Page 13 of King of Lies
“Just about anything. I’m not picky.”
“How about Italian?”
“Sounds good.”
“I just found this place across town. Do you mind if I drive?”
“No, I don’t mind.”
He picks up our cups and puts them in the trashcan before taking my hand and leading me out the door and back down to the bookstore. He beeps the locks on a sleek Mercedes and holds the passenger door open for me. I slide down into the soft leather, and he shuts the door behind me before walking around the front end and climbing in the driver’s seat.
He drives across town and parks in front of a small, upscale Italian restaurant. Rhys climbs from the car and walks around to open my door for me before escorting me to the front door and holding it open for me.
A hostess quickly takes us to a small booth in a dark corner of the restaurant and sets two menus in front of us.
Rhys orders us a bottle of wine and we sit and talk over salads and bread. When the pasta comes, it feels as if I’ve known him forever. Somehow, he makes me feel comfortable. Or maybe it was the two glasses of wine. I don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want this to be over.
He quietly pays the bill and leads me out to his car, holding the door for me again.
“Do you need to get your car from the bookshop, or should I take you home?” he asks me softly.
“I actually live around the corner from the store and I’ve had too much to drink so I shouldn’t drive. If you could drop me at my apartment, I’ll walk to work tomorrow and pick it up.”
“Sure thing,” he says. “Just tell me where you live, Hen.”
I give him directions to my apartment building in the other direction from the coffee shop we were at earlier.
He parks near my building and climbs out of the car, once again walking around and holding the door open for me. And then, quietly, he walks me up the stairs to my apartment door.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” I whisper shyly as I dig in my bag for my keys.
“Look at me, Hen,” he says and when I look up, he frames my face with his hands and touches his mouth to mine. When he deepens the kiss, I drop my bag and my keys to the ground.
I cling to him when he pulls me into his arms, and he kisses me within an inch of my life. I’ve never actually been kissed like this before. The few boys who did kiss me in high school never kissed like this.
And then, before things really get out of hand, Rhys pulls back, breaking our kiss but still keeping his arms around me. The blue of his eyes is dark and swirling as he looks at me.
“Why did you stop?” I whisper as he lets me go to scoop up my bag and keys before handing them to me.
“Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stopped at all and I’m not about to scare you off when I’ve just gotten you to go out with me,” he says. “Now get safely inside your flat and I’ll talk to you later. All right?”
“All right,” I whisper before turning to unlock my door. “I really did have a nice time.”
“I know, Hen,” he says gently. “I did too.”
Then I close myself in and lock the door. I’d like to say that I’m a grownup about the situation and don’t pull the curtain back to watch him walk down to his car, but I can’t. I totally watch him walk down the stairs and when he gets to his car, he turns and looks up at me, waving just before he slides down into the driver’s seat and drives away.
I let the curtain fall back into place and get myself ready for bed. Tonight, I don’t toss and turn for hours or need to read to get my mind to quiet. Instead, I drift off to sleep and when I do, I dream of candle lit dinners in romantic Italian restaurants and handsome men with black hair and blue eyes.
Chapter 5
For you
My alarm blares on my nightstand and I silence it. I can feel the smile on my face, and I raise my hand to touch my cheek to see if it’s real as I lay nestled in my cocoon of blankets and bedding.
I toss back my covers and head into the shower. My shift at the shop is later this morning so I’m going to have an easy start and a relaxed day, I hope.
I dress quickly in jeans and a sweater and braid my hair. I dust a little makeup on my face and dab some lip gloss on my lips before sliding my feet into my chucks and heading for the door.
