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“Isn’t that obvious?”
He settled his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck.
A delicious shiver rippled through her. “I’m beginning to see that you’re a detail-oriented kind of guy.”
“Mm-hmm.” The sound vibrated against her skin. “I leave nothing to chance. Especially when I want something. And Kate, I wantyou.”
She sighed and forced herself to turn around and meet his gaze. This had the unfortunate effect of aligning their bodies and proving his words to her in full and thick detail. Her body weakened, melted, and a rush of desire coated her underwear.
How was she supposed to think straight, let alone keep her distance, when he acted so sweet? “Nick—”
“Don’t say a word.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder. “We’re going to eat dinner and enjoy each other’s company. Give me that, at least.”
She sighed. “Do I have a choice? You had Faith kidnap me, remember?” Now that she was over the shock, she had to admit it was kind of sexy.
He clenched his jaw tight before releasing the muscles to answer. “You always have a choice. If you don’t want to be here, I would never make you stay.”
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it that way. I would never think that of you.” And she had to stop being such a bitch. He’d gone out of his way to arrange this night and her snarky replies only made him feel bad, something he didn’t deserve.
He visibly relaxed.
“When is Faith coming back for me?” she asked, wanting to know the plan.
“She’s not. But I’ll take you home if that’s what you really want.” He sounded sincere… and disappointed that she’d make that choice.
He’d put in a lot of effort to get her here. He had dinner for them. And he’d been kind in the face of the sarcastic way she protected herself.
He met her gaze, the swirling dark depths pulling her in, and forced out the words. “I want to stay.” She’d have tonight with him and pull herself together afterwards if things didn’t work out.
She’d made her choice and now looked forward to what came next.
Chapter Five
Nick had pulledout all the stops to convince Kate he meant business. But as they ate in silence, Kate devouring first the Manhattan clam chowder his mom had made for him and then the steaks he’d broiled, he was beginning to doubt his ability to win her over. She was wary and uneasy, two things he didn’t want her to feel around him.
“You asked me about my long-term relationships,” he said into the silence. “Now it’s time to talk about yours. How many have you had?” He threw her question back at her.
Her spoon clattered against the table, and she picked it up again. “Why?”
“Because I want to get to know you.”
“I’m not all that exciting. Especially my dating history.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
“Nuh-uh,” he said, waving his spoon at her. “I didn’t ask about dating. I asked about relationships.”
Her scowl was so fierce that he was surprised she didn’t stick her tongue out at him too. “You know I didn’t go out with anyone in high school.”
And she barely dated here in Serendipity unless there were guys from other towns he didn’t know about. There had to be. He couldn’t see a beautiful woman like Kate going without male company completely and did his best not to frown at the thought.
“That leaves college.” She’d gone to a local university, but he knew the place attracted out-of-staters too. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to answer.
“I dated a couple of guys in college and met someone I thought was special.” Her eyes glazed at the memory.
Nick’s stomach cramped at the notion of Kate with feelings for someone else, suddenly understanding her reaction to his twisted situation with Faith. He filed that away to deal with later. “What happened?”
“His name was Scott, and he paid attention to me almost from day one. He was persistent. Kind of like you.” She wrinkled her nose at him, and he refrained from leaning across the table and kissing the tiny lines.
“Somehow, I doubt we have anything in common,” he muttered.
