“A lot of dedication and hard work. I don’t like to be left behind and I also don’t like things to be handed to me. I want to earn them.”
He nodded slowly. That was something he could work with. “Interesting.” The waiter returned with the wine bottle and poured them each a glass.
“Thank you,” she softly said as the waiter excused himself.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Devon said. He lifted his glass and she did the same. “Here’s to hard work and dedication and the Feast of St. Valentine.” He tapped the edge of her glass and they slowly took a drink.
Aria saw a sparkle in his eyes. She looked at his pinstripe suit and red tie and could feel the power of his presence. She was sure that he worked hard to get to where he was. Perhaps they weren’t so different in that respect, but there was something more about him. He gave her that bad boy vibe, as if he was used to getting his way. She liked that and her feelings about the date continued to blossom. This was going to be a Valentine’s Day she wouldn’t soon forget.
Chapter 3
Dinner turned out exactly as Aria had played it out in her mind. The conversation was easy, the chemistry magnetic, and things were anything but awkward. A few times Aria caught him checking her out, his eyes moving over her in a way that could have made her uncomfortable, but didn’t. It was just Devon enjoying the way she looked and it made her feel feminine and attractive. What’s more, she wasn’t above checking him out, too. There was a connection between them that was undeniable and she didn’t want it to end.
When they finished their meal, she wondered whether things were going to get to the awkward silence stage but even then Devon was as charming as ever. “So, Aria, how’d you like the duck?” he asked with mischievous look.
She nodded and found herself with a cheesy smile. “I was a little skeptical. It was different but it was amazing. I loved it.”
His smile deepened. “That’s good. I’m glad to see that you are open to trying new things. I’m impressed.” He tipped his wine glass in her direction, before taking a sip. “Do you consider yourself adventurous?”
By the way he asked it, Aria had the feeling he wasn’t inquiring as to whether she would be willing to jump out of a plane or go ziplining down the Grand Canyon.
“I guess I used to be adventurous. But you grow up; things change. That being said, I am trying to broaden my horizons, be more spontaneous and live more on the wild side.”
He grinned and nodded. “That’s a very compelling response. I believe that one should think outside the box and do whatever it takes to add more life into their experiences. I think it’s great that you’re seizing opportunities. That’s all anyone should do.”
Aria was clearly taken in by the conversation, aroused by the subtle innuendos. She took a sip and was oddly pleased with herself that they were on the same wave length—that she’d given him the answers he was looking for. And she wasn’t lying to him. She did want to be more adventurous, but she just hadn’t had the opportunity to get there with the right guy. At least not yet.
After Devon finished his wine, he reached for the bottle and poured the remnants into his glass, sat the bottle down and reached his hand across the table, placing it over hers. His fingers lazily grazed over hers and their eyes locked in a heated battle of who would blink first. It was Aria. She blinked slowly, but that moment of hesitation brought Devon around to speaking once more.
“You’re a very captivating woman, Aria.”
She could feel her face grow flush and with the way his fingers touched hers, she wanted to stay in that position all night. “Thank you, Devon.”
He smiled softly, a tint of humor on his lips. Devon had been waiting all night to ask her the question and now was the time. “There’s just one thing that I’ve been curious about.”
He saw her swallow hard, her body shifting as he spoke.
“Sure. You can ask me anything,” she said.
He felt he could. He saw her as warm and genuine and maybe even a bit feisty. She was different. He’d begun to tire of the one-night stands. He’d reach the top of his profession but the sex had begun to feel empty, unexciting. He was ready for something else and Aria might just be that.
“What made you want to meet me?” he asked.
She frowned, her eyebrows creased, and it was like a switch went off. “Excuse me?”
“Well, Chris told me that you were dying to meet me and I was curious as to why. How did you know about me?”
She slowly pulled her hand back. “I don’t know where you got the idea that I wanted to meet you so badly,” she started. “I’m not the one that initiated this. I had no idea who you were and I didn’t Google you before tonight. Tyler, my friend, is the one who pushed for me to go out with you. End of story.”
He saw the anger and determination in her eyes. He considered that and slowly nodded. “Yes ... your friend, Tyler. I met him and he seemed like a nice guy. So, Tyler set this all up,” he said, winking at her. “We can go with that. You truly had no idea who I was? OK, I read you loud and clear.”
She could feel her anger rising. “It’s true,” she said. “I didn’t know your name until Tyler brought it up and said that I should meet you and even after that, I did not Google you. This was all Tyler and Chris’ doing. I don’t know what Chris told you, but I can assure you that I did not run out and try to pursue this. I’m sorry to burst your bubble.”
He saw Aria’s fiery side reappear and he liked it. “OK, I can see I was mistaken.”
“You better believe it,” Aria said. She felt like she had been set up to fail. She was upset that Chris made it seem like she wanted this when she had no idea who Devon Prescott was and even tried to get out it. The whole realization soured her mood and she felt sick to her stomach. “The evening was nice, but I think I’m just going to go,” she said abruptly. She couldn’t even make eye contact and she was mentally cursing herself for getting duped into this dinner.
