Page 30 of One Night to Fall
“I wanted to.” Ushering us to the side to wait for our drinks, he smiles, this one flirty and aimed straight at me. “I’d also love to take you to dinner. Maybe tomorrow night? I have to go golfing in the morning but after that I’m free.”
“I’m not looking for a hookup,” I tell him evenly, this much sure in my mind. The last thing I need is another meaningless encounter to add to my repertoire.
But nothing about Jesse is meaningless.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I meet Kyle’s gaze, surprised to find the corner of his lips curving up higher instead of him balking at my statement.
“I’m not afraid of a little work, Adrian. I don’t live that far, so if you want to take this slow, I’m fine with that.” Leaning closer,he adds, “I can think of a lot worse ways to spend my time than wooing a gorgeous man.”
Well, fuck.
“Order for Kyle!” the barista yells, startling me and making Kyle chuckle. He leaves and returns a minute later with our drinks and a napkin.
With a phone number.
“Here’s my number,” he says, tapping the napkin. “What if we meet at the Range Bar and Grill at six thirty tomorrow? You can text me if something changes.”
“Okay.” My voice is quiet as I take the napkin and slide it into my pocket, the weight of it far more than the disposable paper. Kyle and I make small talk all the way to the door, the man charismatic and sweet as we step out onto the sidewalk.
“It was great meeting you today.” Kyle grins. “I’m glad I picked this coffee shop.”
“Me too.” It’s not a lie…not exactly. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome. I hope I see you tomorrow.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
“I guess we will.”
22
JESSE
“Have you heard a word I’ve said?” I ask, halfway through telling Adrian about the chaos of trying to move the horses into their new stalls today. His fork has been suspended above the takeout container of orange chicken—his favorite—that I surprised him with tonight to make up for the fact that I hadn’t been around since the whole thing with Reid happened. I’d still been so caught up in my head and I didn’t want Adrian to see me like that—depressed and ashamed.
What a catch…
Looking up from the table, he sighs, his fork dropping down as those jade-colored eyes land on mine. They’resador maybe unsure, the emotion heavy as he watches me.
“A guy at Petit Squared bought me coffee today.” His voice is even, like he’s testing the water to see how I’ll react.
“Okay.” Adrian is hot; I’m not surprised someone else has noticed too.But he’s mine.That thought has me swallowing hard because he’s not mine. I was clear about what I want.
And what I don’t.
Ignoring the pang of jealousy, I keep my face as neutral as I can as I wait for him to
continue.
“He asked me to dinner. I told him I wasn’t interested in just hooking up but he still wants to go.”
He…
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “Did you say yes?”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“When?”
