Page 11 of Her Heart's Desire

Right on time.

"He's here. I've got to go."

"Love you hun. Have fun." The line goes dead as the doorbell rings once more.

"I'm coming." Walking toward the front door, I pause at the mirror, making sure my hair and makeup look good.

Satisfied, I swing the door open, and my breath leaves me when I see Silas standing there. I don't even try to stop myself. My eyes rake down his body, taking him all in. He's dressed in black sacks with a black button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up to show off his muscular forearms. His salt and peppered hair is styled to perfection. Silas Cabot is the whole fucking package.

"Are you done eye-fucking me?" he asks me with a sexy smirk. My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I realize he's teasing me.

His hand snakes around my waist as he pulls me against him. "You look gorgeous, little doe," he says against the shell of my ear. His breath, so close to my skin, brings goosebumps to the surface. Shit, this guy doesn't have to do anything to turn me on.

He lets me go before I'm ready, but it's for the best since the idea of climbing him like a tree is starting to sound better than dinner. "Are you ready?" Silas asks as he holds his arm out.

Dropping my head, I tuck a piece of my blonde hair behind my ear and give him a shy smile. I link my arm with his, nodding. I don't dare to speak; I know whatever I say it'll come out like a wanton hussy. The whole way to the car, I repeat the same mantra over and over, he's just a man pretending that I haven't been obsessed with the same man for the last seven years.

Shortly after we get in the car, we pull up in front of the fanciest restaurant within a hundred miles, and my jaw drops. Mercury is so fancy that the only people who can afford to eat there are people with money. Like real money. Celebrities, businessmen, people like Silas. The night I told him I wanted to try this place when it first opened races through my mind. How did he remember? No, he can't spend this much money on me. I whip my head toward him, and he's smirking at me. "This is too much Silas."

His eyes soften as he continues to stare at me, as if he's trying to analyze my reaction. After a beat of silence, he finally says. "Nothing is too much for you. Now it's time to get out. The valet is waiting for you."

Turning toward the door, I'm not surprised to find that Silas is right. There's a young man waiting patiently for me to get out of the car. Not wanting to impede the guy from doing his job, I hurry to get out of the car, grabbing my clutch.

Walking hand in hand into the restaurant feels so surreal. The hostess greets us. "This way to your usual table, sir." As we follow, I glance at him and mouth, "Usual table?" The man just smirks not giving anything away.

Shortly after we sit at the table, the server comes up and Silas orders us a bottle of wine. "I can't believe we're here."

When the server brings the bottle of wine, we both go to reach for it. When our hands touch, the same electric current I felt in the elevator buzzes through me. My gaze drops to where we are touching, and I can't help but be mesmerized. Neither of us moves just allowing our fingers to slowly graze against each other as if we're both trying to memorize the feel of each other. Silas finally breaks the silence when he lowers his voice. "I recall you had said you wanted to try this place."

His remark draws my attention as I process what he just said. My brows furrow. "Yeah. First, how did you remember that? Second, you didn't have to bring me here. It's really expensive."

The soft smile that Silas had been donning since he picked me up drops. His jaw clenches as his tone drops into a scolding tone. "First, as I said, you are worth it. No matter what any douchebags have told you. Second, no more putting yourself down or there will be consequences." Not being able to take my gaze from him, his face transforms once again into a sexy smirk. "Besides, I'll be spending a lot more than this on you in the future."

The server interrupts us before I can respond to his declaration. "Are you ready to order?"

Shit, I never even looked at the menu. Not wanting to seem desperate, I try to skim the menu but I'm not really sure what everything is. I glance up at Silas to ask him a question about what he likes but he's talking with the server, so I patiently wait, glancing back down at the menu.

Suddenly the server walks away, I didn't get to order yet. My eyes bounce around the dining room, looking for him. When I go to push back from the table, a large hand engulfs mine, stopping me. "Little doe, don't worry, I ordered for the both of us. I thought that might help you."

A wave of relief washes over me. Normally I would be pissed if someone was so presumptuous as to order for me, but I find with Silas I can't seem to muster up the feeling. My shoulders relax and I squeeze his hand.

"Thank you."

Keeping my hand in his, he just nods. He doesn't let go of me as he continues with the conversation. "So, when did you move from the city to Rose Valley?"

"After graduation, I wasn't in the best place and was ready for a different pace of life. I applied to a few hospitals within thirty minutes of the city, and Rose Valley was the first one to hire me. Then I met this fabulous group of friends who've became more like family."

Silas leans toward me, listening intently, like he's taking in every detail. "Tell me about your friends."

I can't help but smile at this demand. "Most of them I met through work, but a few more ladies have joined recently. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to meet them soon. How is Smith? Have you told him about us?"

He clears his throat and his lips twitch. Is he nervous? "Smith is good. He plays professional hockey, actually not too far from here. But unfortunately, he'll be moving to Texas after the off season."

The need to comfort him becomes overwhelming at the small bit of sadness I detect in his tone. Rubbing my thumb slowly across his knuckles, I stare down where we're connected. Steeling my spine, I decide to lay it all out for him. "Silas, did you tell Smith about us?"

Right when the question leaves my mouth, the server shows up once again with our food. We part our hands as he places the plates in front of us. My mouth waters, it looks so delicious and I'm glad that Silas ordered for us. As we move to eat, the conversation continues to flow, but I notice he doesn't bring up Smith again. And neither do I.

When the conversation naturally goes to the hospital, I ask, "Why did you decide to buy the hospital?"

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