Page 19 of Recklessly You
His shoulder slumped, relieving his tense muscles, and when he grins, a soft dimple appears on his sun-kissed cheek. “How about I get your number, beautiful? You can decide if you want me to pick you up or meet me somewhere.”
Chad hands me his cell, and I type in my number. It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been on a date. Not because Liam threw a fit about my safety, so he says. But after the last few dates, I needed a mental break. Eric is still blowing up my phone, sending old photos of us, attempting to reel me back in.
“It was nice meeting you, Sophie. I’ll text you tonight so we can get to know each other a little more before our date or whatever you want to call it.” He winks as he walks back to his coworkers.
I hope this date goes better than the last two. Chad seems to be a sweet guy, and he’s hot…but in no comparison to Liam.
* * *
I’ve spentthe last two hours slipping in and out of different dresses. I started with a red dress and moved on to blue and then black. I finally decided on the red—a V-neck wrap mini-dress with a side slit. I stare at myself in the mirror, admiring the curves I worked hard to get. As a teen, I was always underweight. In high school, kids teased me, telling me to eat a sandwich and calling me bony. So, I ate, and by the end of high school, they were calling me fat. I couldn’t win. I’ve spent the last couple of years working out, building muscle, and adding more protein to my diet.
Two nights ago, Chad called me, and we talked for a couple of hours. Surprisingly, he’s easy-going and funny. He opened up a bit, telling me about his life. His older brother and another colleague started their legal practice, and Chad recently passed his bar exam. At twenty-nine years old, he’s joining his brother’s firm.
I finish by adding red lipstick and then call an Uber to pick me up. We’re meeting at the Hard Rock Hotel. I slip on my red heels. A text beeps—my Uber has arrived.
At dinner, Chad throws his head back in laughter when I go over all the slang we use in New York.
“So, bag means to get a number or secure a date?” he repeats what I just said, taking a sip of his beer.
I mimic him and take a drink of my sangria. I smile into my glass. Chad is a charmer. I’m enjoying his company. Our waiter arrives with our dinner. The Bolognese smells fantastic. Later there’s a band playing on the rooftop, and Chad mentioned heading up there after dinner to see it.
“Yup, you bagged me up for New Year’s Eve,” I say as I twirl my fork in the spaghetti Bolognese.
“What do you miss about New York besides family?” Chad inquires with his silky-smooth voice. He studies my profile, his gaze caressing me head to toe.
I tilt my head to the side in thought. “I miss the food…bagels, pizza, halal carts. I miss subway travel—and the weather. Most of all, I miss how straightforward people are. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here. Have you lived here all your life?”
He nods. “Yeah, all my life. I’ve never been to New York. It’s at the top of my list of places where I’d like to travel.”
I swallow the bite full of spaghetti. “You should definitely vacation there. You’ll love it.”
He takes a bite of his ravioli. A splatter of sauce gets on his chin. Without thinking, I wipe it away with a napkin. I’m a little too close, my breasts practically on display as I lean in. He chews the rest of his food then swallows hard as his gaze goes to the deep V-neck of my dress and then travels to my lips.
“Damn, you’re gorgeous.” His long fingers tuck my blonde locks behind my ear.
I straighten back in my chair.
“Thank you,” I mutter into my wine glass.
We stay quiet for a minute too long before he says, “Maybe you can be my tour guide.”
“Huh?”
“New York,” he replies with a smirk on his charming face.
“Sure.” I take another long gulp of sangria. Maybe I should make it clear it’s too soon.
He breaks the silence while I’m lost in thought. “How do you like your dinner?”
“It’s really good. How about yours?”
He leans in with his fork, feeding me a bite of ravioli. Okay, I wasn’t expecting to be spoon-fed…and it seems a little too intimate.
I swallow the steamy pasta burning my throat. “Good, wow, really good.”
He smiles sheepishly.
My eyes widen when I see gun-metal eyes staring at me over Chad’s shoulder. What the fuck? Does he have a sixth sense for finding me when I’m on a date? Fuck, he’d better not come over here and ruin it with his officer bullshit. Playing good cop. With a furious expression, Liam clenches his jaw and grips his silverware so hard, his knuckles go white. What the hell is his problem?
