Elena laughed loud and clear, and I realized right then and there that I loved her laugh. People usually didn’t laugh just once. They strung laughs together to make laughter – more than one laugh, in other words. Elena did that too, but each and every laugh was its own clear, sweet sound. It was unique and beautiful at the same time, and I found myself more charmed than ever.
The date progressed as any first dinner date should. We ordered, we ate, and we drank, both of us growing flirtier as the wine hit. Halfway through a sip, Elena stopped and eyed the rapidly disappearing contents of the bottle. “Uh…don’t you need to drive home?”
I feigned surprise as I stared at her. “No, didn’t you see my chauffeur in the back seat earlier?”
For once, my words flustered Elena, and she fumbled for a reply. I let her think for a moment, then dropped the act. “Kidding, kidding. I’m being careful, don’t worry. And I was kind of hoping we could walk down to the docks and talk for a while before taking you home.”
“Sure.” She didn’t have to give my idea a second thought before agreeing, and that was just another thing to like about Elena. I had told her part of the plan for this date and granted, it wasn’t anything too crazy. But she didn’t mind that I had added something she wasn’t expecting. I liked a woman who didn’t need to know everything about everything and didn’t have to share everything with me to check that it was okay.
Spontaneous, that was the word I was looking for. Elena was able to step outside a schedule or a plan and enjoy things as they came.
Our plates scraped clean, a generous tip on the table, the check paid, and the bottle of wine empty; we finally stood to leave. I chanced a glance at my watch and raised my eyebrows at the time. We had spent over two hours in the restaurant, just talking.
Elena and I ended up spending another two on the docks. For a while, we walked and talked, but neither of us wanted to walk for long with full stomachs. The pale, round moon rose to find us sitting at the end of the quiet pier, letting our legs hang above the water as we watched the shifting ocean shimmer in the moonlight.
Five minutes in, I reached for her hand. Ten minutes, I shifted closer. Fifteen found my arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to my side.
Twenty found us locked in a passionate kiss.
A few dark clouds raced over the moon, but it didn’t matter, and I closed my eyes, surrendering to bliss. A single glance at Elena’s face would be enough for anyone to remember every single detail.
Now, I could feel her soft, forgiving lips respond to my own, touch the hair I so admired, and brush my hands across her cheek to bring her closer.
Then a few moments later, I realized this evening didn’t belong to me alone and what by body wanted might not be what Elena wanted. So I broke the kiss, pulling away but staying close beside her. “Thanks for going out with me tonight,” I whispered, my lips just touching hers while I resisted the urge to move in for another kiss. But if I kissed her again, I didn’t think I could ever stop…
“I had fun. A lot of fun.”
Elena’s soft hands touching my arms were driving me crazy, so I leaned away. “I’m good to drive now,” I said truthfully. Over the years, I had gotten very good at judging my limits, and I felt totally fine…just a little heady due to the proximity of a certain redhead.
When I dropped her off, I had already decided what to do. Like a gentleman, I would walk her to her door, tell her once more that I had fun and kiss her goodnight…because the time wasn’t right for anything more, not yet. I still wanted to take things slow. Everything felt different with Elena.
This girl was different from the rest, and I was willing to wait for her…and for myself.
Chapter Eight
Elena
The sound of Riker’s tires faded into the distance, and I shut and locked the door before the noise disappeared entirely. I double-checked the back door too, but I didn’t feel the need to go around to every window as I had during the time before Riker had put a security detail on my house.
I knew the van with the Sunset Security logo was hidden out of sight somewhere nearby, and that someone sat inside watching the feed from the cameras set up outside the house. Locks might not stop Oscar forever, but they would slow him down more than long enough for the security guard to step in.
Even so, I kinda wished I wasn’t locked up inside alone. And…I could have done it. I could have invited Riker in just minutes ago when he brought me home, followed me to the door, and kissed me goodnight. It would have been so easy, just a word or two.
But I wasn’t like that. I didn’t have sex on the first date - at least not anymore. I had done that with Oscar, and it had been a mistake. Oscar and I had both been busy, and our schedules had conflicted. That meant we spent a lot of time texting back and forth, but not enough getting to know each other in person.
So far, I had only enjoyed one date with Riker, and all I had was an idea of the man he was. To get more than that, to solidify that idea into knowing, I needed to spend more time with him.
Besides, Riker hadn’t made a move. That had been what really strengthened my resolve and made me say something to the effect of “goodnight, thanks for the good time, but it ends here, and I’ll see you soon.”
Riker was a man who knew what he wanted and went after it. If he wanted to be intimate tonight, he would have told me with body language and probably blunt words as well. Something held him back too, and that was all the encouragement I needed to take this budding relationship slowly.
If you didn’t want to be alone, you could have told Payton you would pick up Bree tonight,I reminded myself. Obviously, I knew Bree wouldn’t stop Oscar, a burglar or anyone else who might want to enter my home uninvited, but when I had my little girl with me to protect, I felt as strong as a lioness. It was when I sat in silence, home alone, that nervousness took ahold, and every little sound felt strange and foreign.
Hopefully, this new security thing would mean I didn’t need to be a lioness. Still, if things came down to it, I would do whatever was needed to keep Bree safe. I was pretty sure I had an old baseball bat in the closet…
I didn’t really need more wine, but I poured myself some anyway. The buzz from the bottle Riker, and I had shared over dinner had worn off, leaving me with far too many errant thoughts. One more glass would help me sleep, so I could get up bright and early in the morning to go get Bree.
Part of me wondered if Riker was busy tomorrow. He said he had Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off, but I hesitated to ask. I didn’t want to push too hard. We hadn’t known each other long, and I was sure he had lots of friends in the Hamptons – some of those friends had canceled on him tonight, making our date this evening possible. I had to remember to thank them one day if I ever found out who they were.
