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“You need alcohol to relax around me?”
“No, just my inhibitions. They're up here.” She put her left hand about twenty inches above her head. “But I need them down here.” She moved her hand down to her knees. “Anyway, you turned on the heat and ordered extra fries. There's no way I can say no to you, at least not tonight.”
I growled. She turned abruptly, looking straight at my mouth and then at my eyes.
I sucked in a deep breath, wanting to kiss this woman so damn badly. I was almost certain that she wanted that, too, but I wouldn't do it. Not until she asked me for it. I didn't want to push or make her uncomfortable in any way even though I needed her so badly that I had to grasp the edges of the chair to stop myself from leaning even closer to her.
I didn't get the chance to say anything more because the damn waiter returned. He was starting to be a cockblocker.
“How are your drinks?” he asked.
Reese looked straight at him. “I'm sorry to say this, but they're awful.”
The guy actually took a step back.
Reese glanced at me. “I think this gave me a bit too much courage.”
I looked at the waiter. “They're not to our taste, not at all.”
He dipped his head in apology. “We’ll bring you new drinks on the house. What would you like?”
“A martini, please,” Reese said.
“And I’ll take a bourbon.” I didn’t care what I was drinking or what I was eating. All I cared about was that I was here with Reese and we were having a damn good time.
I hadn't been lying to her. I was starting to like jazz music. I enjoyed the easy flow. Most of all, I liked the way Reese swayed to it. It fit her—classic elegance and subtle seduction.
“Oh my God,” she said after he left. “I was so mean to the waiter. I'm never like that.”
“It's fine, Reese. Maybe they’ll drop that crap from the cocktail list. Not many customers would have the guts to give them such honest feedback.”
“Oh well, what's done is done. No point fretting over it.” She started humming the song that was playing to herself.
“You know this tune?”
“Yes. I have a jazz playlist, and this is one of my favorites.”
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I said.
Her eyes widened. She straightened up, pushing strands of hair behind her ear, then frowned. “Something is vibrating. My phone.”
She quickly took it out of her purse and started to laugh.
“What?” I asked.
“My sister says she'll buy a couple more gifts to make sure she's got more than me.”
“I'm not following,” I said.
“I might have gone a bit overboard while shopping for Christmas. My assistant made a small Christmas tree of the packages in my office. I think Kimberly got a bit jealous seeing I had such a head start on her.”
“Who are all the presents for?” I was still confused.
“My cousins and their kids. I've curated lists of stuff they like, and I keep updating wish lists on retailers' sites. Sometimes that works against me. I'm supposed to just choose a few items from the list. But they all look so good that I end up ordering far too much. But I like making people happy, and seeing the way their eyes light up when they get their gifts is priceless.”
“You like kids?”
“Oh yeah. I've always wanted to have a lot.”
