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Taking a second, I look around the exclusive setting. Dimly lit and simply decorated with clean lines and Nordic style furnishings, the place is stunning and modern. The waiter immediately appears and guides us to our table. Nora sits opposite me, thanking the waiter as he hands her a menu.
“Have you been here before?” she asks, obviously wondering how I managed to get us a reservation here.
I nod. “I know the owner.”
“Is this where you bring your dates?”
I shake my head. “I don’t date.”
Nora mindlessly picks up the drinks menu whilst keeping her eyes trained on me. “But you’re here with me… on a date.”
“I am.”
A beat of tension passes between us.
Her deep caramel focus solely on me, as if she’s seeing my vulnerability for the first time. For a heartbeat I wonder if… and then I stop myself because those thoughts about Nora can never end well. Deciding not to overthink things, I silently vow to myself that I’ll show her the good time that I promised her and hopefully make her smile.
Nora
Being here right now isn’t awful. Except for the lift, which was borderline terrifying, but thankfully it was a short ride and I used some of the techniques I teach my clients and I’m still alive to tell the story. I’m going to partially and tentatively tick that one off my list. I’m on my way to conquering one fear.
The restaurant feels… exclusive and luxurious. Wholly unnecessary for a little date with me. “Grayson, this place is fancy,” I whisper as I lean towards him.
“You don’t have to whisper. But yeah, it’s nice here. Liam recommended it. He’s apparently brought Jess here a couple of times.”
“Why would you pick this place just for me?” I ask quietly.
He cocks an eyebrow at my question. “What do you mean, just for you?”
I look around the table we’re sitting at, searching for something to distract my nerves. “I mean…” Suddenly, emotion clogs my throat, preventing me from saying that I’m confused as to why I feel special when I’m not special tohim.
“Nora?” He says my name with an intensity that makes my legs clench together. His hand finds mine across the white linen tablecloth, the roughness of his fingertips on my skin makes me tremble. “I brought you here because I wanted to show you that dates can be fun, so you realise that you are special enough to deserve more than you’ve had before.”
I can’t stop staring at him as I process his words. I can see why women fall at his feet. It goes beyond looks, of course, his tattoos give him sex appeal, his hair is perfectly messy, his eyes fire up a storm and manage to be all kinds of warm and icy at the same time, pinning you in place, like he’s the big bad wolf and you’re little red all alone in the woods. But what has really blindsided me is seeing this softer, more caring side that he obviously doesn’t show everyone.
His tattooed hand reaches out and the very tips of his fingers brush across my forehead, taming some flyaway hair, and my eyes flutter from the contact. Heat swirls around us like potent, untamed energy as my heart attempts to escape my chest. I can’t help but wonder if he’s doing this because he’s showing me how I could be treated or because he wanted to touch me and couldn’t help himself.
“Are you both ready to order?” the waiter asks, dissipating the energy between us.
Grayson looks at me, silently asking me if I’m ready, and I nod. “I’ll have the scallops to start and the Blue Grey beef for my main.”
“I was going to order the same.” He looks at me for a beat too long, as though he’s trying to figure something out, but I have no idea what. When he turns his head to look at the waiter, I hate the way I miss his eyes on me. “And whatever wine you recommend for the beef.”
The waiter nods and leaves. And I have to remind myself that this date is to make me feel better about dating, not feelmorefor Grayson.
An awkward silence now fills the space between us. The small candles on the table barely flickering–probably because there’s no air of any kind in the room right now. I shift on the leather seat beneath me and glance up at him, sitting so casually; calm and collected, while I feel like I have a wild storm whipping around inside me.
I break the silence. “So how does Grayson Kingdo dates?Tell me how you’re going to show me all your dating swagger. Besides the fancy black BMW and the fitted black suit you’re wearing…”
He pauses in thought before smiling. “I don’t date many women in reality.”
“Are you telling me I’m special again, Grayson?” I mock a surprised look, but there’s a secret part of me that wishes that I was someone special.
A flicker of a blush traces across the tip of his nose before it vanishes. He reaches for my hand, letting his fingertips draw patterns over my skin and my body reacts dutifully with goosebumps. “Do you want to be someone special, Nora?”
Just as I find myself leaning towards him like a gravitational pull whilst simultaneously sinking into the depths of his eyes, I snap out of the trance he’s put me in. “That’s good. A plus for that move, you almost had me.” I shake the shiver off before it gives me more goosebumps.
He sits up straighter, a wicked grin in place. “Yeah? You like that one?”
