by Burton, Jaci
She closed the door, then went back into the bedroom to finish getting ready. She’d already taken a quick shower after work. So after she did her hair and makeup, she got dressed, put on a pair of chandelier earrings, then headed into the kitchen, debating whether she wanted to pour herself a glass of wine to calm her nerves.
Why was she nervous, anyway? It wasn’t like this was a big deal. It was just dinner with her friendly next-door neighbor.
Oh, right, Carmen. Your hot-as-hell, abtastic, sexy next-door neighbor who you’ve fantasized about for years.
Then again, for all she knew, Rafe really was just interested in dinner, and nothing more.
Wouldn’t that be the most ironic thing of all? Here she was, obsessing over tonight, when likely all he wanted to do was thank her with a nice dinner and a handshake by the door at the end?
She laughed and went to the fridge to pour herself a glass of wine.
CHAPTER 9
RAFE COULDN’T REMEMBER OBSESSING SO MUCH OVER what to wear for a dinner date. He finally settled on dark jeans and a blue-and-white thin-striped button-down shirt. Who knew this was going to be such a big deal?
But he had to remember to make this as laid-back and casual as possible, so he wouldn’t spook Carmen into bolting from the restaurant. After talking to her grandfather, he decided to take things easy. She was obviously skittish about dating and men in general since her marriage broke up. He didn’t know the details, and it wasn’t his business to know. All he wanted to do was show her that he was one of the good guys.
He backed his truck down the driveway and pulled into Carmen’s. He could have walked over, but he figured since this was a date he’d pick up Carmen the right way rather than having her walk across the lawn to his house. Plus he’d seen the lightning, and he didn’t want Carmen to get wet if it started to rain.
He rang the doorbell and waited. No one answered, so he frowned and rang the bell again.
He heard footsteps, and Carmen opened the door, knocking him back on his heels.
She had on a sundress that clung to her gorgeous curves. Her hair was down, she had makeup on, her lips were painted some dark color that drew his attention to her mouth and suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss her. And maybe run his fingertips over all her exposed skin to see if it was as soft as it looked.
Slow. The. Fuck. Down.
Good reminder. So he smiled and said, “You look amazing.”
She gave him a hesitant smile. “Thanks. So do you. Also, you didn’t mention where we were going, so if this outfit is too much, or not enough, I can change.”
“You’re perfect for where we’re going.”
“Oh, good.”
“Is your grandpa here? Do you need to do anything for him before we go?”
“No. He’s out tonight with friends, and they’ll settle him in when they bring him home.”
“Great. Then we can go.”
“Okay. Let me grab my wrap and my purse.”
He watched her as she walked down the hall toward the living room, then leaned over to fetch her purse from the sofa. He tried not to ogle the way the sundress caressed her butt, making him itch to explore her globes with his hands.
Dude. Get your head in the game.
He cleared his throat and turned his back on her, forcing himself to think of anything other than Carmen’s hot body.
When she pulled the door shut and brushed by him, she offered up a smile. “I’m ready.”
So was he. So, so ready.
He went out to his truck and opened the passenger door. She gave him a curious look as she stepped up.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
He closed the door, then walked around to the driver’s side and got in. He pulled out of the driveway and down the street, making his way toward the highway.
After he pulled into a lane on the highway, he said, “You gave me a look.”
She shifted to face him. “I did?”
“Yeah. When you got into the truck.”
“Oh.” She let out a soft laugh. “It’s been a long time, like, a very long time, since someone has opened and closed the door for me when I got into a car.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So you don’t date much.”
“Honey, I don’t date at all.”
He slanted a quick look at her. “Then I’ll do my best to make this one good for you.”
She gave him that look again, the one that told him she didn’t believe that what was happening to her was real.
Who the hell had she been out with before? And what kind of an asshole was her ex?
Don’t worry, Cinderella. I’ll make you feel special.
He had thought to go low-key tonight, to approach this as a friendly dinner. But now he saw that Carmen needed to be treated like a princess, that it had been far too long since someone had put her needs first.
He was just the guy to do that.
They made small talk about their workday during the twenty-minute car ride, which reminded him how well they got along, how easy it was to be with her. Usually, first dates were full of tension, not knowing the person, trying to grasp at what to talk about. With Carmen, conversation flowed naturally. They always seemed to have a lot to talk about.
He pulled into the parking lot at Serafina.
“I hope you like Italian,” he said after he turned off the engine.
“I love Italian. I’ve never eaten here. I’ve heard this place is fancy and expensive.”
His lips curved. “The food is great. Come on, let’s go.”
He got out and came around to her side, holding out his hand to help her out of the truck. She hesitated, then took his hand and stepped down.
“Thanks.”
They started toward the door, but she stopped, so he did, too.
“You know, I’d have been fine with some taco place near the water,” she said.
“Good to know. I like tacos, too. We’ll do that some other time.” He held out his arm, and she looked at him, then sighed and linked her arm with his.