“Don’t be like that,” he said. “I understand that I was wrong. It doesn’t have to change anything.”
She didn’t believe that. It changed everything. One minute she was enjoying herself and the next she was wanting his head on a platter because he was mocking her. It annoyed her to no end. How could she continue things when she felt as if she was going to come unglued around him?
“It would be best if we just part ways now,” she said. She stood up from her seat. “Thank you for supper. It was nice to meet you.” She started leave the table, but he wasn’t about to let her go that easily. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, then pulled himself up from the table.
“Dance with me,” he said. She turned around and stared at him pulling her wrist. He had grabbed her a little rougher than he intended and he noticed the look in her eyes. A look that told him not to mess with her.
“I’m not going to dance with you when I’m being made a fool. No thank you. And goodnight.” She turned but he wasn’t giving up.
“Don’t go away angry, Aria,” he said. “That doesn’t solve anything. Dance with me. I can see I was wrong. I’ll admit I was wrong. If after the dance you want to leave, then I won’t stop you.” He reached out for her hand and she stared at it. Was she just being silly, or did she have reason to be upset? Either way, one dance wouldn’t hurt. She reached for his hand.
IT DIDN’T TURN OUT to be just one dance. After they hit the dance floor, he wrapped his arms around her and it seemed like time just stood still. She got lost in the moment and didn’t think about anything, including how upset she was earlier. It was a misunderstanding; should it color how things went between them? She wasn’t so confident it should.
After the first song, she grew more relaxed. It had been so long since she danced. He looked deeply into her eyes, never breaking the hold, his hands on her waist and her hands flowing up and down his back as they swayed to the music. During the second song, he leaned up against her ear. “See, this isn’t so bad, is it?”
She g
iggled lightly and shook her head, then turned around grinding up against his body. He held onto her, nuzzling his lips against her neck, causing her breath to catch. She spotted people staring at them and didn’t care. It felt great to let loose—to have fun. She gave herself to the moment.
The third song began and he twirled her around, slipping his hand around her neck, drawing her into a sensual move. His forehead rested against hers and she saw a smile playing against his lips. He was so sexy and it took everything she had to hold back from telling Devon how much she wanted him.
For Devon, this was the moment he would typically lean in to the woman’s ear and invite her back to his place. They would share a glass of wine and ultimately end up in bed, but he wasn’t going to do that. He was going to hold back and play things differently. Aria was special.
When the third song ended, he tried to keep her for another but she seemed out of breath and ready to call it a night. “All right,” she said. “I think I should leave now before ...” Her words trailed off leaving him wondering how she was going to finish the sentence.
“Before what?” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to him, his eyes on her. “How were you going to finish that?”
She snickered and shrugged. “I don’t know. Fill in the blank. How do you think I was going to finish it?”
He saw her teasing him and was again drawn to her sexiness and her cool attitude. He shrugged. “If I knew that, I wouldn’t have asked the question, right?”
She laughed and pulled away from him. “I suppose you’re right. But let’s just say that I better leave before I never want to.” She sighed.
“That’s an honest answer and I can’t fault you for that. We should get out of here.”
She nodded slowly, and they went back over to the table. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet, grabbed a wad of cash out of it and threw it down. She watched him, curious if he had even counted it. Aria was glad that she had given him another chance, even though he didn’t really give her much choice.
As they prepared to leave, Aria remembered the flowers. She gathered them carefully, taking in the aroma and smiling.
“Where are you parked?” he asked, after they’d gone outside. She motioned to the section of the parking lot where her car stood, even though she was half expecting that they would just part ways at the door. Instead, he walked her to her car. Once she was there, she turned around and smiled.
“This is it,” she said. “I had such a good time tonight, despite the little storm along the way.”
He laughed. “It was more like a full-blown hurricane but I was pleasantly surprised by tonight, I won’t lie. Now, the only thing left to decide is when we’re going to do it again.”
Aria felt her body straighten with excitement.
“I had a good time, but you’re just assuming I want to go out again. Says who?” she asked, a broad smile on her face.
“Says me,” he said, “Did you forget that I go after—and get—what I want?”
“OK then ... we will have another date because you say so.” Her smile widened and he nodded.
“That’s better,” he said.
She reached for her door, but he was quick to grab onto her handle and open it for her. She wasn’t used to a man who could prove chivalry wasn’t dead. Devon was a pleasant surprise.
She started to get into her car, but he took her hand, pulled her gently toward him and kissed her. It took her breath away and she fell into him as the kiss deepened. She put her arms around his waist and held him closely, resting her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t think of anything other than being in his arms.
She was at that moment happier than she’d been in years.
And it was official: This was the hottest Valentine’s Day of her life and she was already dreaming about date number two with Mr. Devon Prescott.
Chapter 4
Aria reached out across her bed, a smile slowly flickered on her lips. Was it just a dream? She thought back to the previous night and the butterflies in her stomach started up again. It wasn’t a dream. She felt a sense of relief that Devon hadn’t let her leave.
