“Definitely.” Eyes glinting with mirth, he gently swirled his glass and nosed the wine as she’d taught him.
“No choking,” she warned, and they both laughed.
A thought occurred to her. “Wait a minute. How are we having French food? This isn’t even a French restaurant.”
Quentin smiled lazily. “I know. But they had this great room with a view, and they were able to accommodate my needs on short notice. As for what we’re eating tonight, it pays to have more than one friend who’s a chef. Mike pulled some strings for me, so I think you’ll be very pleased with what we’re served.”
Enthralled, Lexi shook her head at him. “You know you’re not playing fair, right?”
“I never said I would.” He raised his glass to her. “To Burgundy.”
She smiled softly. “And unforgettable memories.”
They clinked glasses and sipped, gazing at each other. Soft candlelight flickered across Quentin’s strong, handsome face and illuminated his hazel eyes. She’d always taken for granted how remarkable his eyes were, how arrestingly beautiful and mesmerizing. Now she found herself drowning in them.
“What’re you thinking about?” Quentin murmured.
“Your eyes,” she admitted. “They’re incredible.”
“So are yours. I can’t stop thinking about them.” His voice dipped low. “Or the rest of you, for that matter.”
Her belly quivered. She drank more wine.
“Your eyes are the first thing I noticed about you when we met,” Quentin told her.
She was surprised. “Really?”
He nodded, idly tracing the rim of his glass with one finger. “It was freshman year, and we were at that off-campus party. It was crowded—”
“So you found a cozy corner to make out with some girl,” Lexi interjected with a wry smile.
“Don’t interrupt.”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway,” Quentin continued pointedly. “Yes, I was in a corner getting better acquainted with a young lady—”
Lexi snorted at that. “‘Better acquainted.’”
Quentin scowled. “Are you gonna let me finish?”
“Sorry.” She bit her lip to stifle a grin. “By all means. Please continue.”
“Thank you.” Humor tugged at the corners of his mouth. “As I was saying, the young lady and I were getting better acquainted. But as I leaned in to make my move, something else caught my eye. I glanced up, and there was this pretty little tenderoni moving slowly through the crowd. She was searching for someone, and I took one look into her eyes and hoped it was me.”
Lexi stared at him, her insides tingling with pleasure. They’d reminisced about their first meeting many times over the years, but this was the first time she’d ever heardthisversion.
“She had the most beautiful, exotic eyes I’d ever seen,” Quentin continued softly. “I won’t lie. They took my breath away. And when the rest of her face came into view, it only got better. Our eyes met, and she gave me this sweet, shy smile—”
“Beforeshe saw the girl in your arms, who definitely wasnotsmiling when she realized you had a wandering eye.”
Quentin grinned sheepishly. “Well, anyway, to make a long story short, the tenderoni’s smile quickly turned into a frown, and with a disgusted roll of those stunning eyes, she moved on without a backward glance. Later, when we were introduced to each other by Mike—who’d apparently made a better first impression than I had—the tenderoni laughed at one of my jokes. And that’s how I eventually won her over.”
Lexi chuckled, nibbling on a piece of Chaource cheese. “Yep. That sounds about right.” She hesitated, then couldn’t resist adding, “I didn’t know that was your first impression of me. You never hit on me after that night.”
Quentin looked amused. “Is that a question or a complaint?”
She blushed. “Neither. I’m just making an observation.”
