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“Stop worrying,” he said softly, as if he could read my mind from the seat next to me.
“I’m not -”
“You’re not a good liar.”
“How could you possibly know that, in the dark, with just two words?” I laughed.
“Because I know you.”
He was so confident, so sure of himself. “How could you possibly, Gabriel? You just met me. Maybe I’m playing you?”
I watch his head shake in the dark. “You’re not playing me. If I thought you were, I wouldn’t be here. I’m a good judge of character, Suzanne. In my line of work, I have to be. I know when I’m being played and when I’m being lied to. I see you. You’re being yourself,” he added softly.
“Yeah, you’ve got me there. I’m just boring little me.”
“I don’t spend time with people who bore me. Is there some reason why you’re trying to talk me out of getting to know you?”
He turned the car into the restaurant’s parking lot and pulled up to the valet parking. Before he got out, he turned to me and traced the outline of my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. Warm and tender, the gesture made me melt in my seat.
“Is there, Suzanne?” He ignored the valet as he approached the door.
“Is there what?” I murmured, closing my eyes at his gentle touch.
He laughed again. “Never mind. We’ll discuss it over dinner.”
He stepped out of the car and handed the keys to the valet before he walked to my side and opened the door for me. Was he perfect? Every move, every gesture he made whispered to me like a sensual invitation to get to know him better. Was it the excitement of a new relationship? Those first date nerves that tingled with anticipation...or was ithim?
The restaurant he’d chosen was Mitchell’s, one of those Michelin star establishments with an award-winning chef. As soon as we walked in, his hand once again guiding me confidently as it rested on the small of my back, the hostess greeted us with a bright smile.
“Good evening, sir. Your table is ready. If you’ll follow me.”
Not one world. Gabriel didn’t have to speak a single solitary syllable, and he got all the attention the staff could offer. And then some. While our hostess could stay calm, our server was a bit more transparent about her interest in the man by my side.
Gabriel played the gentleman - he pulled my chair out for me, made sure I was settled in. Always touching me - his hand caressed the small of my back, then lingered on my shoulder as he moved to take his seat. Our overly enthusiastic server introduced herself as Lara and while she was perfectly polite to us both, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Gabriel for very long.
And he knew it.
Our eyes met over our menus when she walked away.
I grinned, wondering how the constant admiration made him feel, and he rolled his eyes.
“I can’t blame her,” I teased.
“Yeah, you can. We’re not having this conversation.” He turned his attention back to his menu.
“Really? I’m supposed to explain at least two questions you’ve asked me tonight, but you don’t want to talk about yourself much. Why is that?”
“Because I don’t like to talk about myself,” he deadpanned. “What would you like to order?”
I looked back at my menu. “I’m not sure. It all looks so good. Something different, I think. Something I wouldn’t get the chance to eat anywhere else.”
Gabriel smiled again. “That’s pretty much the whole menu.”
“The quail with butternut squash risotto sounds good. I’ll try that.”
When Lara returned, Gabriel ordered for both of us. The quail for me and a Wagyu steak for himself. When she left, he kept the conversation focused on me. “You were going to tell me about your preoccupation with my moral character. Twice you’ve told me to ‘be good.’”
“Oh, that.” I smiled as I took a sip of the Chardonnay Gabriel ordered for us. “It’s nothing, really. Just something my grandmother used to say. She didn’t believe in saying goodbye. It was too...final...for her. So, whenever we’d leave her house, instead of sayinggoodbye, she’d say ‘be good.’”
