Page 24 of Hard To Leave

“You make me think of life differently. You make me want more.”

“Want my advice?”His eyes were on his steak as he sliced off another bite. I had barely touched my meal; I was too nervous to eat. “I think you should go after whatever it is that you want.”

I laughed out loud, feeling the weight of our conversation lighten.

“You sound like you know what I want.”

He wiped his mouth with his napkin before dropping it down on the table. Somewhere during our conversation, he’d eaten every crumb off his plate.

“Let’s just say, if it’s me you want, you don’t have a thing to worry about.”

“Is that right?” I quipped. The smile on my face was so wide that my cheeks hurt.

“Look,” his tone turned serious, and I felt the mood between us shift. “I’ve never done this before, and I feel like I should warn you that at some point I will probably fuck up.But I am confident when I tell you that I badly want this to work with us.”

I took a hefty sip of my wine, feeling the need to do something with my hands. His honesty caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure what came next.

I peeked at him over the rim of my glass. There was something really nice about the way that he just laid it all on the table. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t imagining this connection.

“Jack, I don’t even know what to say.” I sat back while he waited patiently for me to continue. I was wrestling with how to say what I felt. “I know this is all new to both of us, and I know that things might not work out, but I’d like to give whatever this is a chance. I’m not going to lie; I’m drawn to you in a big way.”

Emotion swelled in his eyes, making me hope for things I probably shouldn’t wish for. “You don’t need to say anything more. I feel it too, Chloe. We’ll figure things out as we go along.”

He reached across the table for my hand. His knuckles were rough against my soft skin as they glided along my thumb. It was such a simple gesture, but the touch of his fingers against mine caused a ripple of need to flow deep through me. It had been too long since I had felt a physical touch from a man. Even though he had kissed me last night and almost copped a feel, this felt much more intimate. Goose bumps started to prickle along my skin.His hand gave mine one last squeeze before he pulled it away.

I picked up my fork and sliced into a piece of asparagus. “I’m going to be honest. I’ve been out of the dating scene for a long time. I just want to warn you in case I say or do something stupid.”

The last relationship I had was when I was in college. Brogan and I dated for three years. We were both so young and without a care in the world. Until he left for Nashville to pursue his music career and everything changed.

“There is nothing you can say or do that will scare me off. So try your best.”

I raised my eyebrow and brought my napkin up to my mouth. “Really? So, if I told you that Glen Close was my idol and that I like to boil bunnies for fun, that would be okay with you?”

He dropped his fork to his plate and laughed. “It would depend on a few things.” His eyes held mine in humor. “One question, would the bunnies at least be dead before you put them in the pot?”

“Oh my God!” I laughed. “We need to change topics now. This one is getting too weird.”

“I can live with the bunny boiling, as long as you don’t get allFatal Attractionon me. Kitchen knives give me the willies!”

I traced the edge of my wineglass with my index finger. “I can’t make any promises.” I looked up at him under my lashes. “But I’ll try.”

“What else do you have to try to scare me off?”

“I think I’m done for now. Besides, you went to an awful lot of trouble to get this date, so I should probably stay on my best behavior…at least, while we are in the restaurant.”

“You did make me work pretty hard for it.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like I made you dance like a circus pony to get me to agree.”

“No?” He mocked, sticking his ‘pony hooves’ out in front of him. “It sure felt like that, but it was totally worth it. Every fucking second of it.”

I turned my head while trying to hide my smile as I looked out the picture window overlooking the water. The twinkling lights glowed brightly from the shore, lighting up the entire cobblestone walkway along the pathway to the beach. The setting was absolutely beautiful.

All I could think about was how thankful I was for giving him a chance.He was right; I wasn’t making it easy on him, I was making it easier on myself. It turned out Jack was sweet and incredibly charming. I’d be a fool to pass up on the opportunity to get to know him better. Sure, I was stepping out of my comfort zone, but isn’t that what life was all about? Taking risks.

I sat back in my seat and moved my mashed potatoes around on my plate. Somehow, I managed to eat half of my sea bass and most of my vegetables, but between the wine and the appetizers, I was having a hard time finishing my meal.

“So how long will you be in town for?”

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