Page 21 of Ethan

Ethan winked at me. "I'll keep that in mind." He patted my chest. "Have to get back. I'll see you at six on Friday." He lingered for a second before stepping away.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too, handsome." Ethan turned and jumped in among his busy employees, taking over the espresso machine. I watched him for a second, marveling at how stunning he was.

I was reluctant to leave, but I had my work to get back to.

Friday night wouldn't come soon enough.

Chapter Five | Ethan

It was raining lightly, and the wind was blowing as I stood off Government Street at the top of the square. I looked down at the circle of bricks that signified the location of one of the mid-nineteenth-century turrets of Fort Victoria's military bastion, giving the square its name of Bastion Square.

There were lots of restaurants within walking distance of this location. Victoria had the most restaurants per capita in Canada. Many of them in the downtown area. We had a lot of choices. I was curious about what Daniel might have in mind.

A smile spread across my face as I saw him approaching, his windbreaker tugged closed against the gusts off the ocean and the precipitation. He hustled toward me when he saw me, his lean legs pumping. He wasn't late, so he must simply be anxious to see me. I bit my bottom lip.

God, he's cute.

"Sorry, I had trouble parking the car," he said. "Crazy busy down here. Damn tourists."

"Friday. No worries. You're not late. I was early."

"I hope you didn't wait too long." His gaze wandered all over me—appreciative. "I didn't want to take a chance. I made a reservation. If you hate the place, we'll try our luck somewhere else."

"I'm easy." I badly wanted to link my arm with his and have him lead me where he wanted to go for dinner. I refrained from pulling him to me. If he was closeted or freshly out, he might not appreciate my need for public displays of affection. "Where to?"

"A little place I like down the square where everything on the menu is sharing plates." He smiled at me. "I always thought it would be a nice place to bring someone special."

Someone special.

That was me tonight. His words made me feel all gooey and warm inside.

"I know the one. Very sexy interior."

Daniel cleared his throat. "Certainly romantic."

I winked at him. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

He chuckled. "Is it working?"

"So far, you're winning points."

"Then I'm going to up my game." He hesitated then held out his hand to me. I nearly swooned. It was a significant step for someone who might simply be bisexual curious.

I slipped my hand into his. The release of breath he'd been holding was audible. He gripped me tightly and led me down the square to the atmospheric restaurant tucked into the corner of a massive stone structure. The outdoor tables, vacant, were alight with clear hanging Edison bulbs.

We took the steps down into the interior and were immersed in an intimate space with softly lit brick-lined walls and banks of wooden seating. After giving his name, Daniel and I were led to a table among five down one wall across from the well-stocked bar.

We were handed menus. "Your server will be with you in a minute."

"Thank you." Daniel sat across from me. I had a full view of the room.

"I hate having my back to a room or a door," I said.

"Yeah." His eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"I'm going to blame my sisters for introducing me to horror movies at a young age. Mom and Dad would go out and leave them in charge of babysitting." I huffed out a laugh. "They took it upon themselves to torture me into crying. Refusing to play with me if I didn't do as they said."

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