Page 24 of Rejected Broken Mate

Lucas snorted. "I'm not Miles."

"Hey," Miles made a face.

Lucas moved, slipping his shoes off, and I turned to Miles. He once more scanned me with his eyes. "You look lovely," he said.

I blushed, feeling my heart skip a beat at the compliment. "Thank you."

"Can you two leave now?" Lucas grumbled.

I smirked as Miles nodded, opening the door.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up at a small restaurant. It was a beautiful building with large glass windows. You could see it was fancy, and my stomach twisted up. This was a date—like a date-date.

Miles opened my door and offered me a hand. He opened the door inside, where the smell of rainwater and plants hit you.

"Table for two, I have a reservation," Miles said.

I looked at him, shocked. "You made a reservation?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why does that surprise you."

Maybe it was because he hadn't done that before, but then again, we hadn't gone out on many dates before. We spent a lot of time indoors and in the sheets.

We were seated in the back by the water fountain. The lights were dim, and despite being busy, it wasn’t loud. To my surprise, it was rather relaxing.

"You nervous?"

I looked at him, a little embarrassed, as I nodded. "A little… it's been a long time since I've been out on a date."

"Really? You haven't dated since having Michael?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. He required a lot of attention, and I didn't have a lot of help with him. A lot of guysdon't understand the importance of having a kid when you're in a relationship."

I could see the hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that." He sat up a little straighter. "Let's treat tonight like we don't know each other."

I smiled, liking the idea.

"I'm Miles. I'm a firefighter and a have a little addiction to farmers markets."

I laughed, unable to hold it in. Miles smiled at me, and I felt my shoulders relax, wondering if maybe this would be okay.

We talked about life after college and its highs and lows. Miles told me about working with the guys and figuring out his life. I found myself leaning forward, wanting to hear more. I told him about Michael and everything he was. We talked about sports and school events. I found we both were just spilling everything to each other.

"Did you end up buying him a pet?" Miles asked, leaning on the table. We were finished eating, but we still had much to discuss.

I made a face. "He wanted a damn snake, fuck no."

Miles placed his hand down, his fingers brushing mine. A shiver ran down my arm, but I didn't pull it away. It felt nice and reminded me of how comfortable he had made me feel at one point.

Mile’s fingers curled around mine, and I swallowed, looking at him. He was wearing a soft expression, his lips curled up slightly.

"This was nice," I said. "Thank you for asking me."

"Is that your way of ending the date?" he asked, a smirk pulling at his lips.

I snorted. "I do have a child at home. Unlike before, I can't stay out until the sun comes up."

He squeezed my hand before he let go. "I know. It's not like before." He offered me a hand up, placing his hand on the small of my back as we moved. I smelled his cologne, and my stomach twisted up once more.

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