She might not be fully on board with this yet, but before the night was over, he intended to make sure Carmen had zero hesitations about the fact that the two of them were on a date.
CARMEN WASN’T SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS WHOLE thing with Rafe, but she was hungry. Plus he was gorgeous and he smelled good, so she was going to follow through.
The restaurant was beautiful with its blue light undertones, lending it a warmth that was romantically atmospheric. Rafe gave his name at the front desk, and they were seated right away at a table outside next to the water.
Their server presented them with menus and a wine list.
Rafe looked over the wine list, then handed it to her. “Let me know what looks good to you.”
“You don’t like wine?”
“I like wine. I just thought you might want to choose a bottle for us.”
That was a first. Tod always ordered wine and food for her, as if she didn’t have a mind of her own. One of the many things she’d wholeheartedly disliked.
She perused the list, then looked up at him. “I like both reds and whites. Do you have a preference?”
He shook his head. “I’m good with whatever you decide.” She couldn’t help but sigh with happiness.
When their server returned, she ordered the Bortoluzzi Merlot. “Very good,” their server said.
Rafe smiled.
“Is that okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I like merlot.”
She leaned back in her chair and opened her menu, then studied Rafe. “I didn’t take you for a wine drinker.”
“Why’s that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Because of my looks? Because of my job? My background? You do realize those things have nothing to do with liking wine.”
She realized she had preconceived notions about Rafe, and that was her mistake. “I’m sorry. You’re ri
ght.”
“I took a wine trip with a friend a few years back. Decided I liked the taste. Not as much as beer, mind you. But a good wine is worth drinking.”
She laughed. Now that sounded more like Rafe. “Of course.”
She studied the menu as their server returned with the wine, opened the bottle and poured a sample into each of their glasses. Rafe deferred to her—again—so she tasted the wine.
It was smooth, and excellent, so she nodded to the server, who filled both glasses.
“Nice choice,” Rafe said, swirling the liquid around in his glass.
She was mesmerized by his hand on the glass, the expert way he held his fingers on the stem. And, okay, maybe she just liked his hands, and had thought about what it would feel like to have his fingertips exploring her neck, her collarbone, and lower.
She shivered.
“Cold?” he asked.
It was about eighty-five degrees out, and her shivering had been all about her fantasies and had nothing to do with the weather. She shook her head. “No, I’m fine, thanks. So, where was your wine trip?”
“Napa Valley.”
“With a woman, I’m guessing?”
“Yeah. She was in sales and won the trip for hitting her goals. So she asked me to go with her.”
“Nice perk.”
“Sure was. A weekend in Napa, wine tours, great hotel, amazing food. We had fun.”
She swirled her finger over the rim of her wineglass. “And then what happened?”
“We dated for a couple of weeks after that, but she got a job transfer to Boston, so we ended things.”
“Just like that? No sad goodbyes?”
His lips curved. “No sad goodbyes. She had already put in for the promotion, so she knew she might be moving soon and was up front about that from the time we started dating. I let her know I wasn’t interested in anything serious, so we knew from the get-go that we were just in it for a good time.”
“Easy for both of you, then, I guess.”
“It was.”
“I suppose that’s how you like it.”
“Like what?”
“Your dating life. Easy, with no emotional investment.”
He took a sip of wine and set the glass down on the table. “Makes it uncomplicated that way. No one gets hurt.”
“But you don’t get to fall in love that way.”
They were interrupted by their server, who came over to take their order. Carmen ordered the Fra Diavolo, and Rafe ordered Osso Buco D’Angello, along with salads.
After their server left, Rafe slanted a smile at her.
“Is that what you’re looking for?” he asked.
“What?”
“To fall in love?”
“Oh, God no. Never again.”
He laughed. “That sounded definite.”
She hadn’t meant to put it out there that forcefully, but now that it was, she supposed she should explain why. “I was married for two years. Granted, we were both very young and we shouldn’t have done it. It was a stupid mistake, and one I don’t intend to make again.”
“I don’t know, Carmen. If you were young, you probably learned something from it. You don’t mean to tell me you’re planning to spend the rest of your life alone, are you?”
She finished off her glass of wine and reached for the bottle. Rafe grabbed it and poured for her.
“Thanks. And my life is full right now. I have my job and my grandpa, and there’s no room in it for me to make another stupid mistake.”
“So you don’t trust your own judgement when it comes to men? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Not at all. I’m a lot smarter now than I was when I was twenty-one.”
“Which means you know exactly what you want—and what you don’t.”
“True.”
“And who the good guys are versus the bad guys.”
“Of course.”
“Well, you’re out to dinner with me. That makes me one of the good guys, right?”
She smiled at him, admiring his confidence, but she needed to set him straight. “We’re not on a date.”
“Let’s say we were.”
“But we’re not.”
“What if I wanted to make this a date? Officially.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Rafe.”
“Carmen.”
