the
party.”
“She’s
good. Busy with their new business, and planning the wedding. I don’t know why
they think they have to get married so soon.” He frowns and I want to run my
fingers through his messy hair, but link my fingers together and keep them
firmly in place in my lap.
“Did
they set a date?”
“Yeah,
for early October.”
“Why
so soon?” I ask, surprised. That’s only a couple months away.
“Who
knows? This is my sister we’re talking about. She said her whole life she
wasn’t interested in getting married, then she falls for a guy and now she
can’t get married fast enough.” He frowns and pulls the car into a parking
garage.
“Maybe
she’s just ready to get married.”
“I
guess.”
“Don’t
you like Nate?” I ask and turn in my seat to watch his face.
“I
do. He’s a good guy, and he obviously loves my sister.” He backs into a parking
space and I smile widely at him.
“What?”
he asks.
“So,
you’re just being an overprotective big brother then?” I tease him.
He
frowns and then grins. “Yeah, can’t help it.”
“Jules
is good, Will.” I pat his thigh and he captures my hand in his and kisses my
knuckles, one by one, and just like that my stomach clenches and my breath
catches and I wonder how the fuck I’m going to hold out for two more dates.
“Your
fingertips have little callouses on them,” he murmurs.
“It’s
from the guitar.”
His
blue eyes meet mine. “I’d love to hear you play sometime.”
“Sometime,”
I respond and grin.
“I
love that dimple in your cheek.” He leans in and kisses my dimple softly once,
then again and backs away, still clutching my fingers, to pin me with those
fiercely blue eyes. “Do you feel this too?” he whispers.
“Oh,
yeah,” I immediately respond. It’s futile to deny it. I want him so much it
hurts.
“Good.
Come on, I’m hungry.” Will climbs out of the low car and briskly walks around
to the passenger side, opens my door, and offers his hand to help me out.
“I
seriously love this car.”
“I’ll
let you drive it home,” he replies and links our fingers together.
“Seriously?”
I gape up at him as he leads me down to the street.
“Sure,
why not?”
“It’s
a Shelby.” I state again, slowly, so he can understand the words coming out of
my mouth.
“Honey,
it’s just a car.”
“It’s
a Shelby.” I shake my head. “I’m not driving it. If I wreck it, I can’t afford
to replace it.”
“Do
you get into many car accidents?” He narrows those eyes down at me and I
giggle.
“No.
But with my luck, this would be the time.”
“You’ll
be fine. Besides,” he winks down at me, “I have insurance.”
He’s
so confident. His voice, the way he walks, the way he carries himself. So
confident.
And
sexy as all get out.
That
ass alone should be illegal.
But
I really love his shoulders and arms. He’s perfectly sculpted, shoulders are
broad, arms so strong. Hell, he lifted me like I was nothing.
And,
thinking about that makes me go wet again.
Calm
down, Meg. This is only Date One.
He’s
led me into a sports bar in downtown Seattle. I recognize it. It’s upscale,
full of professional sports memorabilia, televisions on various sports shows
and games, and large, dark furniture.
Given
the time of day, the place is pretty full of business men and other locals
unwinding after a long workday.
Will
leads me to a booth and sits opposite of me.
“Have
you been here before?” he asks.
“A
few times, yeah.”
“They
make a good burger here.”
“You
eat burgers?” I ask, surprised. I would think that with his rigorous training
schedule he’d be on a strict diet.
“Not
too often, but yeah, I do. I burn a lot of calories every day, so I pack a lot
of food in.” He offers me a menu.
Instead
of reading it, I gaze over at him and he meets my eyes. I run my eyes over his
face, those broad shoulders and arms, and down to his long-fingered hands. He’s
delicious in a gray
Michele Boldrin;David K. Levine