Page 127 of Wild Pitch
I give him a deadpanned stare. “What are the odds of that?”
“Hey, this is Florida. Anything can happen.”
“Far be it for me to kill your chivalry, so I’ll accept your suggestion.” I try to free my right hand so I can open the door, but the lovable jerk doesn’t let me. I open the door with my left and the wide motion of the opening door finally frees my hand. I grab onto the handles to hoist myself into his Texas size truck, and he’s still smiling like a goof as he shuts the door for me.
The truth is that his smell in the truck completely shuts my brain off. I’m trying to figure out how to reproduce his scent into candles when he climbs into the driver’s seat.
“So, where are we going?” I ask in an attempt to keep my hormones under control.
After we buckle up, Cade starts the truck and grabs the steering wheel to pull out of the spot. “Don’t worry, I know for a fact that you like this place.”
“Oh?”
The first five minutes of the drive are anyone’s guess until I notice the obvious fact that I can still recognize the streets. We’re still in my neighborhood, in an area that the girls and I hangout at all the time, which means that yes, I’ll definitely like our destination.
I snort as the truth reveals itself while he’s pulling into a parking spot. “Yes, this date is starting really, really well already.”
Cade grins at me with so much joy it, strikes me as the very first time I’ve seen the phenomenon. “After you, ma’am.”
Shaking my head, I get out of the truck and meet him halfway at the front. He presents his right hand to me, giving me the option of taking it or not, but now that I know what that feels like, I have no intent to squander my opportunities for skin to skin contact. I slide my fingers between his and we walk into the yogurt ice cream shop together, the same one we met at almost two months ago when I was desperate to get dating advice.
He leads the way weaving through some empty tables and some busy ones, back to the same spot at the bar by the front window. Freeing his hand, he grabs me by the shoulders and gently pushes me to sit. Then his breath nears my face and he whispers in my ear.
“Wait for me right here.”
“Okay.” I’m embarrassed to admit that it comes out like a squeak.
Gosh, is this what dating’s really like? The teasing, the butterflies, the sweet and sexy mingling together? Or had I never really dated until Cade? And I don’t just mean about the dates stemming from apps—but also with my ex. We did hold hands and joked with each other, but it never felt like this. Like just one look is enough to melt me down. Like every gesture is intentional and clear.
Like maybe the problem in that relationship was never whether I was hot or not, but that I had no idea what I needed from my so-called boyfriend, and like he didn’t care to give it to me in the first place.
I mean, Dawson never asked if it was all right to open doors for me or not.
Watching Cade head to the counter, I have to tell my heart to take a chill pill. It’s way, way too early to be falling in love with the man already.
I stay stoic while releasing a little groan when he retraces his steps back to me, because I recognize the treats in his hands right away. “You’re something else,” I say when he places a cup, this time small, in front of me. It’s a swirl with strawberries, bananas, chocolate syrup, and he didn’t even forget the caramel.
He then sets down another small swirl cup only topped by chopped peanuts and takes his seat beside me. “What can I say, I have really good eyes and I use them to pay attention.”
“Huh. What else have you paid attention to?” I scoop a strawberry and place it on his cup. It makes his lips curl and my toes do the same.
“For example, I’ve noticed how you don’t freeze in front of me at all, compared to your other dates. Still trying to figure out if that’s a good thing or not.”
My mouth opens. We talked about that in precisely this same spot. Same chairs. Eating the same frozen treats. I guess that conversation made turns in his brain.
“It’s a good thing,” I say, expelling air. “Areallygood thing. It means I’m comfortable around you.” And honestly until this moment I hadn’t stopped to think about how important that is. It was the biggest missing piece in all those online dates, and in my one relationship in the past.
“Hmm?” Cade lets the spoon hang between his lips even as a smile blooms. “Truly an honor.”
“That’s right.”
He places his right hand on the table, palm up, and opens and closes his fingers. “My hand is cold without yours.”
“Pfff.” I slap my palm against his, but I certainly don’t mind.
By the time we climb back into his truck, I already know it’s the best date I’ve ever had, even when he declares that we’re only getting started.
CHAPTER 42
