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“Cheers.” We clink glasses and take our first sips while I silently pray that he turns out to be just as wonderful as he’s letting on.
ChapterSeven
Holt
All throughout our date,I can’t take my eyes off Sienna. Everything she does is pure magic. When she laughs, it’s a fucking symphony, and when she smiles, my heart falls into my guts. As far as first dates go, this one’s far and away one for the books. I just hope she feels the same.
Dessert arrives, and her golden eyes light up when the server sets down the double chocolate lava cake with two spoons. “Jesus, that’s huge!”
“Dig in.” She grabs the spoon before the words are out of my mouth. “Good?” I ask after she takes her first bite.
Sienna rolls her eyes dramatically. “Heavenly.”
A speck of chocolate hangs on her full lower lip. I imagine leaning over the table and licking it off for her. The longer we sit here, the more I want her, but I’m trying hard to keep my cool. I want this woman so badly, but I also don’t want to come off as a total creep who's just out for one thing.
“You’ve got a little…” I brush my finger against my lip.
“Oh.” She takes her napkin to her lips and rubs the chocolate away as her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink. “Whoops. Please.” She takes her time swallowing. “Don’t make me eat this alone.”
I realize I’ve just been holding my spoon, drinking her in. I’ve never thought of a woman eating dessert as sexy, but with Sienna—how she savors each bite, rolling it around on her tongue—I’m so turned on that I’m starting to ache.
“So, I’m going to ask the million-dollar question.” I slide my spoon into the rich chocolatey cake, knowing that I’m taking a risk by broaching the subject but no longer able to contain my curiosity.
“Oh no.”
“Who’s Blaze, and how the hell did he convince a level-headed woman like you to get his name tattooed on her inner thigh?”
Her face falls, and I immediately regret my faux pas. She takes her time, finishing her bite before setting down her spoon. Sienna runs her tongue over her teeth, and I patiently await her response: eitherlet me tell you all about itorfuck off.
“It’s certainly not my fondest moment.” Her eyes flick to the side, then she tosses her mass of wavy red hair and sighs. “But, I guess it’s covered up now so part of moving on is naming and claiming, right?”
“What?” I don’t follow.
“You can take away something’s power if you name it; then you know what you’re dealing with.”
“In this case?”
“Name it. Blaze was an asshole that I dated who totally love bombed me. Made me think I was the only woman in the world.” She smooths her brow with a red-tipped fingernail. “Claim it? I was stupid enough to believe him.”
“Ouch. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Oh, I deserve it.” The spoon’s back in her hand, and she’s digging into the cake. “There were signs. He turned off his FindMe App on his phone, and I believed him when he said it just wasn’t working. He convinced me to give him my ATM pin code.” I suck air between my teeth before I can think better of it. “Yeah.” Sienna swings her finger into her own face. “Dipshit of the year right here.”
“He sounds manipulative, Sienna. That doesn’t make you a dipshit. Some people are super skilled at twisting shit around until they get what they want. It’s not your fault.” She abruptly stops chewing.
“Wow. Thanks.” Her puppy dog eyes beg me to scoop her up and tell her how wonderful she is, that he is a fucking piece of shit who doesn’t deserve her. “Seriously, thank you. He completely drained me. Took all of my money. Now I’m forced to live with my parents, who think I’m a total loser for falling for yet another bad guy.” Her lips press into a thin, tight line as if she’s said too much. “So the tattoo on my inner thigh was theleastof my problems, but the one I could fix the easiest.”
I drink her in, fascinated. That’s not the story I expected to hear. An ex-boyfriend, sure. I cover up that type of mistake all the time. But I can tell this really put her over the edge.
“Well, I’m glad I got to be a part of that redemption story.” I scoop up a huge bit of cake.
“Finally, he eats!” She throws her arm in the air, and I’m ecstatic to see her smile once more, even if it isn’t as big as it would be if she weren’t concerned about having chocolate in her teeth.
“I have to admit; it’s super refreshing to be around someone so honest.” The scratchy cloth napkin scrapes against my lower lip. “It’s encouraging, you know. Makes me feel like I can let my guard down. So thank you for that.”
“Hell, I can’t hide it anymore.”
“Name it and claim it.”
