Page 69 of The Blind Date

“I might be able to make room for you in my calendar on Saturday,” I grinned cheekily.

“I’ll take that.” He returned my grin and pressed a kiss to my arm before standing up. “I’ll pick you up around noon.”

“Why don’t you stay the night?” I pouted, following him as he headed to the door.

“We both have work in the morning.” Cedric sent me a pointed look over his shoulder, but the storm in his eyes told me he was internally struggling to turn down my offer.

“And both our offices are opposite each other,” I said, trying to tempt him. “It’s already pretty late. It would make sense for you to stay here tonight, and we head into work together in the morning.”

“That’s very true.” Cedric leaned down to press a hard, bruising kiss against my mouth. One which I would still be able to feel well into the night after he had left. “But I don’t have a change of clothes with me, and since we’re trying to make things work, I think taking things slow would be the best option.”

I hated to admit it, but he was right. Refusing to admit it out loud, I reached up and looped my arms around his neck, bringing his mouth down to mine.

“I guess I’ll see you Saturday then,” I whispered against his mouth, moaning quietly when he stroked his tongue sensually against mine.

"I'm already looking forward to it, darling.” He pressed a hard kiss against my mouth before reaching behind him and opening the door as if reminding himself that he couldn’t stay the night. "And if you ignore my texts again, you'll find me waiting outside your apartment like today.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked, quirking a daring brow at him.

“No. It’s a promise.”

“You say that as if that’s a bad thing.”

I crossed my arms over my chest to keep them to myself as I watched him walk away. I waited until he had disappeared into the lifts before closing the door. And just like in all those movies that I refused to admit I was obsessed with, I turned around and pressed my back against the closed door, unable to fight the large, cheesy grin that took over my face.

It was silly of me to think that I could ever stay away from Cedric. After all, there was only a thin line between love and hate.

ChapterSixteen

Ihad been looking forward to Saturday all week. I was so excited that I had woken up at the crack of dawn and gotten done everything I needed to for the day, including cleaning my apartment and a much-needed session at the gym, giving me just enough time to get ready before Cedric knocked on my apartment door for our lunch date.

"You're very punctual,” I smiled as I grabbed my coat and slipped my arms through it. My outfit of a jumper, skirt and a pair of dark, suede ankle boots was casual and cute. Perfect for a first date.

"What can I say? I'm a punctual kind of guy." Cedric shrugged and grinned, pulling his hands out from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of fresh red tulips. "I was going to get you red roses, but I thought you'd find that pretentious like white wine.” He pushed them into my hands with a teasing glint in his eyes. "So, I got you some red tulips instead. The lady at the shop told me they signify hope and new beginnings.”

"You're talking a lot," I graciously accepted the flowers and bowed my head to smell them. They were floral and fresh. Just what a beautiful bouquet should smell like. "Don't tell me you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous,” he chuckled, though the sound was strained. When I sent him a pointed look, he laughed and watched as I headed into the kitchen to put the flowers into a vase. "Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous, but can you blame me? I've got a hot date with a beautiful woman today. She's got a very sharp tongue, so I better watch myself."

“I’ve been looking forward to today all week,” I admitted with a shy smile.

"Me too." His lips turned higher at the corners, and when he reached down to press the palm of his hand against mine, entwining our fingers in a tight grip, I couldn't help but match his expression.

Who knew Cedric Barlowe was capable of something so tender? That he could make me feel like this by doing something as simple as holding hands.

"So, what do we have planned for today?" I asked as we walked toward the closest tube station.

“Something very small. Kind of personal. A little bit basic.”

“As long as it involves food, I’m happy."

"It does," he chuckled. "I just want to go out and enjoy some good food with you. No white wine, of course.” He laughed when I playfully shoved his shoulder for making fun of me again. "If we're going to give this a fair shot, we need to get to know each other better, and what better way to do that than over good food? I hope you don't mind the boring date."

"I already told you. I’m looking forward to it." I squeezed his hand back before letting go to tap my Oyster card for access past the barriers at the tube station. "Have you got a place in mind?"

“I do,” Cedric grinned an ambiguous grin as he guided me toward platform one. “Our first date needs a re-do.”

“A re-do?” I questioned in surprise. “What do you mean?”

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