She set a hand on his thigh, feeling the heat of his skin through the denim of his jeans, the muscle there hard. Her insides lit up, hot and quivering.
He drew back slowly, his tongue lingering on her bottom lip, his eyes dark and hazy. “Wow. Every time I kiss you, it blows my mind.”
She stared at him, her breath coming in jerky pants, her skin burning. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his thumb over her wet lip. “Let’s ditch the bathroom remodel and spend the afternoon in bed.”
Her eyes widened. Oh God. That sounded so good. So decadent and hedonistic. “Wow.”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “Kidding.”
Disappointment deflated her. “Oh.”
One thick eyebrow lifted. “You really want to do that?”
She closed her eyes and drew in a long breath. “It sounded very tempting. But not very practical.”
“True. And I’d totally say fuck practical, but…I have plans for later for your bed.”
She swallowed. “Y-you do?”
“Oh yeah.”
She smiled. “What if I don’t put out after one date?”
His smile went wry. “Then I’ll be pissed at myself for going with delayed gratification instead of carrying your sweet little ass into the bedroom right now.”
He had nothing to worry about. She wanted him now, and she’d want him even more later. But she didn’t need to tell him that. Let him work for it. “All right, then. Back to work.”
Chapter Eighteen
“This place is beautiful.”
Tyler held Arden’s chair as she took her seat and gazed around the patio of Bistro Noir, then moved around the small table covered in a white cloth to his chair. He looked around too. It had been a while since he’d been there—this wasn’t the kind of place to hang with the guys and drink beer.
Old brick walls bordered the patio on two sides, and a wooden fence topped with a trellis laced with flowering vines ran along the other two sides. A couple of Japanese maples created a leafy canopy, and little white lights lined the walls and twinkled in shrubs. Pots of flowers added color and a fresh scent to the warm evening air, soft jazz music floating around them.
He turned his gaze back to Arden, and she smiled. “I love it.”
“Wait till you try the food.”
A server approached them to fill water goblets while they opened their menus. “Would you like to pick a bottle of wine?” Tyler asked her. “I think you know more than I do.”
“Sure. Would you like red or white?”
“I like red, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” She skimmed through the selections and ordered a bottle of pinot noir. Then she turned her attention to the food menu. “Wow. How am I going to decide?”
“I think we should get an appetizer,” Tyler said.
“I want one of everything,” she murmured, eyes still on the menu.
He studied her face—she was wearing a little more makeup than usual, her eyes shadowy and lips shiny. Her hair hung long and loose, and she’d dressed up in a black dress, sheer and floaty, with multiple little straps on bare shoulders. When she’d opened her apartment door a short time ago as he arrived to pick her up for their date, he’d been rendered speechless at seeing her in such a sexy dress. His gaze had followed her bare legs from the above-the-knee hem down to the strappy black sandals with killer heels that immediately had him imagining them over his shoulders.
This whole delayed gratification thing was worth it just to sit across from her and stare at her.
Eh, maybe not. If he didn’t get her under him, if he didn’t get inside her tonight, he was probably going to cry like a baby.
He swallowed a sigh and refocused. “I thought you’d like this place because most of the food is organic, and they try to buy from local farmers at this time of year.”
She nodded. “I see that.” She looked up from the menu and tilted her head, her dark hair falling over one shoulder. “You knew that’s important to me?”
“Um, yeah, I kinda got that from when we were at the farmers’ market and Whole Foods.”
“It’s important. We have to look after this world.”
“I guess so, yeah.” Truthfully, while he knew sustainable agriculture was important, and he did enjoy buying local foods at the market, it wasn’t something he thought about a lot. “I have to admit I’m kind of surprised you feel that way.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Because I’m a princess?”
Heat rose from the open collar of his dress shirt into his face. “Hell. I guess so.”
“You must have forgotten I was on the Environment Committee in high school.”
“I don’t think I even knew there was an Environment Committee.”
She laughed. “Princesses can be concerned about the planet too.”
“Yeah, of course. In fact, it makes total sense.”
“I like supporting local businesses too. Oh! I had the best idea today!”
He grinned. “What?”
“The breakfast I’m catering for Jamie…I was trying to figure out a way to make it special, and I was thinking about all the vendors at the farmers’ market…I could use all local products. Jams and honeys…breads…cheeses…”
He watched her eyes light up talking about it. “That is a great idea.”
“I’ve wanted to buy all that stuff, and support those people and try their products, but I can’t afford to myself. But for this…it would be perfect!”
“Yeah.” It really was a good idea. “You’re amazing, Arden.”
She shook her head, smiling, dropping her gaze back to the menu. “How about escargots? Or mussels? Or…yum, this caramelized onion strudel sounds good too.”
“Let’s get two appetizers and share them.”
The more he got to know about Arden, the more he realized how superficial the crush he’d had on her back in the day was. Okay, not totally superficial; he knew she was more than a pretty face. But the intelligence and caring and strength he was seeing now made her even more beautiful in his eyes.
