Page 31 of The Crush
Isabel
Daniel is already waiting at the curb when I walk back to the entrance, and I jog the rest of the way before jumping up into the cab of his truck. I’m barely in my seat before he’s pulling me to him, his mouth finding mine with an urgency that takes me by surprise before I sink into him.
“Hi,” he says a few minutes later, finally giving me a chance to suck in a breath but keeping his forehead against mine.
“Hi,” I say back, running my fingers through his hair, relishing the way his eyes shutter closed at my touch. “Good expo?”
“I’m not sure I’d know how to rank them.” He seems okay now, but I wonder what had him so fired…Oh no.
“Did you run into—”
“Yep.”
I swallow down a spike of anxiety as he pulls away from the curb. “How’d that go?”
“Well…I didn’t punch him.” The hand that he doesn’t have on the steering wheel lands on my thigh again, brushing up and down. “It was fine. Nothing I couldn’t deal with. He’s still pissed about the other night, I think.” Daniel nods his head in the direction of the shopping bags at my feet, changing topics. “What did you get?”
“They had areallynice bookstore. And I got some clothes.” I skim over my haul, glad I’d already hidden my favorite purchase in one of the larger bags for later. “Are we still going out?”
Daniel looks at me, eyebrows raised. “Do you not want to?”
“No, no, I want to,” I respond quickly. The two of us had stopped at a burger place earlier this afternoon, but I had been looking forward to going out for dinner tonight ever since he had casually suggested it right before he dropped me off at the mall. The main reason being that it felt more…well, like adate. Although I’m still not exactly sure what the rules are here.
“I just wasn’t sure if we were still going. We’ve never…”We’ve never really talked about what this is, I want to say but instead settle on, “We didn’t pick a place.”
“Right.” Daniel removes his hand from my leg to dig a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket. “I asked some of the locals at the expo. Any of these pique your interest?”
Okay, that’s cute.I scan the list and land on a little bistro I’d been to once on a weekend girls trip in college. “This place is good.”
Daniel takes a look at the name I’m pointing to. “Okay, I’ll give them a call for a table when we get back. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Am I showering alone this time?”
“No.” He snaps the word like the question was offensive, but the humor is evident in his eyes.
“In that case…” I bite my lip as I let my eyes obviously look him up and down, and I’m rewarded with the sight of him shifting in his seat. “You should probably make a late reservation.”
Definitely the right call.
A couple hours later, I’m finishing up my makeup, swiping a final layer of mascara over my eyelashes before I check my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Both nervous and excited, I turn in every direction to inspect my newly purchased dress with its sweetheart neckline, the deep red fabric soft but still with enough structure that it flares out a bit above my knees. Mostly satisfied, I pull a few pieces free from my half-up hair, then take one last deep breath to steady myself before I walk out into the room.
“Hey, I’m…” I trail off, my grand entrance falling somewhat flat when I realize Daniel isn’t there. Fortunately, before I can completely panic, I spy a quickly scrawled note on the bedside table.
Forgot something. Be right back.
—Danny
Wondering what he could have needed, I am about to sit on the bed to wait when there is a knock on the door that causes me to walk over and look through the peephole instead. My confusion only amplifies when I see that it’s him. “Did you forget your key, too?” I call as I turn the handle to let him in.
When the door opens, Daniel leans against the doorframe, dressed in his jeans and boots, a white button-up under his black leather jacket. And in his hand… Daniel Ríos has a bouquet of fresh sunflowers.
“Good evening, Isabel,” he says with a soft smile. “Ready to go?”
Twenty-Six
