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I catch her, a hand on her hip in seconds. I steady her as she blinks, breathes out hard, then whispers, “That was…”
I feel the same.
I kiss the corner of her lips, catching her unfinished sentence with my mouth, then I pull back. “We should go.”
“We should.” She looks around once more, maybe getting her bearings before she shifts and says, “This is going to go in seconds.”
“Let’s get you out of here before I do bad things to you in this pop-up shop.”
We leave and out in the courtyard the man gives us a curious look as he rests the broom against the window. “Nice, isn’t it?” he asks, nodding to the space.
“It’s perfection,” she says.
“It’ll be available on Monday,” he says, then his phone rings, and he brandishes it with an apologetic “I should take this.”
“Have a good night,” I say, and we take off, passing the packs at the fountain, then a handful of couples meandering out into Hayes Valley. We dart around them, turning the corner toward the restaurant.
“So let me get this straight. Kisses and retail spaces are the way to your heart?”
She shakes her head. “They’re the way to my panties.”
Then she strides ahead of me, and I want dinner to end before it even starts.
“And I was truly shocked when we won the championship,” I say an hour later, after I take a drink of my wine at a small booth in the corner of the restaurant.
“Humble brag,” Elodie says with a faux cough as she sets down her fork and napkin.
We’re nearly done with the meal at a Mediterranean-fusion café. The deep blue tiled walls feature colorful photographs of cities in Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon. Golden overhead lighting makes everything glimmer.
“Hey! You asked about my softball coaching,” I point out.
“And you made sure to tell me exactly how you did,” she says then sets her chin in her hand. “Maybe you want to tell me more about your stats as a coach. I’d love to know. How many softball championships did the elementary girls win?”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “You win.”
Elodie gives me a saucy look then licks her lips. “But you can definitely tell me more about the time when you played in the majors.”
I tense, my shoulders hard like rocks. She can’t know she’s hit a sore spot, but oh hell, has she ever.
“Oh shoot,” she says, her hand flying to her mouth. I guess my body language made my feelings clear. When she drops her hand, she says with a wince, “I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
But it’s understandable she’d bring up my one season after I went on and on about coaching girls’ softball. “It’s okay. I swear.”
“Are you sure? You seem annoyed.”
She’s too astute, but I can’t let her feel bad. I reach across the table for her hand, softening. “It was one season, and it was a long time ago. Which you probably learned when you looked me up.”
“Well, I think it’s a wise idea to look up guys who deliver me sex toys then ask me out.”
“Words to live by. And I looked you up too. So did my brother and my daughter, which is why they made sure I dressed extra nice for you. Eliza said you dressed well in your pics so I had to do the same. It’s been a while since I went on a date,” I admit.
“Me too.”
“Yeah?” This delights me too much.
“Nearly a year, if you must know,” she adds.
Can’t help it. Pure, masculine pride suffuses my chest. “Same for me.” Then hell, fuck it. She deserves to know she’s special. “I don’t usually date customers. Hell, I don’t flirt with customers. I’m friendly, but that’s all.” I pause. “But then you came in. And there was something about you.”
