Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 141951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 473(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 473(@300wpm)
Or there was someone to avoid …
He didn’t mention that bit.
Her pouty smile, shadowed by the dim lighting and flickering lights from the fake flames and glowing water feature, made Lucas aware that he had still yet to pay this woman the respect she was due. Her understated makeup made her natural beauty more apparent and highlighted the best features of her face from the small button nose above the plushness of her mouth to the sultry way her gaze swept over him.
She didn’t have to try to look good sitting there.
She just did.
Confidence was the best accessory for a woman. He’d put good money on it.
“So, tonight must be a rare treat for you, then,” she said softly.
“Delaney,” he said, and her name on his lips drew her hazel stare to where he could hold it strong, “the rare treat for me tonight is you. Just so that’s clear. You’re the only reason I made an effort to do anything tonight in the first place.”
She eyed the dark landscape beyond the window before her attention came back to him, and that sweet smile of hers had deepened.
“Oh?”
Lucas’ head bobbed with his hummed confirmation. “Mmhmm.”
He reached across the table to snag the open palm she offered for him to hold. The thrill of the rougher pads of his fingertips gliding along her silken skin to weave their fingers was as unexpected to him as the fact she wanted to hold his hand in the first place. The innocence and care in a simple touch couldn’t be understated.
No matter.
He liked it.
Finally, he found the right—the best—time to tell her what he should have mentioned a while ago. “You look amazing.”
“I might have waffled on the dress. And boots.”
“Is that so?”
She laughed. “Believe it or not, but my cousin convinced me to wear it.”
His grin split impossibly wider. “If I get the chance, remind me to thank her.”
“And I still can’t get you to tell me why you wanted my shoe size?” she prodded.
“Not a chance, no.”
He would not ruin that surprise.
Delaney guffawed, but still, their hands stayed connected.
The return of Curtis to their section with leather bound menus, breadsticks, and drinks balanced on a serving tray broke the two apart.
Unfortunately.
“Richie will be around to get your order shortly,” the host explained, handing over menus after placing the drinks and breadsticks.
A bottle of red wine sat taller than the beer Delaney reached for to spin so she could see the label and branding on the bottle.
Sure enough …
Her light laugh tinkled into the room, filling Lucas’ chest with something warm and tight that he hadn’t felt before. The sound of her amusement and joy did strange things to his insides.
“I should have guessed,” she told him before spinning the bottle his way.
The Dalton Brewery logo stared back at him.
“I prefer rum at home, but anywhere else, I’m all about the loyalty,” he said, shrugging.
The host between them chuckled, saying before he left, “Enjoy your evening.”
Oh, they certainly would. Given the way Delaney grinned at him from across the table, things could only get better from here.
Lucas looked forward to it.
Chapter 12
“Can I look now?” Delaney asked as her vision was still blocked by the scarf she had allowed Lucas to use as a makeshift blindfold.
For her eyes.
Unfortunately.
He chuckled out a quiet, “Not yet.”
Delaney sighed loudly.
Then, she did it again for good measure. Just to make sure Lucas had heard her loud and clear if not the first time. Her message must have made its way to him.
“Patience is a virtue, you know,” he pointed out at her huffy silence.
Damn this man.
“Rich,” Delaney returned, “coming from the man who can see our current location.”
“Mmhmm, and soon, you will, too.”
He had an answer for everything.
Secretly, she adored the fact that he had gone to so much trouble to make their evening fun for her. Including whatever surprise he had planned. He could have left their date at dinner and drinks; she would have been happy with that, too.
No, he went for more.
First dates weren’t typically the best when people spent most of the time getting to know one another and moving past the awkward stages of figuring out if there was even an attraction.
She didn’t have that issue with Lucas. His hand, snug and warm, resting just under the hemline of her dress on her bare thigh said he didn’t have that problem with her, either. At least, the two of them worked that part out easily enough.
Under no other circumstances would she allow anyone to blindfold her for what they professed to be a surprise. She found it terribly hard to refuse Lucas when he had plastered on that charming smile of his and said he had a special use for her scarf if she was up to play a little game.
Maybe it was the three glasses of red wine she had drank alongside her medium-rare steak for dinner, but her mind had gone to a far dirtier place at first. Delaney hadn’t been quite sure what to make of her thoughts, or that handsome grin Lucas leveled on her, but she didn’t refuse him.