Page 7 of Be-Leaf in Love

5

VIOLET

This is not the kind of restaurant I’m used to, and definitely not for a business meeting, even if it’s one that is apparently going to turn into a date.

Curled up in a leather corner booth of a luxurious Italian restaurant called Grapevine Walls, I watch in amusement as the staff fall all over themselves to give us the best possible service. Jack is clearly a valued regular.

This is amazing, if strange. I feel like a peasant girl in a fairytale who has found a magic charm and now a handsome prince is paying attention to me.

By the time we have some wine and a basket of herbed bread knots in front of us, I can finally take a deep breath. “Thank you again for rescuing me,” I say softly, looking up into Jack’s riveting eyes. “I’m sorry the meeting didn’t go the way you wanted it to.”

He holds out his hand, palm up. I take it, our fingers twining together. My stomach and heart do backflips in opposite directions to see him being so openly affectionate in public. It doesn’t seem normal that a man like Jack would want to date someone like me.

“The meeting was perfect.” He slides a bit closer, our knees touching. “Jerry sees that I’m no longer ignoring his requests. The department heads see that I’m trying to be more involved with the company.” His fingers gently squeeze mine, then he leans in to nuzzle my neck before whispering in my ear. “Most importantly, I got to see you again.”

This man is making me melt. “I wanted to see you again, too.”

We each order different pasta dishes so we can share, then Jack slides even closer until the entire length of his hip and leg are pressed against me. His arm slips around my back, fingers splayed over my waist as he holds me close. “I’ve honestly never felt so much for anyone so fast,” he murmurs. “It’s?—”

“Weird?” I offer.

His deep chuckle sends tingles through me, and his eyes are pure fire as he moves his mouth closer to mine. “But weird in a good way, right?”

“A very good way.” As my chin tips slightly up and down, he catches my lips with his.

Can he sense how hard my heart is hammering inside my chest? At first, the kiss is soft, letting him explore my reaction. My hand darts out to grip his lapel, pulling him nearer. Each passing second draws our bodies closer together, and the kiss takes on a life of its own.

Our breath mingles, two mouths hungrily grasping for every point of contact. His arm pulls me tight, and the only thing stopping me from climbing into his lap is knowing that the servers are close by. He’s not the sort of man who would appreciate gossip like that.

There’s a soft, choked growl from deep in Jack’s throat as he tears himself away. “Delicious,” he groans quietly. “But I suppose we should try not to make a spectacle of ourselves.”

I love how easily he defuses any kind of tension. “Plus, our food is about to arrive,” I point out.

“How do you feel about multitasking?” he asks.

I brush his shoulder with mine. “Overrated. It splits the focus. You do one thing, then switch to the other, then switch back. You end up doing two things badly.”

He takes a sip of wine, drawing my entire attention to his inviting lips. “You can listen to a podcast while working out.”

I want to reach out and squeeze his massive shoulder, to see if the muscular frame I’m picturing is true. Hmm. That might be just a bit too forward. “Okay. It does work sometimes.”

His fingers glide gently across my knee. “And we’ll work on this green wall project while getting to know each other. Fast forward through the awkward stage of dating. Right?”

Several things hit me at once. Jack is dead serious about dating me. As in, an actual relationship. His hand is on my knee. He’s already acting like we are a couple. He seems to genuinely like me.

And – oh wow – the aroma of the plates being set in front of us nearly knocks me into next week.

“That’s a great idea.” I pull away a few inches. “But I hope you’ll forgive me: I need to focus my complete attention on this food for a few minutes.”

By the time our meal is finished, I’ve discovered that we both love science and nature documentaries, spy and thriller novels, and we both loathe cauliflower.

I’ve also learned that everyone thinks Jack inherited his company from his father, who is also in the financial industry, even though he actually built it himself. And that a lot of clients jumped on board, assuming his father was involved because of the name. It’s definitely a sore spot, and I had to fill in the blanks a bit because he clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.

I’ve also shared how lucky I am that my family runs a business I genuinely believe in and have a job that barely feels like work.

As we leave the restaurant, Jack casually slings his arm around my shoulder as if we’ve been dating for months. “I’m sure it feels like work when you’re elbow-deep in dirt.”

I turn, laughing as my hand lands on his chest and slides down his navy and black striped tie. “The dirt is the best part! It’s grounding! No pun intended. Plus, I get to doodle and arrange flowers and plants all day. How cool is that?”

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