Page 13 of Freeze Frame

“Thank you.”

When they were gone, David looked at me. “I’d like to pay for dinner, if that’s okay, but if you’re not comfortable with that, we can split the bill.”

“David, the thing about me is that I will never turn down free food.” I tipped my glass to my lips, emptying the last sip. “And I will never leave my drink unfinished.”

He left the last bit of his drink, however, and he put the meal on his credit card, in addition to leaving a cash tip at the table. He met my gaze and shrugged. “I like to tip in cash; that way I know they get their money.”

God. How was he so perfect? Kind and thoughtful and, yeah, a little awkward, but he was also so fucking sweet. It made me want to dirty him up. To debauch him and tear him apart. To undo him completely. He was gorgeous, composed, and endearing when he was awkward. And I bet he was devastatingly sexy when he was all mussed up and lust drunk.

We left the restaurant, and I walked side by side with him to my car. I opened the passenger side door for him, and it was clearly an unexpected move, but David didn’t balk or argue. He just smiled at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen.

It was easy to believe I was when his eyes kept flashing to my mouth, then darting away like he was scared of getting caught. It had me wondering what he kissed like. Was he soft? Aggressive? What would his mouth taste like?

I was throbbing with need by the time I got into the driver’s seat and buckled up. Part of me wanted to take him home, so maybe I could finally get that kiss he seemed to be nervous about, but the other part of me didn’t want the night to end yet.

“Where to?”

“If you’re not sick of me, there’s somewhere I’d like to take you.”

Joy unfurled in me as I turned the key, prompting the engine to come to life. “Lead the way.”

SEVEN

DAVID

It wasn’tto my original plan at all, but I wanted to take Josh somewhere I hadn’t taken anyone before. Having worked at the university for so long, I was able to frequent the botanical gardens just off campus. It was one of my favorite places. I’d never met a plant I couldn’t kill, so it was best I left the gardening to other people, but I loved coming here.

“Have you ever been here before?” I asked as we neared the large black metal gates.

“I haven’t. Honestly, I’m not sure I knew it even existed.”

“There’s only about an hour until they close up for the night, but that’s enough time for a quick tour.” I swallowed a lump of nerves. “If you like it, we can always come back another day.”

“I like it already.” Josh assured me, not a hint of a lie on his face.

God, I wanted to kiss him. I’d wanted to kiss him all night. I couldn’t keep my eyes off his mouth. Hell, I’d have settled for holding his hand, but I was trapped in this unwelcome bubble of not-quite-brave-enough. I was still cringing internally fromwhen I’d whacked my knee on the underside of the table, rattling our dishes, drawing attention from the whole restaurant.

Real smooth.

Glad to see that age hadn’t improved my game at all.

We rounded the corner to where the paved path turned into a compact dirt trail. Instead of grass, the garden sported moss and a low-growing variety of clover. Josh stopped and I watched him rake his gaze over the lush surroundings. He gaped at the flowers, the trees, the lush vegetation, then let out a breath and looked at me.

“I’m a bit pissed off that I never knew about this place until tonight.” Josh looked around at the way the paths diverged, then he turned to me. “Where do we even start? This place is huge.”

“Sadly, we don’t have time to see everything before closing time.”

“Then take me to your favorite place.” Josh slipped his hand in mine like it was the easiest thing in the world. He was far braver than I was, that was for sure. Something must have flashed on my face, because he tried to pull his hand back.

“Sorry, I should have asked about your stance on PDA.”

I tightened my grip on his hand so he couldn’t escape. “That look you saw was me wishing I was brave enough to have grabbed your hand first.”

Josh stepped a little closer, letting his fingers relax against mine. His hand was soft and warm and fucking perfect.

“Are you going to show me your favorite spot now?”

“Yeah, come on.” I tugged him down the path, taking a right. We stopped frequently so Josh could read the information plaques that were dotted along the trails.