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Noah certainly did. “Thank you, Dr. Phil,” he joked, and made his way to the front of the bar, beating Natalie to the entrance by three paces. He opened the door for her, and she glanced up at him in startled surprise.
She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and smoothed her hand along the jacket draped over her arm. “Are you leaving, too?”
“Sure am.” He waved his hand for her to precede him, then followed, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk, welcoming the cool evening breeze on his too-warm skin. “Actually, leaving the same time as you is a shameless ploy to walk you to your car.”
Abruptly, she stopped, a frown marring her brow, though there was no denying the awareness in the depths of her eyes. “I can make it to my vehicle on my own just fine. I don’t need an escort, Noah.”
“I didn’t say you did,” he replied gently, trying to put her at ease and lighten the moment between them. “This is solely for my pleasure.”
Her tense shoulders loosened up, and the corner of her mouth twitched with a hint of a smile. Still, she hesitated, seemingly divided between letting him accompany her or telling him to get lost.
Not wanting to lose the ground he’d just gained, he opted for a bit of humor. “You know, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t bite.”
She visibly shivered and slipped into her lightweight jacket. “Oh, yeah? How can I be so certain of that?”
She was eyeing him in a way that was more playful than suspicious, and he took his cue from her. “Because if I did bite, I would have taken a nibble or two out of you by now.” Without thinking of the consequences, he reached out and lifted her dark, shoulder-length hair from under the collar of her jacket.
Her breath caught as his fingers slid through the warm, silky mass at the nape of her neck and his thumbs grazed the soft skin beneath her jaw. Time seemed suspended as their gazes met, hers reflecting a flare of heat that burned through his veins. People walked past them, but he was oblivious to anything but her.
It was the first time he’d touched her in any way, and the connection was inherently intimate and wholly sensual. Her lips were parted, and he ached to pull her into his arms, lower his mouth to hers and claim the kiss he’d forfeited earlier in the bar.
As if sensing his intent, she stepped back, and he automatically dropped his hands away and cleared his throat. Before she could flat-out turn him down again, he lightly grasped her elbow and ushered her toward the parking lot, which was located across the street from Murphy’s. “Come on, I’m walking you to your car, and I’m not taking no for an answer so don’t waste your breath arguing.”
She relaxed and smiled, and they walked by the other storefronts along the street to the intersection.
“You know, we could consider this nice, casual stroll to your car a first date,” he suggested, only half joking. He’d take a date with her any way he could get one.
She thrust her hands deep into her jacket pockets and slanted him a sly look. “Ah, so you do have an ulterior motive other than seeing me safely to my car.”
“A very harmless motive, I swear.” He held up his hands and attempted to look innocent. “We could head over to Starbucks and get a coffee and just talk about the weather if you’d like.”
An incredulous burst of laughter escaped her. “The weather? Are you serious?”
He shrugged and winked at her. “I wouldn’t want our first date to be too personal.”
She chewed on her full bottom lip, looking torn, then said, “Noah, I can’t.”
The light at the intersection was red, and Noah pushed the button to give them the right of way, unwilling to give up on her so easily this time. “Not even one coffee? I promise no hand-holding or kissing.”
That made her smile again, but her next words shot down his hopes. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got a big
test on Monday I need to study for.”
“We could have a study date,” he suggested. “There are a few things I’m really good at teaching.”
“I’m not going to touch that one,” she murmured huskily. Hearing someone approach from behind, she glanced over her shoulder briefly, then back at Noah. “You don’t give up, do you?”
Something in her expression had changed in those few seconds, and there was now a troubled glint in her eyes that caught his attention, but he didn’t understand its source. Wanting to soothe her sudden anxiety, he picked up her hand and drew a lazy pattern on her palm with his index finger. “I’d give up if you told me to get lost and meant it.”
She stared at him, then shook her head, sending her hair brushing across her shoulders. “You’re way too—”
“Irresistible?” He graced her with one of his enticing grins that never failed to score him extra points with the opposite sex.
The light changed to green, the cars on the street stopped, and they stepped off the curb to cross, severing the contact of their joined hands. “I was thinking more along the lines of persistent.”
He laughed. “Hey, I do have a few faults.”
She seemed distracted enough not to hear or appreciate his attempt at humor. The footsteps behind them sounded closer, and this time when she looked behind them, Noah saw her stiffen, then she hastened her steps.
