t bother us there, right?
And after meeting Marguerite, I’m sure I’d be safe with you. ”
Mirth sparkled in his voice like sunlight on water.
“Oh, yeah. She’d skin me alive if I ever hurt a female in any way!
” The warmth of his tone made her heart stutter, skip a beat, then resume in double-time.
“Dinner at your place sounds wonderful. If it cools off a bit, we can sit out on the pergola. And no, my brothers wouldn’t intrude there since we consider it your space. ”
Anticipation warmed her from the inside out, a glow settling in her chest, as she imagined the soft glow of string lights dancing above them in the pergola, the evening air carrying the scent of jasmine and the promise of something new.
“Let’s see... you had salmon for lunch, so you must like seafood. Unfortunately, that’s one of the few things I cook well.” His playful admission made her chuckle, the delighted sound bursting from her throat, easing the tension knotting her stomach into tight little balls.
Kate leaned back, laughter bubbling up like a spring as she listened to Nick proffer silly dinner ideas—at one point suggesting they order pizza and pretend they’d cooked it—before working his way to a serious offering.
“Ok, sounds good to me. You bring the steaks,” Kate replied, her voice lilting with anticipation. “I’ve got potatoes, so I’ll throw two in to bake. Do you like squash? I could roast some.”
The thought of preparing a meal together, the homeyness—the intimacy of moving around a kitchen, shoulders brushing, sharing tastes from wooden spoons—made her giddy, and her cheeks warmed with anticipation, heat prickling across her skin.
Nick offered his slow, gorgeous smile that brightened his face, transforming him from handsome to devastating, and Kate’s heart tripped over itself, stumbling like she’d missed a step on stairs.
“That sounds amazing,” he said, a joyous glint lighting up his piercing green eyes like emerald fire, making her stomach knot with something hopeful, a sweet ache of possibility. “I’ll bring a bottle of wine, too. We can finish preparing dinner together. Does 7 pm work?”
His gaze locked onto hers, a charged look that felt flirty, fun, and undeniably sexy, all in one heartbeat—like standing too close to a live wire.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through her, liquid lightning in her veins, pulse pounding in her throat, her wrists, behind her ears, as if preparing for a marathon.
The irreverent thought flittered through her mind that at this rate, she’d need a cardiologist before age 35—never mind she was only a year away.
“Perfect.” Kate rose from her chair, her legs slightly unsteady, muscles trembling with the overflow of emotion.
Melting into a puddle at Nick’s feet was a definite possibility if she didn’t get away from him soon, and she absolutely didn’t need that embarrassment—could already imagine herself as a literal puddle of goo on the flagstone! Travertine. Whatever.
“I’ll see you at seven,” she said, her voice bright but tinged with a nervous flutter, and slightly breathless.
She flashed him a smile before retreating to the sanctuary of her suite, his eyes on her back like a physical touch, warm and weighted.
A laugh escaped her lips at the unconventionality of it all—the sound giddy and disbelieving.
A kitchen date may not be a normal first-date, romantic outing, but excitement ignited a thrill, sparking and fizzing like fireworks, as she pondered what to wear for their unique first date, her mind already rifling through her wardrobe with frantic delight.