Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
“You deserve to celebrate properly,” I tell her, stepping closer. She doesn’t step back, instead craning her head back to hold my stare. “You were beautiful tonight. Amazing. Besides, seeing that my daughter has other plans, I have a reservation and nobody to fill it. I would love it if you’d join me for dinner.”
Distantly, I’m aware that I shouldn’t be asking her out, even if it’s just a dinner to celebrate her performance. There’s a line here, one I’m blatantly ignoring. But I can’t fucking help myself.
I can’t walk away from her.
2
JULIET
I’m pretty sure I must be dreaming, but no matter how many times I blink or discreetly pinch myself, I don’t wake up and the hottest man I’ve ever seen doesn’t disappear.
Nope, Jared is still standing in front of me, holding me captive with dark blue eyes that match the navy blue tie he’s wearing. He must be over six feet because I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes, and I’m not particularly short at five foot five, either.
His jawline is sharp enough to cut, and even in the formal suit he’s wearing, when he moves, hints of muscle stretch at the white shirt and arms of his suit jacket. I’d bet my best pointe shoes that he’s got a six-pack hidden under the businessman guise he’s got going on.
God. No, Juliet. Don’t go there.
I run through all the reasons that I absolutely should not find him insanely attractive. One, he’s like eighteen years older than me. Two, he’s my best friend’s dad. Laura told me her parents had her young at eighteen, but I’ve only ever met her mom until now. He has the same dark curly hair as Laura, accompanied by the unfairly dark long lashes she has, too.
And he’s asking me…to dinner.
I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from screaming yes immediately, trying to find some reason in my mind. My body sways towards him without my permission, inexplicably drawn to him. Maybe I’m just so exhausted from all the rehearsals and tonight’s performance and that’s the reason I’m half a second from literally falling into him.
Yeah right. Who am I kidding? I’m just in a trance from the sheer level of attraction I have toward this man.
There’s no room in my head for reason anymore.
“Dinner?” I repeat back to him, willing myself to stop acting like a drooling idiot. “Um, yeah, that sounds nice. I mean, if you’re sure.”
Jared smiles at me and holy hell, I think I’m melting into the damn floor.
“Of course I’m sure,” he answers smoothly.
He’s probably just being nice, I try to tell my foolish heart as it thuds away in my chest. Jared leads the way out of the reception and to the car park, and my mind is working as hard as my feet to catch up with this situation.
His daughter, my best friend, introduced us. There’s no way in hell, no matter how much my desperate delusional brain wants to believe otherwise, that he sees me as anything other than his kid’s friend that he doesn’t want to have to be left alone when everyone else is celebrating.
He probably just feels sorry for me. That’s all.
The reality check helps calm my nerves a little as he holds the passenger side door open for me, and I thank him while I slide inside. He drives us ten minutes away to a nice neighborhood restaurant, and I try very hard not to stare at the way his forearms flex with his grip on the wheel.
Again, Jared holds the door open for me, and within seconds, the hostess leads us over to a corner booth. The air is warm here, and candles give the place a cozy ambiance. Everyone else is dressed up in suits and nice dresses and heels, making my after-performance outfit feel wildly out of place. Jared doesn’t seem to care, though, and we settle into our seats quickly.
He orders us two mocktails, and I’m thankful for the fact he’s taking the lead here since I’m still floundering with my own feelings. I have to read the menu like three times to figure out what anything is, so distracted by glancing up at Jared every second.
More than once, I catch him staring back at me, too. There’s an entire colony of butterflies living in my stomach by the time our first course arrives.
“So, Juliet,” Jared says while I chew my first bite of delicious chicken, moaning as the flavors explode on my tongue.
Considering I live off packet ramen and crackers because they’re easy and fast to make between the chaos of academic classes and practical ones, as well as extra rehearsals when we have a performance coming up, this food tastes like heaven. Jared’s eyes darken, his jaw ticking, and I blush, realizing the sound I just made. He clears his throat before continuing, “How did you get into dancing? Clearly, you’re incredibly talented.”