Page 12 of Freeze Frame

“Right, so it’s a second date. All bets are off, Josh.”

We tucked into our meal after that, keeping our conversation away from heavy topics. David was easy to talk to. He loved horror movies, though his preference was for psychological horror over slasher flicks. He also loved disaster movies and could be compelled to enjoy the odd romantic comedy. He disliked the intense heat of summer and preferred autumn out of all the seasons.

He wasn’t really the outdoors type, as I discovered through him telling the story of another date that had gone awry.

“When he said a light hike, I was thinking of a stroll around the park. Maybe down that one trail with a bit of a hill. But this was some sort of exercise in torture. He was the type that hiked uphill with a full pack—for fun. And I… am not.”

“What is your idea of fun, David?” I loved the way his eyes flashed when I said his name. The way he leaned closer like he wanted to hear it again, like it was a siren song luring him in.

I leaned in closer and in a move that felt forward, and a bit risky, I hooked my foot around his ankle. David jolted, his knee hitting the table, rattling our plates. We both parted like we’d been caught with our hands in the cookie jar.

Wow, did I feel stupid.

I’d clearly read David all wrong. I thought he was interested in me. Unless I was seeing things that weren’t there. The hunger in his eyes when he looked at me. The way he leaned in when I spoke like he was hanging off every word.

“Sorry, I… that was forward of me. I shouldn’t have?—”

“You shouldn’t have gone on a date with someone as out of practice at this as I am.” David cut me off, his expression soft, but serious. “You surprised me, that’s all. I promise.” He took a deep breath and let his shoulders slump. “I’ve been wound a bit tight, to be honest. I wanted this night to be perfect.”

The defeated look on David’s face made my heart melt. He was earnest and honest and too good for me, probably, but he looked at me like he wanted me, and he talked to me like he wanted to know me. I hadn’t misread anything.

“Can I try that again then?” I asked, leaning close again. The attention we’d drawn had already moved on. I held his gaze while I slid my foot next to his, then ran it up the back of his leg. I hooked my foot around the back of his ankle and pulled it closer.

“Well…” David cleared his throat. Crimson slashed across his cheeks.

I didn’t think someone his age would be capable of blushing. He’d raised a kid by himself. He’d lived a whole life before I was even born. It gave me a rush of power that I was able to affect him like that. Little old me.

“Well, that was hardly worth rattling the white off the china.” David smirked at me, still slightly embarrassed.

“If we’re going to talk about worst date stories, I have a doozy.” I threw David a lifeline. A change of subject put him instantly at ease. His shoulders relaxed and he took a sip of his drink.

“The perils of dating is that sometimes it fucking sucks.” David let his gaze linger on my mouth, and then he looked up at me again.

His voice was huskier, thicker, and I wondered what it would do to me if he used it while he whispered things against my mouth, my neck, my body.

“And sometimes it doesn’t.”

My heart thrashed in my ribcage like a bird trying to escape captivity. David made it want to soar. It was my turn to blush and take a sip of my drink.

“Sometimes it doesn’t,” I agreed, feeling lightheaded with hope. There was something brewing between David and me. There had been since I first saw him in the park. I’d have to remember to thank Blue for basically forcing me to adopt a dog. Though that was also on Asher, because he’d fallen in love with a whole family of cats, and he was convinced that everyone needed a pet.

“Not to be awkward and ruin the vibe,” I said, my curiosity and anxiety winning out over my common sense. “But can we check on the pups?”

David flashed me a blinding smile and pulled his phone out. “Thank God. I’d wanted to look in on them, but I could never seem to find a place to slip it into the conversation. But I’ve been going half-crazy with worry, wondering about how Nitro is getting on.”

He tapped at his screen, smiled, then passed it over to me.

Nitro and Wally had curled up on the couch together and were fast asleep.

“That’s such a relief, you have no idea.”

“You can bring him anytime. Even if I’m not going to be home. Wally clearly loves the company.”

The server had impeccable timing, and they swanned over at this moment to clear our empty plates. “Would you gentlemen like the dessert menu?”

David looked at me, the question clear on his face, but I shook my head. He looked at the server. “Not tonight, thank you.”

“I’ll be back with your bill then.”