“I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” I tell her, my tone dark and heavy with promise.
“Good.”
Fuuuuuuck. This chick.
Yeah, she’s making me work for it. But that just means the reward is gonna be that much sweeter in the end.
* * *
“Oooh, fancy,” Piper says when we pull up in front of the restaurant.
I cast a glance her way as I unbuckle my seatbelt. “You’ve been here before?” The outside of the restaurant is unassuming—a squat faded brick building with an old, wooden door and a small sign bearing its name, The River Garden. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the food is delicious and expensive, and it has a great view of the river out the picture windows on the back of the building. Nothing anyone would call fancy, unless they’ve actually been inside.
It’s a splurge bringing her here, but I still have enough saved up from working at my dad’s doctor’s office filing charts over the summer that I can swing it. Since my parents help with the tuition and living expenses my sizable scholarship doesn’t cover—provided I’m pre-med and work for my dad over the summers—all my summer earnings are just spending money for extras like this.
She spares me a glance as she reaches for the door handle—apparently she won’t be waiting in the car for me to open her door. “I grew up here. This is where my date took me before Junior Prom.” Then she opens the door and climbs out before her words even have a chance to sink in all the way.
Dang. I was hoping to impress her with my choice of restaurant. She seems like the type who enjoys hidden treasures, which is exactly how I think of this place. Unassuming and maybe even a little scruffy on the outside, but a sparkling treasure within, like those rocks my sister was obsessed with as a kid. Geodes.
Climbing out of the car, I lock it and jog around to catch up with her, hooking her pinky with mine.
She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, the amused smirk she seems to wear most of the time when we’re talking still in place. “Aww,” she says, half mocking. “Are you bummed I ruined your surprise?”
I lift one shoulder. “Maybe a little.”
That provokes another quiet laugh. “At least you can admit it.” She glances between me and the door, standing back to let me open it for her. “I’m surprised you didn’t go for Luigi’s, honestly.”
With my hand on her lower back, I guide her through the door, following close behind her. Her shoes make it so I only have to bend a little to talk directly into her ear. “That seems too obvious. Everyone goes to Luigi’s. It’s the campus date spot. I thought you’d prefer something a little more off the beaten path.”
She turns her head, her eyes clashing with mine. They’re wide and dark in the low light of the restaurant, her face so close that we’re breathing the same air. I could kiss her right now. Again. But the restaurant might not like an R-rated dinner show. Because I’m not sure I could keep it less than that.
Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine, but she doesn’t say anything as the seconds tick by. Then she lets out a breath and turns away, taking the last steps to the hostess stand. “Good call,” she says over her shoulder, a forced lightness in her tone.
Yeah, it was. A slow smile stretches my lips. I’ve got her pegged, and I don’t think she likes that. But I’m thrilled by that little admission, the same thrill that comes from shooting off a beautiful pass or calling the perfect running play. It’s only a first down, but it means I’m a step closer to a touchdown.
And I can’t fucking wait.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Piper
I’m grateful for the brief reprieve of following the hostess to our reserved table. Though it’s not much of a reprieve with Cal right behind me, so close I swear I can feel his body heat scalding my back, the spicy smell of his body wash or cologne enveloping me. And the walk to our table is woefully short. The River Garden is a small, intimate place. The kind couples choose for a nice night out. The kind of place you can’t get into without a reservation. The French-inspired menu changes seasonally, and it’s always delicious. I haven’t been here in ages, though it’s always been a treat.
The fact that Cal picked this place over the more obvious choices is … disconcerting. I figured he was more flash and show, but this choice seems to reflect more depth than I gave him credit for. Especially since he chose it with me in mind. Not to impress, but because he thought I’d like it.
I wasn’t prepared for him to care aboutme, and not just getting me into bed. And now I’m more confused than ever about his endgame. Because this is just a game, or at least that’s what I thought.
The hostess pulls out my chair, and I slide into it, glancing at the lights twinkling on the trickling water below. Since it’s November, the dams are mostly closed, and the water is low. Nothing like the rushing spate in spring when the ice melt from the mountains fills the waterways.
Somehow that seems like what’s going on between Cal and me. Right now the dams are almost closed, our chemistry and attraction little more than a trickle flowing between us. What would it be like to open the dams wide? Let it all flow through?
More importantly, what will happen if I don’t? If it’s all building up on the other side, will everything explode without some kind of release?
I steal a glance at Cal as I spread my napkin in my lap. His blue eyes watch me closely, waiting for me to react or give a verdict or … I don’t know what, exactly. But he’s clearly waiting. Waiting for me to make the next move. Give him the go-ahead. He already suggested skipping dinner. And when he leaned in close behind me and whispered in my ear?
I close my eyes against the fresh wave of heat and arousal that washes through me. I almost turned and pushed him back out the door, taking him up on his offer to skip dinner.
But no. That’s not how this is going to go. For one thing, I need to make sure that he’s trustworthy enough. After letting my pussy do the thinking last time, I need to make sure I won’t find pictures of my tits on the internet after getting with Cal. He doesn’t seem like the type to do that, but then again, neither did Brent, and look where that got me. I’m not going to make that mistake a second time.