Page 46 of The Yeah Baby series: Vol 2

I flipped mine over and there was only the amount due circled in red. Before I’d had the chance to read the numbers, my check was yanked out of my hand, slapped on top of his, and handed back to the waitress along with a twenty-dollar bill.

“Keep the change,” he told her, making it clear to both of us that he had no interest in pocketing the ticket with her phone number on it. The move was well played, and I found myself relaxing a little—right up until the moment his dark eyes latched on to mine again and refused to let me go. “I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

His confidence was starting to grow on me, but that didn’t mean I was going to make it easy for him. “What if I’m married?”

His hand slid across the table, snagging mine, and he rubbed his thumb across my fingers. “No ring. It was the first thing I checked.”

“Boyfriend?”

He flipped my hand over and laced his fingers through mine. “I have a feeling you’re not the type of woman who would have looked at me the way you did if you were committed to someone else.”

The heat from his hand seared into my palm like a bolt of electricity. “And if I was?”

“For the first time in my life, I’m not sure that would be enough to keep me away from a woman. Not when it’s you.”

Holy shit, there went my panties, right along with my desire to say no to dinner with Jax.

“Dinner. Just dinner.” The reminder was for myself as much as it was him.

“Six o’clock?”

I thought of the stack of papers on my desk, along with the work I’d brought to lunch with me. Tomorrow’s work load wouldn’t be any better. “Can you do seven instead?”

He smiled, and I almost laughed at the triumphant gleam in his dark eyes. “Tell me where and when, and I’ll be there to pick you up.”

“I’ll meet you at the restaurant,” I corrected, pulling my hand from his and gathering up my paperwork to shove it into my briefcase.

Oddly enough, his eyes filled with approval. “Smart girl, not trusting me with your address yet.”

“It’s a moot point since I’ll be coming straight from work.”

“Sounds like a long day.”

“New job,” I explained.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Then I guess you’d better give me your phone number, just in case something comes up and you can’t make it.”

I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes at him. “Wouldn’t that mean I’d need your number so I could call you and not the other way around?”

“I’ll send you mine as soon as you give me yours,” he smirked.

“Fine,” I huffed good-naturedly and rattled off my number. He typed it in, his fingers flying over the keys. My phone buzzed a moment later with a text message notification. Pulling it out of my purse, I was surprised by what he’d sent me.

See you at 7. Dinner at Charleston. Jax.

“I might be new to town, but from what I’ve heard Charleston is a special occasion kind of restaurant.”

I watched as he uncoiled from his chair and prowled around the table to pull mine back and help me up with his hand at my elbow. “It’s our first date.”

“And that makes it a special occasion?” When his hand slid around to my lower back, my voice came out shaky.

We’d made it to the front door, and when his free hand reached out, I expected him to open it. Instead, he tugged on my shoulder and pulled me into him. His head dropped down, his mouth covering mine in a kiss. My lips parted in surprise, and he took full advantage. My thoughts scattered as his tongue swirled slowly in my mouth. Just as my legs began to shake, he lifted his head and stared down at me. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

It was going to be way more than just dinner if I wasn’t careful,that’s what I thought.

---