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But I have the feeling there might be more to come.
* * *
They sat backafter their plates were taken away, enjoying the view of the sunset as they finished the last of their wine. Conversation during dinner had been light and effortless, and Elizabeth found herself even more curious about him. Even though she’d only known him for two weeks, and had really only started to get to know him over the past few days, she was beginning to genuinely like him. An alarm bell sounded in her mind, warning her that he could be dangerous to her equilibrium; her perfect, orderly world was being tilted off its axis.
He caught her gaze. “Hello, Elizabeth…where’d you go?”
“Sorry. My thoughts wandered.”
“You were staring. I was beginning to wonder if I had a piece of shrimp stuck between my teeth. I don’t, do I?”
He flashed an exaggerated smile, dimples and all, and she laughed. “No shrimp.” She cocked her head, still staring at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, but…I have a question.” Taking a deep breath to quell the nerves in her stomach, she gestured between them. “What–what is this? Are we only doing this so we can be more civil to each other around Jane and Charles?”
His lips twitched. “Do you think that’s the reason I asked you out?”
“Well…yes. You said that since we’d be seeing a lot of each other this summer, you thought it would be nice if we could get along. You didn’t want me to think you were an arrogant jerk. Remember?”
He chuckled. “I thought we agreed to leave that in the past. Haven’t we moved on?”
“I think we have.”
“Has your opinion of me changed? Even a little?”
“Yes. And I’m assuming—though I hate to use that word—that your wildly inaccurate first impression of me has changed as well?”
He chuckled again. “It has.”
He folded his arms on the table and leaned forward, looking her in the eyes…and it completely disarmed her.He really has no idea how attractive he is.
“I asked you to come to dinner with me because I like you. You’re intelligent and funny and beautiful, and I want to get to know you better. Not for Charles and Jane, for me.” He paused. “Do you really think I just happened to be driving around in your neighborhood last night?”
“Well…that’s what you told me.” She hadn’t thought much about it, honestly.
He shrugged. “I lied. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, I wanted to see you, and I didn’t want to wait until tonight. So I drove to your house.”
He looked pleased with himself, and she shook her head. “I’m very close to calling you out on your arrogance again.”
He reached across the table and lightly grasped her hand. “Why? Because I went after what I wanted? That’s not arrogance, it’s confidence. There’s a difference.”
She sighed. “Maybe. A small one.” Her hand felt significantly warmer, the heat steadily creeping up her arm, and the alarm bells in her mind grew louder.
“When I talked to you on the phone earlier, you said you were happy I stopped by,” he reminded her.
“I was.”
“Because you couldn’t stop thinking about me?”
She tried unsuccessfully to stop a smile from forming on her lips. “Arrogant.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Confident.”
She laughed, and he lifted her hand and placed a light kiss on her knuckles.
“You asked what this is, but honestly, I have no idea,” he said, sounding less sure of himself now. “I only know that I like it. I likeyou, and I want to get to know you better. Does that answer your question?”