He was so fucked.
Letting out a short sigh, he too turned his attention to the menu, although he already knew he was going to order the steak frites. The steak which was sustainably raised beef.
“This place is pricey,” Arden whispered to him.
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.” He could afford a nice meal out once in a while.
She bit her lip, looking conflicted, then nodded, reminding him of her money situation.
The server arrived with their wine, pouring a little for Arden to taste. She gave a nod of approval, and the server filled their glasses, then disappeared again while Arden continued to peruse the food selections. Finally she decided and closed the menu, setting it aside. Picking up her wine, she leaned forward and lifted her glass in a toast. “Thank you for this.”
He touched his glass to hers with a gentle clink. “You’re welcome.”
She sipped her wine, glancing around. The best word to describe the patio was “romantic,” which was totally what he’d been going for, but he could see the wariness in her eyes.
He tasted the wine. “This is really good.”
“It is.”
They made some small talk until the server came to take their order. For her meal, Arden requested the salmon.
“So have you talked to Mila?” she asked him, picking up her glass again.
“Not really. Jamie told me about her and Garth breaking up. Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“No?” She lifted an eyebrow.
He shook his head. “I’ve been wondering about things between them for a while now.” He related some of the incidents he’d noticed.
“That’s very perceptive of you.”
He shrugged. “Just observant. Is Mila okay?”
“Yes. We got drunk together and talked it all out. She’ll be fine.”
“Jamie and I are gonna go see Garth and beat him up.”
She laughed. “You are not.”
“Okay, maybe not beat him up. But for sure I’m gonna have a little chat with him.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know if you should interfere.”
He shrugged. “She’s a friend. We look out for each other. Don’t look like that. It’ll be fine.”
“Ooookay.” She paused. “Jamie was so funny the night she came up and told us.”
“Funny how?”
“He was obviously very uncomfortable because she was upset, but he almost looked…upset too.”
“They’ve been friends for a long time.”
“True. Anyway, we’re going have a girls’ night some time. Go to a club and dance and flirt with a bunch of men.”
Tyler frowned. “You’re going to flirt with a bunch of men?”
“Shhh.” Her eyes darted around, and he realized he’d nearly shouted.
“Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “But seriously…?”
She smiled. “What’s wrong with a little flirting?”
How the hell did he even answer that question? There was everything wrong with a little flirting, unless the man she was flirting with was him.
He pulled in a long slow breath, working for control. He’d gotten her here, on this dinner date, in this romantic restaurant, but she didn’t think she was ready for a relationship, so he had to keep things casual and light. But the possessiveness inside him was growing, the powerful, protective need to claim her as his, to look after her and make her life as perfect as he could. It was making it damn hard to keep his hands off her, to keep from forbidding her to flirt with any other man. Hell, she shouldn’t be smiling at any other man. And it was making it damn hard to keep from telling her exactly how he felt about her.
Too soon.
Their appetizers arrived, and they continued to talk as they shared the small dishes—about his job, the upcoming beer festival being held in Oz Park, and the plan to go to the Firefly Supper Club Friday night. She shared more of her ideas about the breakfast she was catering, how she’d collected business cards last weekend and had already made a few calls to some of the vendors, and she told him about something she was working on at Shenanigans—a service manual, she called it, which Liam hadn’t asked her to do but which she’d taken on herself after seeing a need for it when she’d been hired.
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.” Tyler held a mussel shell in one hand and a small fork in the other. “It sounds like it’ll make training new staff easier, and that helps everyone.”
“Including the customer. They apparently have a lot of staff turnover.” She scrunched up her face. “Why is that, do you think?”
“No idea.” Tyler popped the mussel into his mouth.
“It’s not that Liam’s a bad guy to work for. And Sorcha is great too, although she’s a little stern at times.”
“I think she has to be, because Liam’s such a pushover.”
“He kind of is. I love him, though.” She tilted her head. “What’s with you and Sorcha?”
He went still and dropped his gaze. “What? Nothing.”
“Yes, there is. I saw the way she was talking to you last weekend. Oh my God.” Her mouth dropped open. “She’s not your ex-girlfriend, is she?”
“No! Christ no. We’ve never gone out. But…”
“What?”
“I think she has a crush on me.” He shifted on his chair. “She doesn’t really hide it.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “You’re not…interested? She’s lovely.”
He lifted his head to meet her eyes, moving his head from side to side. “No. Not interested in her. Not even a little.”
The moment stretched out, the air around them growing hot, as if a bubble surrounded their table, capturing them inside it together, the rest of the world on the outside. He didn’t try to hide his feelings, and knew she could read his face.
The only one I’m interested in is you.
He wanted so damn badly to say it out loud. He didn’t. But she knew.
Her lips parted and her tongue came out to wet her bottom lip. Watching it, his groin tightened and heat gathered in his core. Fuck, he wanted her.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she choked out.
