Page 22 of One More Truth
“I know you are. But I wanna take you on a real date. And afterward, I’ll walk you to the front door of this house like I would if this were our first date—which it is. And then if it’s okay with you, I’ll kiss you like this.” He presses his mouth lightly to mine. My lips tingle, and I release a dreamy, heartfelt sigh.
“What if I want more than a sweet kiss?” I whisper, my breath skimming over his lips.
“For our first date?” His mouth presses into a serious line that twitches at the corners. “First date is just the kiss. That’s the proper dating etiquette.”
A giggle bubbles inside me. “What if I want to do this?” I press my mouth to his and encourage his lips to part. My tongue dips into his mouth and strokes acrosshistongue.
His lips curve against mine, and a soft laugh vibrates low in his throat and spreads throughout my body. “I’m sure we can bend the dating etiquette rules just a little.”
“Only a little?”
“Sweetheart, I’d like to bend you over the counter and do wicked things to you.” His voice is a low growl that ignites the nerve endings between my legs. If he keeps this up, I’ll explode into a million stars before we get to go on a date.
A tiny whimper escapes me, and I press my body into his. His length hardens in his shorts, and I trace the tip of my tongue along his lower lip, enjoying this game.
Troy’s hand goes to my ass. “Like that, huh?”
“Uh-huh.” I can barely talk or think or…
Troy’s other hand cups my face, and his mouth moves to my neck. He plants soft kisses along my skin, and I melt at his touch. Another whimper breaks free.
Troy takes a step back, a cocky grin on his face. “You’re very good at distracting a man.”
“Is that what I’m doing? Distracting you so you don’t take me out on a date?” I lean into him.
“Nope. You’re distracting me so I forget the proper dating etiquette.”
“From the 1950s.” I bite my lip, holding back my comment about how Iris hadn’t worried about dating etiquette with Johann. But why would she when she had no idea if she would survive the war? Why wait for tomorrow when it might never come?
“My mother taught me to be a gentleman.” Amusement shines in Troy’s warm brown eyes.
“I’m sure your mom will be proud that she did a good job instilling those lessons.” Smiling broadly, I widen the gap between us. “So, where will this date take place?”
“La Brezza Ristorante.”
“I’ve never been there before.” It’s one of the fancier restaurants in town, but not over-the-top, suits-and-tie fancier.
“We have a reservation for six-thirty.”
Surprise widens my eyes, kickstarts the fast beating of my heart. “You’ve already got a reservation?”God, am I ready to be out in public like that so soon after the newspaper article?
“Yup, booked it once I returned to town.”
I nod because I don’t know how to respond. I can’t remember the last time I went on a date. “How was the trip this weekend?”
“It was good.”
Something about the way he says the three words has me raising my eyebrows. On the surface, there’s nothing sinister about them. It’s that subtle, barely noticeable pause before the “good” that says the opposite.
“What…what happened?”
“Nothing exciting. It was mostly a reunion for these men. They all retired from the military ten years ago. Needed a break from their desk jobs. They met up in Portland for the week.”
“So, nothing bad happened?”
Troy’s brow pulls into a frown. “No. Were you expecting something bad to have happened?”
I shake my head. I must be imagining things. I’m paranoid after everything that’s happened to me, and I’m reading too much into his reactions.
