Page 50 of The Mistakes I've Made
“A few?”
There was that smile again. “They come in flights—small cups,” he explained, his thumb and pointer finger indicating the size for me.
“Oh, okay. Good. I was afraid you were trying to get me drunk.”
“Now, why would I need to get you drunk, Leilani?” His voice was dark and full of promise, and when he said my name, I nearly tripped on the sidewalk.
Luckily, I didn’t have time to answer his question because the restaurant he’d spoken of was closer than I’d realized.
Looking up as we walked through the doors, I discovered I actually passed by it daily on my way to the hotel.
I really need to explore the island more.
“Hey, Taylor!” a handsome-looking guy greeted us. He was wearing a gray T-shirt that boldly bore the restaurant’s name,Taps, across the chest.
“Hey, Gavin,” he said. “Got room for two more?”
The place was packed, which was impressive for a weekday in Ocracoke during the off-season.
“Of course,” he answered, giving Taylor a goofy grin and sending me a flirty wink. “Saved you my best table.”
I highly doubted that was true, but it was nice all the same. He handed us menus and made sure we were comfortable in our secluded booth before leaving us on our own.
“So, do you take all your conquests here?” I asked, giving him a knowing grin.
He gave it back tenfold as he peered at me over the top of his menu. “Only during happy hour,” he answered. “Otherwise, it gets pretty expensive.”
My mouth hung open as I tried to find a suitable response.
“I’m kidding!” He laughed. “Besides, you’re not a conquest, remember?”
I shrugged, leaning forward. “I know. I just—”
“You’re curious? Since you saw me with Sierra?”
Another shrug. “Is that her name?”
His grin widened. “Yes, that’s her name, and like I said, she’s just a friend.”
I gave him a hard stare.How dumb did he think I was?I had seen the way she looked at him.
“Okay.” He put his hands up in defeat. “She’s just a friend now. We’ve been a little more than friends, but that’s in the past.”
“And are you a little more than friends with a lot of women on the island?”
Now, it was him who leaned forward, his broad, muscled arms stretching wide along the table. “Is this how you conduct all your professional relationships?”
“That kiss this afternoon? Is that how you conduct yours?”
He laughed. “Touché.”
Leaning back now, I couldn’t help but notice the way his body seemed to go on for miles. And then I remembered how it’d felt when pressed up against me.
So hot and rigid.
“What’s the real reason you asked me to dinner tonight, Leilani?”
Because I couldn’t stay away…
