Page 27 of Ask for Moore

Her confidence was a major turn-on, but I couldn’t let my desire distract me from my goal of giving this beautiful woman the date she deserved. “There’s a great little Italian place not too far from Leaves & Pages. If we can snag one of the corner booths for two, it’s the romantic seat in town.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Her cheeks heated with pleasure. “I love pasta, even more than burgers.”

“I’ll call to make a reservation then.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to get in with such short notice?”

She bit her bottom lip, and I was finally able to do what I’d wanted since the first time I’d seen her nervous gesture. I tugged it free with my thumb and bent my head to capture her mouth with my own. Gliding my hand down her jaw, I used my thumb to apply pressure until her lips parted. My tongue swept inside to tangle with hers, and I groaned at her sweet taste. It would be so easy to become addicted.

Wanting more, I slid my hand to the back of her skull and tilted her head back so I could deepen the kiss. Her hand slid up my chest to grip the lapels of my suit coat, and she tugged me closer. Before I lost all control and suggested we move to the back seat of my car—in full daylight and eyeshot from the fucking courthouse, at that—I ripped my mouth from hers with a groan. “Fuck, you can kiss.”

“So can you.” Her lids slowly lifted, and there was an almost drugged quality to her blue orbs.

“Do you want to leave your car here, and I can bring you back tomorrow?”

She shook her head with a giggle. “It’s still morning. I highly doubt the restaurant is open yet.”

“Shit, you’re right.” I dragged my hand through my hair. “Want to grab some breakfast first, then lunch, followed by a romantic dinner? We can make it a marathon first date.”

“You’re sweet.” Going on her toes, she brushed a kiss against my jaw before rubbing her hand over my beard. “But I barely slept last night, and I already had breakfast. Julie made ham and cheese omelets this morning.”

“A tea and cookie?” I knew that I was pushing, but I didn’t want to let Waverly go now that I finally had her the way I’d wanted for weeks.

She shook her head with a regretful gleam in her eyes. “I think I should head back to the bed and breakfast to play with Gracie and take a much-needed nap. Let me know what time the reservation is for dinner, and you can pick me up then.”

“I’ll text you, so I won't wake you up if you’ve already fallen asleep.” The dark smudges on the pale skin beneath her eyes were the only reason I gave in so easily.

Turning toward her car, she looked at me over her shoulder. “Don’t forget that I’m a city girl. Make that reservation for at least six o’clock or later.”

I waited until she was safely in the driver’s seat to lean down and murmur, “Will do, just so long as you get plenty of rest. You might need it tonight.”

Her blush was so fucking sweet and sexy as hell. I had to force myself to straighten and close her door, instead of capturing her mouth for another deep kiss. If I got my hands on her again, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let her drive away.

Waiting until she was safely out of the parking lot, I climbed into my car and pulled up the number for Trattoria. They didn’t open for another hour and a half, but I called and left a message, requesting a corner booth at six o’clock. No way in hell was I going to wait a minute longer than necessary to get my night with Waverly started. I wanted as much time with her as she was willing to give.

Then I stopped at the florist to grab a bouquet of daisies since I didn’t want to show up on her doorstep empty-handed. When I walked into my office with the flowers clutched in my fist, Ivy’s eyes widened. “Aw, you shouldn’t have, boss.”

“They’re not for you,” I grumbled, striding past her desk to head into the break room so I could put the flowers in the fridge until it was time to leave.

Ivy was still in her chair when I came back out, her mouth wide open. “Please tell me that those flowers mean what I think they mean.”

“That depends on what you think.”

She rubbed her palms together and bounced in her seat. “That your motion of summary judgment was granted, so you were finally able to ask Waverly out, and she said yes.”

“Nope.” Her expression fell at my answer, until I added, “You were only half right. Court was adjourned until tomorrow, but we now have an ethical wall in place that was agreed upon by both of our clients and the judge. So I was able to ask Waverly out, and she said yes.”

“Woohoo!” she cheered. “I really like her for you.”

“So do I.” More than I probably should, considering her time in Mooreville was limited by the length of her cases, one of which I was hoping to end tomorrow. But I wasn’t going to focus on the negative. Not after our kisses. I was going to focus on getting through as much work as possible while I waited for the clock to tick down to the time when I could go pick Waverly up for our first date.

At five thirty, I was on her doorstep, struck speechless by how gorgeous she was in a dress and heels with her hair pulled up at the top of her head. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” Her plump lips curved into a smile when I lifted the bouquet. “Are those for me?”

“Yes.”

She took the bouquet from me and lifted it to her nose to take a sniff. “I’ve never had anyone give me flowers before.”

---