The way he looked at her, his lips tilted just short of a full smile, his eyes dancing in a way that told her he was amused, should irritate her. But for some reason it didn’t. Maybe it was because he was so incredibly fine looking, and maybe because he wasn’t a stranger to her. She knew Rafe. He was fun and playful, with an incredible sense of humor. He wasn’t making fun of her, he was trying to engage her. The man oozed charm, and she found that a bit irresistible.
Fortunately, she could resist just fine.
“You don’t want to date me.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I’m not the dating type. I’m cranky and I have baggage.”
He arched a brow. “We all carry baggage around, babe. And you’re not cranky. Not with me, anyway.”
“Have you ever had your heart broken?”
“Yes.”
His answer was quick. “I didn’t know you’d ever been in a relationship.”
“I’m not talking about a relationship.”
“Oh.” Now he was delving into deeper waters, and she wasn’t sure either of them was ready to talk about that. “Okay. So you know what that feels like.”
“Yeah. And how hard it is to trust that anyone you care about won’t do the same thing to you.”
He was hitting all her buttons right now, and she didn’t know what to do about that. But saying all the right things didn’t mean she was going to fall into his arms, because she’d already been with someone who’d done that. And when it had come down to doing all the right things, he had failed.
So she sipped her wine and thought about the things he had said. And all through dinner they talked, getting to know each other in ways they hadn’t when they’d just been neighbors.
“I moved in with my grandpa after the divorce. He’d had a home care worker who was coming in twice a day to cook and help care for him, but it was becoming obvious he needed more.”
“It seems to have worked out well for both of you. Jimmy has you there, and you have a place to hide out from the world.”
She frowned. “Hey. It’s not like that at all.”
“Isn’t it? I mean, yeah, in the beginning it was great. You needed to heal, and staying there was perfect. Family is everything when you’re hurting, and Jimmy needed you.”
“He still does.”
“Jimmy likes feeling independent.”
She stabbed shrimp onto her fork, then lifted it and pointed it at him. “Oh, he told you this himself?”
Rafe shrugged. “He didn’t have to. He’s a man who’s still in good enough shape to mostly take care of himself, with a small amount of assistance. But you baby him and treat him like an invalid.”
She’d never been more insulted in her life. “I’m a nurse, in case you forgot that, and I’m more than capable of assessing my grandfather’s medical needs.”
Rafe pushed his plate to the side, seemingly unaffected by her rising anger. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Carmen. I’m just saying that it seems to me that your grandpa gets along just fine. He goes out with his friends to play cards, he gets regular therapy for the side of his body weakened by the stroke he had several years ago, and other than maybe requiring some assistance now and then, he appears to be able to care for himself just fine.”
She lifted her chin. “He needs me.”
“Or maybe it’s you that needs him. And so in your mind you’ve decided that he’s worse off than he really is.”
Fucking douchewipe. She should walk out of there, grab a Lyft and head home. She didn’t need this. Unfortunately, her food was delicious, and she’d be damned if she’d bail on an excellent Fra Diavol
o. No man was worth leaving a good meal.
So she pierced her fork into her noodles and swept some up. “How is it that you think you know me so well that you can make assumptions like this?”
While she was chewing, he said, “I don’t. I’m just trying to liven up the conversation.”
She swallowed and took a drink of her wine. “By pissing me off?”
“Oh, come on, Carmen. You don’t want to talk about the weather, do you?”
“Wait. Those are the only topics? My hiding from relationships by living with my grandfather, and the weather?”
“Not the only topics. Do you want me to tell you how beautiful you are? Because I could spend about an hour on how soft your hair looks, on the way your eyes sparkle in the moonlight, how delicate your fingers are and how much I’d like to kiss your shoulders.”
She blinked. Hold on. What was happening here. First he insulted her, and now he was waxing poetic about her damn shoulders?
Who the hell was this guy? Some Jekyll and Hyde personality? One minute he was an insulting dipshit, the next a romantic?
“I don’t know what to make of you, Rafe. I thought you were a nice guy.”
His lips curved. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, so now you’re going to tell me you’re a bad boy? Because if you are, I’m not interested.”
He laughed, seemingly so relaxed she even found that irritating. “I don’t even know what that means. I’m neither, Carmen. I’m just me. I like to tease, and I also like to compliment. But I’m always honest. And sometimes that means saying things that people don’t like to hear.”
“Oh, you mean about me living with my grandfather. Or, should I say, hiding out at my grandfather’s house.”
He shrugged. “Just calling it like I see it.”
“Well, you’re wrong about that.”
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“Go out with me.”
This was ridiculous. “I am out with you. Right now.”
“No, I mean really go out with me. You bent over backward making sure tonight was going to be labeled nothing more than a thank-you dinner.”
“So it wasn’t?”
“It was. I want more.”
She cocked a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Not like that. I mean, yeah, like that. I like you, Carmen. I want to see you. Like, a lot. Going out. Dating. Doing fun things together. Romance. Kissing. Sex. The whole thing that you do when you’re attracted to someone.”