Page 55 of Tempted By the Taurus
She nodded and reached out her hand for me to take it. When I did, we made our way to the door. Once outside, she shivered, causing me to wrap my arms around her shoulders.
The drive to the restaurant took only five minutes. On the way there, we rode in silence. My heart throbbed in my chest as I thought of the night ahead. I arrived at the restaurant and parked my car. After turning off the engine, I turned to her, seeing that she had fallen asleep.
I chuckled, knowing we were on the move since we got here. We were up at the crack of dawn and wouldn't go to sleep until after midnight. I tapped her leg lightly to wake her up. She stirred and turned her head toward me.
She chuckled. "Of course I'd fall asleep."
I smiled. "Yeah. That seems to always happen with you. Let's go."
We made it to the entry of the restaurant, and I held the door open for Lee. I gave the greeter my name, and they seated us and left us with menus. I took a minute to observe my surroundings. The place was small but roomy, with only a few patrons dining in. Soft music played in the background, creating a romantic atmosphere.
The server came to take our order.
"Hello. May I start you off with something to drink?"
"We'd like your bottle of wine with two glasses of water, please. Add lemon," I requested.
She nodded with a smile. "I'll be back with your drinks momentarily."
"This place is a vibe. Where'd you find it?" Leighton asked.
"I saw it on the way here in the cut, so while I got the bags out of the car, I made the reservation ahead of time."
"That was smart, especially when you didn't know if the place would've been packed or not."
"Right."
The server came with our bottle of wine, set two glasses down on the table, and left, returning a short time later with our order. Leighton appeared to be confused as she sat up straighter in her seat. What she didn't know was that I had ordered ahead as well. Since I knew what she liked to eat, I ordered what I knew she'd eat, plus some options she could try.
"Is everything to your liking, sir? Madam?" the server asked with their hands behind their back.
I nodded as I eyed all the food. "Yeah. It's all good. I just need that other request, ASAP."
The server bowed before she left the table.
I felt Leighton's eyes on me, but she remained quiet. I almost wanted to blurt out what I had to say, but I kept it together. I reached for her to say grace, and she wasted no time putting her hand in mine as I blessed the food.
"I don't know where to start." I nervously chuckled, eyeing the food.
"Yeah, it's a lot of good stuff. We'll be taking a lot of this food with us. I've never seen some of it before," she stated.
"Let's try some of these. Do you want to try the stuffed mushrooms?" I held up the basket for her to see.
She shook her head wildly. "No, thank you."
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing loudly. "C'mon, you'll enjoy them."
Lee continued to shake her head. "I'll pass."
I chuckled and reached for one and popped it in my mouth. Her eyes were on me with a cringe look on her face. "Stop looking at me like that. It's good. You're just a picky eater."
"I'm glad you know because I am." She reached for her wineglass and took a sip. "I..."
Leighton's words died on her lips when the server returned with a platter that was closed. She set it in the middle of the table and then walked away.
"Is she bringing more food out?" Lee asked. "We haven't even finished the food that we have."
I pointed to her. "You haven't started yet. I did. Eat up. Could you please try some of the food you've never had before, for me? You might like it."