“Like what?”
“Like…like you want to jump me.”
“I do.” His disclosure made the air around them buzz even more with tension. He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “I want to do you right here on this table.”
She made another small sound in her throat, and he hardened even more. A flush rose on her cheeks. He kept staring at her, and heat built between them as they eyed each other.
Finally she broke the connection, picked up her fork, and stabbed at the onion strudel on her plate. “Okay! So. If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?”
He stared at her with the abrupt shift in conversation. “What?”
She repeated the question with a nervous smile, picking up her wine glass.
“Um, okay.” He thought about it. “I would say…no biting during oral.”
She choked on her wine and took a few seconds to recover. “Really? One rule and that would be it?”
He grinned. “You were thinking bigger picture? Like, everyone should always be on time?”
She smiled too. “If punctuality is important to you, then yes.”
“I thought you were talking about sex rules.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I dunno. I just think about sex a lot, I guess.” Sex with you. “Also, if you have to spit, don’t do it in front of the guy.”
She fell back in her chair, laughing. Thank God she had a sense of humor. “What is it about spitting that offends men?”
“How would you feel if a guy went down on you and then ran straight to the bathroom to rinse his mouth out?”
“Um, okay, I see your point.”
“I’m not offended by it, per se, but it’s just nice if a woman doesn’t act like she’s disgusted by it, that’s all. There are lots of ways around it, if she doesn’t want to swallow.”
“Um…much as I can’t believe we’re talking about this as our romantic dinner conversation…like what?”
“Like, direct it onto her, uh…” He glanced around and leaned forward again to whisper. “Onto her chest. Or somewhere else.”
“Ah.” She shifted in her chair, her long eyelashes lowering.
“But I don’t need to ask your personal preferences about that.” He gave her an evil leer.
“I guess you don’t.” She met his gaze steadily, but her lips twitched. “Wow, I was just trying to start a get-to-know-each-other conversation and I can’t believe we jumped right into a discussion about oral sex.”
“You’re welcome.”
The smile tugged the corners of her lips higher, and she shook her head.
“Okay, if this is about getting to know each other better, what sex rules do you have?”
Another laugh slipped from her lips. “Oh my God. Well…number one rule…foreplay is not optional.”
He grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Good one.”
“Also, since we’re talking about oral…don’t expect to receive if you aren’t willing to give.”
He smiled with a slow wink. “I think we already know I’m a giver that way.”
Arden’s cheeks grew pink again. “Um, yes. That’s true. And…” She hesitated, then said, “And you’re very good at it.”
His lungs expanded with pride. “Thank you.”
“Maybe this is a good time to ask you about those Lora Leigh books.”
He hoisted an eyebrow. “You were checking out my books?”
“I happened to notice. I like her books too.”
“She writes great sex.”
“Are you telling me you learned about sex from reading romance novels?”
“They’re not romance. They’re fantasy.”
“They’re romance.”
“Okay whatever.” He shrugged. “I may have picked up a few tips. But mostly, I just like doing it, so…”
She let out a strangled-sounding sigh.
He knew just how she felt. “Yeah, I know, we haven’t even gotten our main courses yet, and I’m ready to throw you over my shoulder and take you home.”
Heat flared in her eyes, lust mingling with amusement. “I’m ready for that too.”
He let out a low groan. “Christ. Now we’re both going to be in agony.”
“Maybe we should stop talking about sex. That might help.”
“Yeah. Okay.” He cast around in his mind for a new topic. “How are your parents?”
“Yeah, that’ll do it.” Arden wrinkled her nose. “They’re good. They love living in Florida now. It’s so weird. My grandma has lived there for years, and they used to make jokes about the retirement community, and now they’re part of it. They don’t seem old enough for that.”
“They did retire young.”
“But my dad hasn’t totally retired. He still does some consulting work.”
“Right. Do you visit them there?”
“I have a couple of times. They have a great place with a pool, so it’s a nice place to relax. Not wild and exciting.” She wrinkled her nose, smiling. “But relaxing.”
“You like to travel?”
“I love to, but haven’t done much. Michael never wanted to. You?”
“Yeah, I love it too. Jamie and I make a point of taking a week trip somewhere hot every winter. Claire and I went to England last year.”
“That’s your ex-girlfriend?”
“Yeah.” He enjoyed the way her eyes narrowed at that.
“And what about your mom? Is she still working?”
“Yeah. She’s still at the hospital.” He paused. “She wants to fix me up with her friend’s daughter.”
Arden blinked. “Oh.”
He shrugged. “I told Mom I’m not interested in her.”
“So she wants you to be an accountant, and she wants you to get married.”
He rolled his eyes. “Pretty much, yeah. And don’t forget the grandchildren. Jesus. I’m not ready for that.”
“But some day you want kids.”
He shrugged. “Sure. Some day.”
Firecracker: A contemporary romance Page 19