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Grace & Nick
First Date, 2 Years Ago
Whoosh… Thump, Thump, Thump… Whoosh
My heart rate starts accelerating frantically as soon as his door shuts. There’s an excited rush pounding in my ears. I reach up to smooth my hair and notice a small tremor.
The entire night has been like something out of a dream. An unbelievably wonderful and surprising dream, starring Nick Bennett.
Play it cool, Grace…
Get yourself together…
I take a split second to enjoy the view as all six-feet-four of Nick’s muscular frame is illuminated by the headlights, sending my heart into overdrive again and making my insides twist and twirl. If I don’t calm down, there’s a high possibility I’ll pass out.
Or throw up, which would be the ultimate humiliation.
“Get a handle on it. Monroe women don’t lose their cool, Peach Princess. Take a breath and calm down.” My grandmother’s words ring in my head, barely calming my nerves.
I have to wonder if she’d be able to take her own advice if she was on a date with Nick Bennett.
Most definitely not.
“Here, let me help you.” He swings the door open and offers me his hand, helping me to my feet.
“What a gentleman,” I tease, surprised at the surge of confidence.
“My mom taught me well, what can I say?” He shrugs, stepping closer and moving me slightly to close the passenger door.
I do an all-over body shiver when my chest rubs against his, our hands still linked. We stay this way a few seconds—close, connected, and locked in a stare. Lost in his gaze, I’m mesmerized as his eyes go soft and start to glow a bright blue. His pupils grow wide before he breaks the stare and looks to our hands.
My confidence wavers as I suck in a deep breath and make a decision, speaking before I lose my courage. “Would you like to come in?” It comes out in a breathy whisper, my stomach knotting.
“I’d love to.” His eyes crinkle in an adorably cute way.
Wait, cute isn’t the right word. It’s more like a sexy glint.
I give him a small grin and lead him up the stairs to my apartment, praying my roommate isn’t home. My prayers are answered when I open the door and see her keys and bag missing from their usual spot.
Letting go of Nick’s hand, I go to turn on a few lamps, dropping my purse on the kitchen counter. When I turn back to him, he’s scanning the picture frames on my bookshelves. He picks up one and looks from me to the frame a few times.
“This has to be your family. You and your mom could be twins.”
“I get that a lot. That’s my mom, dad, and brother, Logan, last year at the fall festival in my hometown.”
He nods, putting it back, and continues to look over the rest of the pictures. I get a little nervous at his silence and walk to him slowly. When I’m close enough, he grabs my hand again and pulls me the rest of the way to his side so I’m pressed against him.
“You are beautiful.” He points to a picture of me and some friends at the beach over spring break a few weeks ago.
My face heats a little as I glance at us in bikinis, toasting margaritas and laughing at the camera.
“Thank you,” is all I can sputter with his close proximity. The warmth of his body seeps into me while a mixture of cologne and laundry detergent fills my nose and becomes my new favorite scent.
It’s all Nick—masculine and earthy, yet soft and inviting at the same time.
He guides us to my sofa, pulling me to sit beside him with only inches between us. “Tell me more about you, Grace. We’ve spent most of the night talking about me. I want to know more about you.”
I’d like to argue, tell him he’s much more interesting. But mostly, I love hearing him talk and learning more about him. It’s still unreal to me that I’m on a date with Nick Bennett, the same Nick Bennett who has his name on the back of jerseys and a whole campus in love with him. He’s a superstar in his own right, and he’s sitting on my couch holding my hand.
In case tonight turns out to be a one-time thing, I don’t want to waste even a minute boring him.
“Grace?” He leans up, placing his face into my line of view.
“Sorry.” I snap out of my head and smile.
He raises an eyebrow expectantly, and I try to think about what to tell him. “Well, I already told you I’m from a small town in Georgia.”
“And?”
“I’m going to graduate in a few weeks and start grad school in the fall. I want to do something with my art degree, maybe even work in a gallery one day. I’m pretty sure my brother thinks I’m crazy. He’s a very business oriented guy with a plan for everything. It drives him a little crazy that I have this artistic brain. He questions my parents all the time if they brought home the right baby from the hospital.” I giggle softly, picturing Logan’s scowl when I told him I was going to pursue a degree in art. “To him, it’s a hobby and a dreamer’s path, but he’s coming around.”
Nick laughs, shaking his head. The sound is comforting, instantly relaxing me.
“Brothers are a pain in the ass, but I wouldn’t trade mine for anything.”
