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Taking a deep breath and shaking my head at those thoughts, I head her way.
“Excuse me, are you Nicky?”
She stills, her head launches up, her eyes gaze into mine, and I’m frozen. “I’m Nicklin.”
My heart bangs out a heavy metal tune, and her sky-blue eyes enchant me into stupidity. They’re so light and bright. I already know I’m a goner for this woman.
“Oh.” I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants again and reach out my hand. “I swear Evan said Nicky.”
The frown lights into a brilliant smile, and my heart beats a slower pace.
Her delicate hand lands in mine, and I hold her soft skin. Tingles race up my arm, and heat pools in my gut. She’s delicate and yet her grip is secure.
“He might have, but if you’re Riggs, I’m who you’re looking for.” She leans in and I smell her floral perfume. “And my name’s Nicklin.”
Even if I weren’t the right guy, I would’ve lied and done anything to make my interaction last longer with this magical sprite.
“I’m so sorry for being late. I swear I’m not normally. I know people might say that and not mean it, but I’m being honest. Time is a valuable commodity, and I respect others’ time in hopes that they respect mine.”
She starts to open her mouth, but the hostess interrupts to guide us to our booth before she can say anything. Her grin widens and I realize she’s amused that I didn’t let her hand go. It feels too good to hold her hand, like it’s meant to be there. I guide her ahead of me, and at the booth, I assist her with her coat. My fingers skim along her arms, and shocks jolt me back to being an intelligent surgeon and not a bumbling fool.
Carefully, Nicklin slides into the booth. Curtains frame the booth so the diners can have privacy, but I’ll let her decide if she’d like that option.
We both get comfortable, and she peeks over the menu at me, and a little bright pink flushes along her cheeks. “I thought maybe you saw me and decided—”
“Instantly, how beautiful you are and how lucky I am to have dinner with you tonight.”
Her cheeks darken to a Bing cherry color. “And you’re a flatterer.” She works to hide her grin.
“Evan didn’t tell you? It’s my part-time job.” I lean forward. “But it’s the truth.”
With her soft blue eyes and the pink in her cheeks, she’s decadent like cotton candy. I could feast on her looks all year long and never get tired.
Her head dips, and she peeks up at me from under her lashes. “Well, thanks,” she mumbles, “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Clearing my throat, I stop staring. Don’t want to keep making a fool of myself. I want to get to know Nicklin and I’d like to see this go further. Evan was right—she’s special.
“Let’s get some food. I’m starving. Haven’t had time to eat today.”
2
Riggs
The food arrives quickly, and we have it all displayed on the table, family style. I love how she doesn’t hold back on what she wants to eat. It feels like we have a bit of everything and I am all for it. Treating myself like this doesn’t happen often, and when it does, I go all out.
I scoop up some noodles with my chopsticks. “So what do you do, Nicklin?”
She swallows some food, takes a drink of her Riesling, and then looks me square in the eye. “I’m kinda in between jobs at the moment.”
I smile at her cautious gaze. She dares me to criticize or interrogate her, but I don’t know her situation. Who am I to say one way or another if this is a good or bad thing?
“Change in career?”
Her shoulders ease and she sits back in her seat. “Not exactly. I needed to take some time off and focus on me.”
Chuckling, I say, “Time off? What’s that?”
I’d give anything to have a bit more time off, but the truth is, if given the opportunity, I wouldn’t take it. There’s too much at stake. Guilt even hits me at the idea of taking a long weekend for myself.
