Page 73 of Dirty Little Secret
Her movement pulled me out of my daze. “Older? No.” I hurried to get to the door before she did, opening it for her. “I would use many words to describe you—gorgeous, sexy, and naturally beautiful—but old would never cross my mind, Zandra Larkin. I’m very proud to have you at my side this evening.”
“Ah.” She ran one finger along my jawline. “He approves. I’ve done good then.”
“You’ve done better than good.” I pressed my lips to her cheek. “You’ve taken my breath away. That’s never happened to me before.”
Her dark blue eyes peered into mine. “Really?”
All I could do was nod as I stared back into those eyes, getting lost in them. The same ones I’d looked into so long ago. No thick black mascara surrounded them. No eyeliner either. Just the slightest bit of brown mascara and neutral eyeshadows that blended in so well, they looked like they were hardly there at all.
She sat in the car with a sweet smile on her pink lips. I closed the door and went around to get in, taking a deep breath t0 try to shake off this star-struck feeling.
She’d thrown me for a loop, and I had to get back on track.
With step one completed, I knew the next few ones were up to me. And I was feeling very optimistic about them.
It took me a little while to come back around to being myself as we drove to the restaurant. But when I reached over, taking her hand in mine, her touch, and the connection that always sprang between us, helped me. “How did your boss take you calling in tonight?”
“Not well.” She sighed. “And I know he’s going to bitch me out for this change in my look.”
“Fuck him.” I stopped at a red light and looked at her. “You look amazing.”
The smile that curved her lips made my heart race. “Thank you, Kane. Taylor wasn’t on board with my new look, either. She said it makes me look old.”
“You look mature,” I told her. “And it suits you. Please tell me you won’t go back to the old look.”
With a nod, she said, “I promised myself that very thing yesterday. I won’t be going back, only forward from now on.”
Relief spread through me. “That’s so good to hear, baby. So good. Forward is the best way to go. Unless you’re a girl and you’re dancing, then backward is okay. But only then.”
She laughed and I chuckled with her, and it felt amazing.
The atmosphere of the restaurant did much to make the night special for us both. She ran her hand over the white linen tablecloth after we’d sat down. “Don’t laugh at me please, Kane.” She looked at me with a shy grin. “I’ve never been in a place like this before. It’s kind of surreal. I just want to touch everything, to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
Reaching across the table, I took her hand in mine. “You’re not dreaming. And I think it’s adorable that you feel that way. To be honest, I feel that way too.”
Her chest heaved as she sighed and looked around. “I’ll remember this forever.”
“Good. So will I.” I let her hand go to take a look at the menu. “I think we should start with the chilled oysters Rockefeller.” I put it back down, taking her hand again. “Does that sound good to you?”
“It does. It sounds very good to me.” She leaned in close, then whispered, “But aren’t those considered an aphrodisiac, Dr. Price?”
Winking, I answered, “Yep.”
“If it helps you make any plans for later tonight, then I want you to know that you’re making me feel very special and cared for.” Her smile turned sexy. “If you know what I mean.”
My cock was hard in an instant, and I was glad for the cover of the table. “I do.” I could’ve jumped her gorgeous bones right then. But I wanted things to progress a little further than they had so far.
The waiter came back with our white wine and two glasses. “Have you made a decision on the appetizer?” He poured a little bit of the wine in one of the glasses then handed it to me.
“We have,” I told him then tasted the wine. “And this is perfect.”
He filled a glass, placing it in front of Zandra, and then filled mine the rest of the way, leaving the bottle on the table. “And what can I bring you first?”
“The oysters to start,” I let him know.
“I’ll get to that and be right back to take the rest of your order.” He left us, and I saw Zandra watching him.
“I’ve never served food before. I wonder if I would be any good at it. It seems kind of complicated,” she pondered.
