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After what seemed an eternity, he pulled his mouth away and met her gaze. His famous Sherbrooke blue eyes were a shade darker with desire and she gave herself a mental shake at the sight. Never would she have believed she could rouse passion in Derek. The evidence was right before her, staring her in the eyes as well as pressing against her abdomen. He wanted her. If she gave him the okay, he’d make love to her before they left.
“We have to stop now, because otherwise, I won’t be able to,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I’m expected in court this morning. Can’t—” he paused and nipped the frantic pulse in her neck “—be late.” He took a step back. “Wish I had gotten here earlier.”
“Next time.” Her voice shook. With each day and every kiss, they were moving closer to making love, something she’d never done. Her body was more than ready and willing. Her head was a little slower to catch up. Once they became intimate, there really would be no going back to just being friends if things didn’t work out.
“Let’s eat.” She forced her jelly legs to move. “Have a seat. At least this morning I’ll treat you like a guest and serve.”
Derek didn’t argue.
“I have both blueberry syrup and maple; which do you want?” She removed the fresh strawberries from the refrigerator and spotted the whipped cream. “I have whipped cream too.”
“Mmm, I’d love some whipped cream this morning, but not on my waffles.” He winked at her.
She squeezed her thighs together as the ache between her legs intensified. “This morning you’ll have to settle for on your waffles. Court, remember?”
“You’re what my grandmother would call a killjoy.” He acted put out. “But fine. If you’re going to be that way, I’ll have just the maple syrup with my breakfast. At least for today. This weekend is another story. ”
***
She shifted on the barstool. She should have packed a change of clothes this morning. Her suit stood out like a beacon among the sundresses and capris. Already she felt as if she’d consumed a gallon of espresso on an empty stomach. Standing out from the other women in the restaurant only made it worse.
Where are you, Trevor? Brooklyn glanced at her watch for the third time in the past ten minutes. They’d agreed to meet at six o’clock. Restless sitting around at work, she’d arrived at the Blue Lantern a few minutes early and taken a seat at the bar. Now it was almost six thirty. She hoped nothing had happened to him. He’d always been on time for past engagements, and he seemed like the type to call if he was running late. She had her phone, and it hadn’t rung all day.
“Would you like another Pinot Grigio?” the bartender asked, stopping near her again.
“Sure. Thank you.” She stood out enough sitting at the bar in her suit. At least if she had a drink in her hand, she’d blend in a little better.
When the bartender left, she went back to watching everyone who entered. Finally she spotted Trevor at the hostess station. Together they approached her. With each step they took, her heart beat faster. Telling him she could no longer see him was the right thing to do. Even if things with Derek went down the drain, there was no future for her and Trevor regardless of what her dad wanted. Dragging it out to avoid a confrontation with him wasn’t fair to anyone, especially Trevor. Still, the idea of saying the words made her want to run the other way.
Trevor stopped and kissed her cheek then held out his hand. “Did you get my message? You didn’t answer when I called. Traffic was heavier than I expected coming back from the airport.”
She released his hand when her feet touched the floor and grabbed her wine. If he noticed she didn’t want any physical contact, he ignored it, because as the hostess led them out to the deck, he placed a hand on her lower back. Not wanting to cause a scene, she pretended it wasn’t there and kept on walking. “My phone never rang. Why were you there?”
“Dropping Katelyn off. She’s off to California for two weeks with Heather and her family. It was a last-minute trip, and she begged her mom and me to let her go.”
While Trevor spoke, she pulled her smartphone out. Sure enough, she’d turned the ringer off somehow and had some voice mail messages as well as a text message. “I was out there recently for my sister’s wedding.”
“Haven’t been there in years myself. I much prefer the East Coast.” Trevor took her hand across the table. “I hoped you’d meet Katelyn soon. Guess it’ll have to wait until she comes home.”
Get it over with. Tell him. “About that. We need to talk.”
He squeezed her hand and nodded. “I know you want to wait until we know each other a little better, but I’ve told her about you. She wants to meet you. I thought when she comes back the three of us could spend the day together. Perhaps go on a hike. Katelyn and I still haven’t gotten around to trying it. Or maybe we can visit the amusement park in New Hampshire I told you about.”
Brooklyn snatched her hand away and took a sip of her wine. Time to get down to business, she thought. “Trevor, I didn’t mean we need to talk about your daughter. I mean we need to talk about you and me. This isn’t working. We’re not right for each other.”
“I don’t think we’ve spent enough time together for you to know for certain. Let’s give it another month or so and see. A lot can happen in a month.”
“Time won’t
make a difference, Trevor.”
Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed. “This is because of Derek. I saw the picture of you two in Newport over the weekend. Helping him at the auction wasn’t your only reason for bidding on him.”
She wasn’t going to share anything about their relationship with Trevor. “It’s not him. Things between you and me wouldn’t have worked out no matter what. You’re nice and we’ve had some enjoyable conversations, but we don’t have much in common. For instance, I love the beach and the water. If I could spend every day there, I would. You told me you hate it. You enjoy Shakespeare and the opera. I’d rather see a movie.”
“We’ll find things we both enjoy. Cultivating a relationship takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Eventually we may grow to love each other.”
He made it sound like he wanted to grow the perfect garden. “True.” She and Derek had been building their relationship for years. Even in the beginning, though, they’d had things in common. “But you need something to start with. We just don’t have it. Wouldn’t you rather be with a woman who’s crazy about you?” She thought of Derek’s surprise the day before. “Someone you want to do special things for because you can? Or someone who does that for you?”
