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Marco braces his palms on the counter and leans forward. “Usual tonight? Eddie here will ring you out, but I'll put your order in now.” He jerks his head to the side, where another employee, Eddie, stands behind a cash register and takes care of the customers ahead of us.
Nova presses forward, his palm now resting on the small of my back. What about that space makes these traitorous tingles erupt? “Nah, not tonight. Thanks, though. We're just going to grab a few slices for here.”
Marco's grin turns sly as he glances between the two of us. “All right, all right. I got you, Nova.” He winks, tapping the counter twice as he leans back. “Eddie'll take care of ya. But you holler if you change your mind.”
Nova nods once. “Thanks, Marco.”
* * *
We settlein at one of the tables in the corner outside, a light breeze rustling the flowers in the surrounding planters. The red and white petals dance, their stems bending left and right.
Nova sets our plates in the middle of the table, and I set our drinks down beside them. The scent of fresh tomato sauce and melted cheese fills my nose. He nudges my selection toward me, the slice of pepperoni and pineapple big enough to almost spill over the edges of the plate.
“Thanks for dinner,” I murmur. “You didn't have to do that.”
“Please, it's nothing,” he says, pulling his two pieces of sausage, pepperoni, and mushroom pizza closer to him.
The crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with just the perfect amount of sweet and tangy tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.
“Besides, it's all part of my grand plan to woo you.”
I choke, sputtering a little at the ease he said that. Nova pushes my ice water closer to me, a wrinkle forming between his brows.
I accept the cup and take a drink, willing my heart to slow down at the spike of adrenaline. I blink a few times. “Sorry, went down the wrong way or something.”
He looks at me, something mischievous glinting in the corner of his gaze. He tucks into his own dinner and we eat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. The ambiance of the pizzeria and the soft chatter of the other people around us all adding to the cozy atmosphere.
He breaks the quiet with a soft chuckle. “You know, I don't think I've ever wooed a woman before. How am I doing?”
I grin, taking another bite to give myself time to choose my words carefully. “I've never been wooed before, so I can't say for certain.”
“Bullshit.” He leans forward with a chuckle.
I wipe my greasy fingers on a napkin and tip my chin up. “What? It's true.”
He looks at me for a moment, his gaze sweeping my face and falling down the slope of my neck and back up again. “A gorgeous woman like you? That's a damn shame, sweetheart.” His voice is low, a rich tenor of promise and heat.
I feel heat rise to my cheeks, but I force myself to hold his gaze. “I guess it takes the right person.”
His eyes flare for a moment, the air around us vibrating with tension. Understanding flashes across his face, his expression melting into a self-assured grin. He swipes his thumb across his bottom lip, dragging his lips into one of those panty-dropping smiles I've only read about in books.
A tiny worry furrows into my consciousness, whispering that I'm over my head with him. But the moment passes as quickly as it came, and I push the thought away.
Truthfully, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm cautiously optimistic about my time in Rosewood. Following some instinct to stop living my life weighed down by the expectations of others. To be more spontaneous and say yes to more invitations. To stop worrying about judgment cast by people who don't deserve a say in my life.
To choose fun for the sake of it.
Bathed in the moonlight and fairy lights, Nova looks like a six-foot-two tattooed embodiment of fun. Carefree, playful, flirtatious, creative.
And so goddamn attractive it makes my thighs clench every time he sends me a flirty wink.
It's too tempting to resist.
He's too tempting to resist.
No, that's not true. I could resist his allure. But I don't want to.
Decision made, I hold my hand out, palm up. “Give me your phone.”