She relived the dancing and the kiss, and couldn’t help but smile. He repeatedly swept her off her feet and nothing would change the way that made her feel. He was everything she desired, the real man she had been longing for.
Aria sat up in bed and looked around her room. It was dark with just a stroke of light coming through the window. “The kiss,” she whispered. The way he kissed her, she felt conveyed a message. It proved that he wanted her and even desired her just as much as she wanted and desired him. As the thought left her, she frowned. At least, she hoped that’s what the kiss was trying to convey, but she wasn’t sure. He was a player, or one who might be perceived that way. He even admitted that he was used to getting his way. So the kiss could have been a way for him to show her that he intended on conquering her.
Don’t get your head in a mess, her conscience scolded her. He kissed you. You liked it. And chances are he did too. “That’s right,” she said, speaking out loud and then looking around as if there was someone there who could overhear her. She laughed as the thought hit her. It’s your room silly. Who else would be in here? “Maybe someday I’ll share this bed with him,” she said, nodding with excitement that it was a possibility. Just don’t get your hopes up. “I’m not.” She furrowed her brows and chuckled. She was having an argument with her inner self, that should definitely put her on the side of the crazy train.
She tossed her covers to the side and slipped out of bed. She needed to get something accomplished, besides sitting or lying in bed all day, even if it was a Saturday. She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom, started the shower and undressed from her pajamas. You do realize you’re going to have to invest in some sexy lingerie if things go differently, right?
“Don’t you worry. Of course I know.” She rolled her eyes and laughed as it dawned on her that she was once again speaking to herself.
She washed up and took a relaxing shower. When her mind attempted to catch her off guard by talking to her again, she started to sing instead. It was soothing and she never wanted to get out, but eventually she did and dressed to officially start her day.
Aria had some housework that had seriously gone neglected, so she grabbed the vacuum and worked her way around the house. Once she was done, she went to the laundry room and tossed a load of laundry into the washer by which time she could hear her stomach growl. Looking at her watch, she realized she’d missed breakfast, so she walked to the kitchen where she dug around the cabinets until she found a box of cereal and a bowl, then took the milk from the refrigerator. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the kitchen table. She had only taken a couple of bites when her phone rang.
She grabbed it from her pocket and spotted Tyler’s name on the caller ID. She wasn’t surprised he was calling, but she was a little surprised that he had waited until the next morning. She half expected that he would have call her last night. She could really torture him by not answering the call, but she wouldn’t do that to him, no matter how tempting it was.
“Hey, Ty,” she said, answering the call before he could hang up. “What’s up?” She giggled under her breath, certain that Tyler would be annoyed that she was using such a cavalier attitude.
“What’s up?” he asked. “Are you seriously asking me what’s up? I waited up all night to hear from you. You never called me. When I finally decide to call you, you answer the call with ‘what’s up.’ What do you think is up? I have been anxious to hear about your date.”
She laughed, letting loose the laughter that was building up inside of her. “I’m sorry. Was I supposed to call you last night?”
“Common courtesy dictates,” he said, mock indignation in his voice.
“I’m sorry. I should have thought about it. If you were so curious then why didn’t you try calling me last night?” she asked.
“Well,
I’m not a jerk. I thought maybe you guys hit it off so well that you were preoccupied.”
“What?” she squealed. “You thought we might have had sex?”
He laughed. “Crazier things have been known to happen, you know. But you’re right. It’s absolutely ludicrous. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s laughable to think that our little Ari would go to bed with someone like Devon, especially on the first night. Cray cray for reals.”
He hesitated, and she sunk back in her chair at the table. “Are you through?” she asked. He laughed, which brought a smile to her face. “Maybe it wasn’t all that crazy of a notion, but I guess the first date would be moving rather fast,” she said.
“Uh yeah, probably, but Devon does seem like a guy who would move quickly.” She was thrown off by the statement. Tyler was right. Devon was absolutely that kind of guy and while Aria wasn’t that type of girl, she was looking for different and Devon Prescott was as different as they came. “But all kidding aside, how’d it go? Wedding bells in the near future?”
“Tyler,” she said, putting great emphasis on his name. He laughed.
“Sorry, I’m through. I’m being serious. Did you at least have a good time?”
She pondered that and a smile pressed tightly against her lips. Did she have a good time? Just the best time of her life. “I can’t lie, Tyler, the truth is that I had an amazing night. In fact, it went even better than I could have hoped for. You did well when you set me up on this one. It was perfect.” She wasn’t going to bother mentioning the teeny tiny tiff they got into because it no longer seemed necessary to even mention it. She was past it and ready to just move on and see if anything could develop between them.
Tyler squealed on the other end of the line. “Oh, my god, tell me everything.”
Aria giggled. “A woman does not kiss and tell,” she said, teasing him slightly.
Again, he squealed. “Oh my god, there was a kiss? Spill it, sister. Don’t leave one stone unturned.”
When I Dream of You: A Valentine's Day Romance Page 4