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I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He pulled back from the embrace and looked down at me, strain still there around the corners of his eyes and the set of his mouth. “Not tonight, okay? I don’t want anything else to taint our evening. But I promise, I’ll show you what I mean. Tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, nodding, not knowing what else to say. He gave me another squeeze, and we stayed like that for a few long seconds. When he released me, he seemed to have pulled himself back into the calm, unruffled man I knew. He ran a palm over my hair.
“Now, why don’t we start over?” His gaze traced over me. “Beginning with how outrageously sexy you look in this dress. My God.”
I should’ve smiled, thanked him for the compliment, but after the surprise of his intense protectiveness, all my insecurities about what I didn’t know about him flooded into my system. Yes, he’d told me about his sister, but what else lurked in the depths of his past? And how far did this protective streak go? Was I going to have to report in like I used to do with my parents? The thought made my stomach tilt. Maybe I didn’t really know Foster at all. I knew casual, neighbor Foster, but not dominant, boyfriend Foster.
And I was giving myself to him.
Doubt crawled up my spine and rooted there at the back of my brain.
Maybe my brother had been right.
Maybe this was a mistake.
Maybe I’d jumped into all of this too soon.
I turned away and grabbed my purse, a faint tremor going through my fingers. “I really appreciate the dress. You didn’t have to do that.”
The words sounded hollow in my ears.
“My pleasure, angel.” He took my hand when I came back to his side, though his gaze was scrutinizing, like he could see the thoughts filling my head. “Ready?”
I nodded.
But for the first time since meeting hi
m, I wasn’t so sure.
TWENTY-SIX
The restaurant was buzzing, but Foster had secured one of the quieter booths in the back. Lot of good it was doing though, since Cela seemed to be in a particularly tight-lipped mood. He opened his mouth to ask her another question, trying to draw her out, but another voice interrupted.
“Well, look who it is. Glad to see you could finally make it,” Kade Vandergriff said stopping by Foster and Cela’s table. “Everything tasting okay?”
Foster smiled and stood to shake his friend’s hand. Kade owned the restaurant and had invited him to attend his monthly invitation-only night more times than Foster could count, but he’d never been able to make it. “The meal has been excellent so far—each course outdoing the next. Thanks for the invite.”
Kade glanced over at Cela with a warm expression. “And who is your lovely date?”
“This is Cela Medina. Cela, my friend Kade Vandergriff. He owns the place.”
Cela smiled and lifted her hand, as if preparing for a shake, but Kade simply nodded at her, following rules Cela didn’t even realize were in place. “Lovely to meet you.”
“Same here,” she said, placing her hands back in her lap. “And the food’s been great. That avocado appetizer was one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
There was silence for a moment, then Kade chuckled, and Foster coughed over his own laugh.
She cringed instantly. “Sorry. That’s not exactly what I meant to say.”
Kade grinned. “Sorry, we look like men, but up here”—he pointed to his temple—“pure twelve-year-old.”
She smirked back at the two of them, brown eyes picking up the twinkle of the candlelight on the table. It was the first spark Foster had seen in her since they’d arrived at dinner. She’d been maddeningly subdued up until then. “No worries. I’ve been around college boys for seven years. I don’t think I’m capable of being offended anymore.”
“Good to know,” Kade said as Foster slid back in the booth. “Well, I’ll leave you to each other. I only wanted to say hello. Enjoy the rest of your night. I’m sure I’ll see you again before you leave.”
They exchanged good-byes with Kade, and the waiter brought out the main course—a beautiful plate of Dungeness crab and filet mignon. Foster picked up the conversation where they had left off before Kade had stopped by, discussing some of the questions Cela had sent him when she read through the binder. But after a while, he realized she’d gone back to being pensive and quiet.
