Page 8 of The Chance
That's that, then. He was here temporarily and there was no point getting attached. He stopped the Range Rover outside the restaurant and turned in his seat to face me. His pupils dilated when he ate up the swell of my breasts that were heaving behind the fabric of my dress. It was his fault my chest rose and fell quickly because I felt cheated, he was dropping me off to have a date with another man and he was going back to his life in Dublin sometime soon.
From the exquisite curve of his lips to the tranquil shade of blue shimmering in his eyes, I was captivated. A curl of hair tumbled over his forehead, and I resisted the urge to sweep it away from his oily smeared skin.
His lips separated and I could've sworn he was imagining something wicked and dirty as his hot gaze wandered over my body. "Enjoy your night, Lexi. Make sure he pays for your taxi home."
"If I don't go back to his place, you mean?" I teased, hoping for a reaction, for something that would invite me to stay beside him.
His eyes widened and he tipped his torso forward, reaching his large palm across my thighs. Seb yanked on the handle and shoved the door wide. I hesitated, a little dumbstruck, not wanting to go. “That’s your call.”
"So, you'll call around tomorrow?"
"Sure thing, nine on the dot." He grinned like a sly fox. "That’s if you think you'll be home?" He knew I wasn't going home with ‘ripped as fuck’.
My silly heart slung on a ruffled dress and danced the Rhumba. "Don't even joke about that time of the morning. It's a Saturday."
His low chuckle sent my core into a spasm. "Okay then, nine-thirty. I have to get the part urgently or buy a new tractor, and I know which one Wayne would prefer."
"Fine, farm guy. I'll see you then. Thanks for the lift." I tried to play it cool, but I wanted to jump onto his lap and taste him. I didn't give in to my body’s commands, instead I exited the car, glanced back over my shoulder and fluttered my full lashes. "Safe drive home, Seb." I threw him a sweet sexy grin and let the door close behind me.
I watched him drive off. An unsettled feeling swirled in my belly, but I tucked it away. He was leaving soon and there was no way I would get invested in a guy who wasn't sticking around.
Inside the restaurant Blake was waiting at the table with a pint of lager. He stood and pushed back his chair with a smug look plastered over his face. He puckered his lips and let out a low whistle. "Babe, you look smokin’!" He grinned like the Joker. "Take a seat, and I'll order you a drink."
I sat down on the edge of the padded chair. I didn't really want to be there, especially when Seb was all sorts of delicious and dirty. Although, he was unattainable now we’d established he had his own farm over the border. I had to give Blake a chance, after all, he was here and Seb was planning to vanish.
"Sit back, babe. Make yourself comfy." He waved to the waitress with fingers that resembled chicken sticks. "Drinks please." Once I’d spotted the uncanny likeness, I couldn’t stop staring. They were thick and beige, and the tips were flat and wide. I’m not a fan of chicken sticks.
The waitress took our order and swiftly left. It gave me a brief moment to assess the buff guy before me. His tee was so tight it looked spray painted to his skin and pale blue denim jeans clung to his thick tight thighs. The buzz cut gave him a bad boy appearance which I appreciated. He was a far contrast from my usual suited type. The ones who dominated a boardroom slash bedroom. Although recently, my stereotypical type had altered a little, to include hot twenty something farmers. Perhaps that’s where I’d been going wrong all this time? Maybe my actual type was more rural and rugged than tailored and neat.
Blake cleared his throat with a fake cough. “The lights are on, but it looks like no one’s home?”
My expression was vacant. My mind has been wandering around a farm with Seb tucked to my side.
“Just checking out the drinks menu.” I offered him a false smile that stuck it’s finger up at his irritating pretend cough. The date hadn’t started well at all, and I actually resented the guy for sitting where Seb should be.
Blake's chicken sticks reached across the table. "So, Lexi. Thanks for agreeing to have this date. Linda has said amazing things about you."
I wanted to pull my hand away from the sweeping strokes across my knuckles. "And you, Blake. You sure do live up to the stories." In a quick flick, I pulled back and pretended to fix my hair.
His thin lips widened to reveal porcelain white veneers that lit up like glow in the dark tombstones at Halloween. They weren’t crooked or wonky, just too big for his mouth.
"Hopefully she told you the good stories and not the bad ones?” I kept my eyes on the list of alcohol as he spoke.
"I don't mind the odd bad one." I spoke softly. “She did tell me you call yourself Blake with the big trouser snake. Although, I think you need to check with Justin on that one, he might have the rights to it.”
Blake winked at me. “So that’s why you’re here.”
“No. I’m here to see if I like you enough for a second date.”
Throughout the entire dinner, he called me babe and talked about the best types of food to build muscle mass and bulk up. I wasn't interested in the 'gains', nor how many kilos he could lift, but in fairness, he was very charming, aside from the self-admiration. I polished off four drinks by the time he’d finished his main course. I quickly ordered my fifth rum and orange Fanta when he asked if I wanted to share a strawberry cheesecake. He caught the eye of a passing woman who was clearly impressed with his bulging guns, and he knew she was loving it. The guy had a roaming eye. I even caught him winking at the bar girl who all but drooled in my fresh drink.
"Fancy hitting a few bars?" he asked brightly with the expectation that I'd say yes.
"I have an early start tomorrow. Sorry. I need to help a friend with something." I folded my napkin and set it on the table.
"Seriously?" His cheeky boy smile dropped to the floor with his jaw.
I chewed the inside of my cheek and raised my brows. "Eh, yeah."
