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She pulled into Fielding’s parking lot precisely at six. Though her little car looked like a piece of crap, it was as reliable as Old Faithful. Nothing seemed to stop it from getting from place to place, with the rare exception of a blown tire. After visiting the website of the tire place first thing this morning, she scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. It was nice having Mondays off.
There he was, waiting in front of the restaurant. The string lights around the porch lit him like some leading man in an old movie. He looked off into the distance, but as she approached, he stilled for an instant before turning slowly. Once again, his eyes seemed to glow.
Mere walked up the steps, and his smile greeted her. An answering one formed on her own lips, as though her body was happier to see him than her mind.
“You look lovely, Meretta.”
Unlike all the other people in her life, Anders insisted on using her full name, and it sent a shiver along her spine every time.
“Thanks. You look…”
He looked about the same as always, dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, and a neat button-down shirt. The boots had been brushed clean, and the jeans were newer and darker than what he wore to the library.
“About the same,” she finished. Ugh, could she be any more awkward? “But that’s good. You look good.”
His smile widened and some tension left his shoulders. “You do not date often?”
“That obvious?”
He nodded but kept his mouth shut. Perhaps he was a wiser man than most.
“Well, it’s your lucky day! You have a date with the worst flirt in town, who will undoubtedly do something incredibly embarrassing by the end of the night.”
A low chuckle erupted from him and sent a wash of heat through her body. “When you put it that way, my expectations for the evening just became more…imaginative.”
He held open the door for her, and as she passed, the air crackled between them. Mere desperately wanted to touch him, brush against him, to see what would happen. She restrained herself, but the look on his face, half surprise and half a darker and more dangerous emotion, told her she wasn’t the only one holding back.
A hunger having nothing to do with food came over her. Mere hadn’t felt this way in a very long while.
“Table for two?” the maître d' asked. Her mouth formed a little O of recognition as she looked from Mere to Anders, Great, the rumor mill would send word to her parents before they could hear it from the horse’s mouth. Mere wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“Yes, thank you.” Anders stood directly behind her, close enough for his body heat to travel the few inches and warm her from head to toe, and all the other places in between.
“Right this way.” Her voice held a knowing smirk, though her face remained pleasantly neutral. Or maybe Mere was reading too much into this.
She led them to a booth in the far corner, away from the other diners, where they would have privacy. Anders slid into one side and Mere into the other. The maître d’ left their menus in front of them and slipped away. An uncomfortable silence descended. Mere picked up her menu to increase the emotional and visual distance.
“What do you recommend here?” Anders asked, not bothering with the menu.
She peeked over hers to find him studying her. Captivated by his shining eyes, she forgot what he’d asked for a moment. He blinked, and the memory came flooding back.
“Everything is good here,” she whispered, her voice husky. Why was her voice husky? They were out for dinner in public. In public, she reminded her body.
“What is your favorite?” Another fierce spark flickered through the depths of his eyes. He was as still as a predator stalking its prey, yet Mere felt as safe as she ever had before she’d left for college.
Her mouth went dry and her voice stopped working. Mere licked her lips, praying her voice wouldn’t betray her.
“Scampi.”
There was something feral about his smile and the way he drank her in. Her heart thudded, and her imagination drifted to things that were not polite to think of in public. What was it about him? She hadn’t reacted to a man this way, ever. Not even he who shall remain nameless.
“Then that is what I will have.” Anders placed the menu to the side and turned his complete attention to her.
Apparently, his complete attention was even more of an aphrodisiac than his only slightly distracted attention. How had she never seen this from him before? He’d been to the library at least ten times in the past month, and all he displayed was polite interest. But now, with the force of his gaze, the presence behind those blue eyes, and the hungry look he wore all focused on her, strange feelings coursed through her. Feelings she had kept at bay for years.
Their server came over and did a double take. Yes, the mousy librarian out with the new hottie in town was cause for many raised eyebrows. The young man introduced himself and asked for their order.
“Meretta recommends the scampi,” Anders said.
