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And he’s here to meet me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, placing his other hand on my flushed cheek.
This is way too forward for a first date, a blind date at that, but his voice is so rich with just a touch of gravel, that I am completely hypnotised by him. My mind is frozen, but my body is on fire with an urgent need. I’d let him drag me just about anywhere right now as long as he kept talking to me and holding me with this kind of care. His hands are calloused, but not dry when he brushes a thumb over the round apple of my cheek.
“I-I—oh my god, I’m sorry,” I stumble over my apology and shock. “Today has been a nightmare to say the least, and I’m so sorry I was late and you waited for me—”
“I’ll stop you right there,” he says, still holding on to me and letting me stare up into his unbelievable dark eyes. “I would have waited all night for you, Odette.”
It’s a red flag, but I think I might be in love anyway. He’s so warm and everything about him screams comfort and romance. We’ve been talking for a month, and after all the more salacious things the personality quiz had me answer, Mason must know exactly what it takes to romance me. Just like I know, from what the app has given me, what he is looking for in that area of his life.
“Well, that’s not totally true. At some point. I probably would’ve checked my phone to see if you cancelled,” he clarifies, a soft, panty-melting smile forming on his lips. “I’m really happy you showed up.”
For a moment, I’m glued to my spot, staring up at this perfect man and wondering what sort of alternate reality I’ve woken up in. My heart is racing so fast I think I might actually pass out. It’s only when someone bumps into me from behind on the way to their own table, pushing me all the way into Mason’s chest that I snap out of it.
But almost immediately snap back into my stupor.
Wow, is hetall. With both my hands on his chest, my head tilts back far enough I feel my throat being exposed. When he meets my gaze, his eyes are heady and I swear his pupils dilated. We’ve only been talking for a month, and this is our first time meeting in person, but when I look at him, it feels like magic and science are melding together to make the perfect man for me.
I’m not sure who does it first. Am I pressing up on my tiptoes or is he leaning down? I don’t care once his lips are on mine. He tastes sweet and tart like he’s been chewing on sour apple bubblegum. I want to lick that flavour out of his mouth and swallow him whole. My fingers curl into his shirt as he digs his hand into my hip. The one on my cheek slides around to hold my head at the perfect angle for him to devour my mouth.
A wolf whistle reminds me we aren’t somewhere private where I can do all the naughty things that threaten to burst out of me. There will be no dick sucking in public. The back parking lot still has potential though as long as this keeps going.
“Maybe we should have something to eat?” I suggest, nose still touching his, my lips bumping against his as I speak.
“As long as I can have you for dessert.”
Chapter 3
Odette
That line is nearlyas cheesy as the loaded potato skins we order when a waitress drops off our pints. Mason insisted we get a booth instead of the rickety looking folding benches and I couldn’t have agreed more. I hate those things. With the table shoved to the far side, I scooch all the way in and he follows in right behind me. Once his arm is tossed behind my head, he has me completely trapped.
I haven’t felt this safe on a date in years, maybeever. Even with his body angled towards me, blocking out the rest of the pub, there is nothing but care radiating off of Mason. I hold my pint in one hand, his in the other. He hasn’t stopped touching me, holding me, since we bumped into each other.
This is the greatest date of my life.
Mason takes another sip of his beer, the foam catching on the moustache part of his facial hair. I lick my lips, unwilling to stop staring, losing myself in his dark eyes. His thumb rubs over the back of my hand and I want to kiss him again. With the waywe sit, half facing each other, anytime someone walks by, I get a whiff of his aftershave as well. It reminds me of lightning, the smell of a big storm about to break and flood the river.
My head falls against his arms as he tells me about his job.
“It’s not that I disliked the co-county clerk. It’s that he has no taste in landscape design.”
“Uh-huh.” I nod along, fighting a smile. “Not that he was just trying to remind you of the ordinance against planting invasive species.”
“But the blooms, Odette,” he laments, twirling a piece of my hair. “They are the most amazing shade of green. Almost like the green in your eyes.”
“So you retired because your nemesis saved your town?” I asked.
“No, I retired because I woke up one day and realised I wanted more than my job. There was never any doubt in my head when I chose to work for my local community. It’s rewarding, made me feel good for a long time.” He sighs and I take a sip of my beer. The metallic taste tickles my nose and makes my cheeks feel all the warmer in my jacket still. “But coming home to an empty house isn’t what I want anymore. Calling it settling down makes me sound fucking old though, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but I get that empty houses can be cold. Since my dad moved into the home in Arizona, it’s just me taking care of his old house and all the crap he left behind for me.”
“When did he move?” he asks.
“A couple of years ago. Just up and decided that he hated how cold it gets here in winter.”
I must look sad because Mason squeezes my hand. I shove a potato skin in my mouth because I’m not really sad my dad moved into a home. He’s a grouchy asshat of a father who doesn’t call, but guilt is a weird thing. I couldn’t keep taking care of him when all he’d do was shout about how much I wasn’t likeMom. My parents had me later in life and my mom passed while I was at college. The house hasn’t been the same without her.
