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I barely took a step before I was stopped by his hand coming to rest on my shoulder.
His grip was firm but gentle. I looked up and met his suddenly intrusive gaze.
“Are you okay, Adelita?”
The genuine concern conveyed in his tone and written all over his face brought about an unexpected bubble of emotions. It had been a long time since someone asked me that. It was such a simple question that meant more than he could ever know. I was both touched and mortified. I knew I should’ve worn a beanie and shades.
“I think I’m just having an off day. I didn’t sleep much.”
“We all have those,” he replied, bringing his hand back down to his side. “But you’re far too beautiful to ever look bad, even on those off days.”
Slightly caught off guard, I laughed lightly. I didn’t realize I’d said anything about my haggard appearance out loud. “Well, thanks for that.”
“Here.” He reached into one of his inner suit pockets and retrieved an embossed business card. “This has my cell number on it. Call or text me some time, we should talk in private.”
I accepted it as a polite gesture barely sparing a glance at the wording. “Thank you, but I’m not one for confessionals.”
He smiled slightly. “That’s nice to know because neither am I, not the kind you’re thinking of.”
“Still, while I appreciate the offer, I don’t know what the two of us could possibly talk about.” I thumbed the card and gingerly slipped it into my bag.
“I have a few things in mind,” he continued, my objections not deterring him in the slightest. “I think you’re misunderstanding my intentions. I want more from you than casual conversation, Adelita.”
What he was saying didn’t click for me right away. When it did, I wasn’t sure what to say. It almost sounded as if this was something he’d thought about long before now. His admission coupled with a gravelly voice dipped in honey had an outbreak of goosebumps spreading across my skin.
“Like what?” I questioned as if I were a naïve fool.
His gorgeous eyes sparked with a knowing gleam. He’d already caught on to me trying to keep this random encounter trivial and innocent.
“We’ll start with dinner.”
“Will we?” I trilled with a soft laugh. “Is this your way of trying to ask me out?”
“I’m not asking.” He stepped closer to me. I was forced to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. “This isn’t the time or place for me to make you feel what I need you to.”
My mind took an immediate dive into the gutter. I couldn’t ignore the double entendre that clung to those words. This scenario was something straight out of a wet dream. I half expected a camera crew to jump out and yell that I was being pranked.
Draven stepped away, holding hostage my ability to speak and looking rather pleased with himself. He returned to his cart of meat and began to make his way down the aisle, leaving me with one last softly spoken message.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
I watched him go with my heart in my throat, wondering what the hell had just happened.
CHAPTER THREE
It was with the strength bestowed upon me from everything down below, that I didn’t drag her from the store and shove her inside my trunk. I needed our relationship to begin in a more persuasive and endearing fashion.
I watched from a distance as she turned the corner and headed down another aisle. Even exhausted, she looked divine. She’d still put herself together before leaving the house. This earned her a few credits of admiration in my book. That kind of attitude would only benefit her in our future.
Her long, dark brown hair was brushed to shine even if thrown into a ponytail. The casual outfit she had on hugged her ample curves in all the right places, the burgundy-colored top bringing even more attention to those captivating amber eyes.
Begrudgingly giving her some space, I proceeded in the opposite direction to rejoin Corbin and Isaac who’d been waiting out of sight in a different aisle.
“So, what’s the final verdict?” Corbin asked good-naturedly.
As my cousin and one of my closest confidants, he always stood behind whatever choices I made unless an objection was necessary to prevent a calamity.
“We need to move forward with our original course of action.” I looked at Isaac. “Did everything go smoothly yesterday?”
“Perfectly. Our inside guy is ready to move when you are.”
“Good.” I turned and headed for a self-check-out. Usually, I never bothered myself with simple tasks such as grocery shopping, but I’d seen Adelita’s familiar yellow bug and made the abrupt choice to stop.
It’d been too long since I allowed myself to let her know I was close, to breathe in that delectable strawberry body wash she always used. Lurking in the shadows served a purpose, however. I needed to bide my time and focus on the expansion before integrating her into my life.
