Page 100 of Forbidden Hearts
There, that wasn’t sweet.
“Go away so I can finish.”
I head back to the couch, fixing my buttons and pulling on my jacket. I have no idea what the dress looks like, and I’m anxious to see it. After I’d explained my plan to the store clerk, she was extremely excited and went to work finding everything Phoebe would need.
I check my watch, she has three minutes left.
Then the door opens, and I wait, but she doesn’t exit.
“Phoebe?”
“One minute. I just need one minute. Don’t come here, just . . . let me come out.”
My heart is pounding as the anticipation mounts, and it’s almost as if I’m a teenager again and this is my first date. It is for her, and I want to make it perfect, so I do as she asks.
The air tension is heavy, and when she steps out, it feels as if all the oxygen has been sucked out of the room. She’s fucking stunning. Beyond stunning. Beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. Her dark brown hair is in waves down her back, and the strapless black dress fits her perfectly. It goes to about her mid-thigh and hugs every curve. Her makeup is more dramatic than I’ve ever seen, but it makes her beautiful eyes even more striking.
I should say something.
I should tell her all of this, but I can’t breathe, let alone speak.
Phoebe looks down at herself and fidgets. “Do I look okay?”
“No,” I say, going toward her. “No, you don’t look okay. You look more than okay. You are radiant, stunning, gorgeous, and any other adjective that I can’t think of. You take my breath away.”
She bites on her lower lip, blush painting her cheeks. “You look very handsome.” Her hands move to my jacket, and she brushes the shoulders. “Every woman in the room is going to wish they were me.”
I laugh. “You have that wrong. Every woman in the world pales in comparison to you.”
“You and that mouth.”
“I think you like my mouth,” I tease, wrapping my arm around her back.
“It makes me jealous of the woman who is going to one day steal your heart.”
With all of my control, I force my thoughts not to go to her or what I feel now. Instead, I shake my head. “I have no heart.”
“We know that’s not true.”
“Well, I have no patience for a relationship.”
Phoebe leans in, her voice warm and velvety. “You are very patient in other places.”
“Only with you, remember?”
She grins and then kisses my cheek. “Good. So, where are you taking me?”
“Dinner and then a surprise.”
We walk along the street to the restaurant, holding hands and talking. Her day was really great, she loved the student who talked more about the program and really feels like Texas might be the place for her. As happy as I should be for her, I can’t seem to honestly feel it. I want her to find her place, follow her dreams, and live her life, but I suddenly just wish she were doing it closer.
“The restaurant is in a house?” she asks.
“It’s converted, and I was told it’s the best.”
I step back, opening the door for her and extending my hand for her to go in front. Chivalry is a dying practice, and while I didn’t have the model of it growing up, I have always tried to be the man I wished my mother would’ve found.
“Thank you.”
