Page 35 of Kiss Away Your Pain (Wounded Hearts 2)

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Enzo

What happened to her? I know she’s attracted to me. There’s fire between us. I see it in her eyes. I feel it when we’re close. It’s undeniable. She’s whiskey running through my veins. Warm, soothing, intoxicating – erotic.

And then, I blink my eyes, and a wall slices between us. Some asshole must’ve really hurt her. Nicco said she’s very selective when it comes to men. I’ll show her I’m not another asshole.

I get to see her next week and I want to do something she’ll find romantic. While I’m decent in the romance department, I think I need my sister on this one. I want to do it right. I grab my phone and call her.

“Hey, little brother. How’d the date go? Did you get the candle?”

I chuckle. “Yes, I got the candle. She liked it. It was good and…different.”

“Different? What do you mean different?”

I pour whiskey into my glass. “Well, it wasn’t like any kind of date I’ve been on before. It started out great. We went to the market, got food for dinner, some flowers. She opened up to me a little about her mom dying and, for some reason, I started talking more about Mom and ended up getting emotional.”

“You did?” Her voice raises.

“Not sobbing or anything, but a tear got loose. I couldn’t stop it. Trust me, I tried. She made me feel totally okay about it. With her mom dying and our mom leaving, it’s like this weird thing that connects us. I don’t know how to explain it. She’s not like other women I’ve dated. The chemistry between us is unreal,” I say, taking a swig of whiskey as our hot moments flash through my head.

“This all sounds encouraging so far. Well, maybe not the crying part. What else happened?”

“We were dancing and I wanted to kiss her, but remember I told you how she freaked out that time and ran off?” I pace between the living room and kitchen.

“Yeah.”

“So, I told her I didn’t want to upset her again and she said that I didn’t upset her before. She said it’s been a while for her. As soon as she said it, I felt it. I felt her shut down again. Wall up.” I slice my hand through the air. “I think some dude hurt her, bad.”

“Ugh. That’s tough.”

“I think I’m going to have to take things slow with her. And that works for me. There’s something about this woman.” I rake my hand through my hair. “I want to see her again.”

“That’s good. I see why you used the word different. Definitely a different kind of first date. But, hey, it sounds like you found some common ground, you had a nice night, you were able to connect emotionally. And, if you wanted to kiss her, that’s a good sign.” She hesitates. “Do you think she wanted you to kiss her?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, that night,shepulled me in for the kiss. Though she was also a little tipsy. But, throughout the night tonight, I don’t know, there was definitely attraction.”

“Are you seeing each other again?”

I sit on the sofa and lean back. “Yeah, that’s part of the reason I’m calling you. I want to do something romantic with her. Got any ideas for me?”

“That’s great.” The excitement in her voice makes me smile. “For a minute I thought you were going to say that was it. You don’t do well at the first sign of trouble.”

Ouch. She’s not wrong. And she says it with compassion rather than judgement. She once told me she worried that my inability to stay with a woman might be because I have abandonment issues due to Mom. I have no idea whether she’s right or wrong, but it did make me think about it. I’m not ready to give up with Candi. Not nearly.

“I know. Not this time. I’m telling you, there’s something about her.” I pause, sipping my whiskey. “So, whatcha got for me?”

“Something where you’ll get a chance to talk and keep getting to know each other.” She pauses. “Hey, I know. How about a picnic dinner and then the swan pedal boats at Echo Park? I’d think that was romantic.”

“Hmh. Okay, I like the sound of that. Thanks. Hey, I gotta go. I want to wash the dishes before I go to bed.”

“Someone taught you well,” she quips. She never used to let me go to bed without helping her and Dad clean up the kitchen after dinner.

“Night. Love you.” I hang up the phone and clean up the kitchen before going to bed.

My week is quiet for modeling so I take a few bartending shifts. Candi’s been very busy with her shoot. We text a few times and I’m eager to set up our date.

Me:When do you want to get together?

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