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At least, I hope I am.
The conversation between us in the car is light. It makes me feel like I’m not on the first date I’ve had in years and makes it almost normal. Is this normal? Is this what other people are always going on and on about? That connection? That feeling of being in the right place at the right time?
I kinda dig it.
Rhett leads me into a little hole in the wall Mexican place and I smile up at him. He winks at me, his hand on the small of my back. “It’s not fancy, but they have some damn good food.”
“I don’t need fancy,” I confess and Rhett graces me with a huge smile.
It’s the kind of smile that has my heart racing and a future playing out in my mind. One where I get to see his smile daily, for all of life’s milestones. It makes me hunger for something I figured was never going to happen in my life.
It doesn’t take long for us to sit and order, the tension between us mounting with every breath. It’s not uncomfortable, but it does have my thighs clenching together and my nipples pebbling. Can he tell what he does to me? Do I have the same effect on him? The way his eyes flash tells me I do.
He leans back in his chair slightly and looks me over, his voice taking on a husky quality, “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight, Phoenix?”
I feel a blush on my cheeks, something I’m not used to feeling, with his compliment. Instead of being sweet, I go for sassy; anything to deflect, am I right? “Nope, you didn’t say anything about how I’m looking tonight.”
The laughter that comes out of Rhett is full and makes me feel warm in the middle of my chest. When he looks at me again, he shakes his head. “What an oversight on my part, I apologize.”
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“Never,” there’s so much conviction in his one word that my breath hitches.
When he leans forward, I notice the way the shirt he’s wearing pulls against his arms, and I can’t help but remember how it felt to have them wrapped around me. I want to feel them around me again.
The realization has me pausing because I’ve never even considered spending a second night with a man in years. It’s jarring, yet not at the same time. Who the hell is this man?
“So,” I try and change the subject with the grace of an anvil falling out of the sky, “you know what I do, but I don’t know what you do.”
He grins at me as if he can see right through me. “I teach history to high school students.” My face scrunches up at the thought and he barks out a laugh. “I know, it’s not the most glamorous job and the kids can sometimes be major assholes, but I enjoy it.”
“I think it’s more the age of the kids than the teaching thing.” I smile at him and realize I genuinely want to know more about him. “Why history?”
“I think it’s important to know where you come from in order to know where you’re going.” His answer has me blinking for a moment and I get the feeling he’s not just talking about major world events. “It’s also the story of us, of people, and it helps me appreciate certain things.”
I find myself hanging on his every word, my voice quiet, “Like what?”
“Like that we get to enjoy running water and modern medicine.”
I laugh and his answering chuckle is music to my ears. He’s not fucking wrong, that’s for sure. I can appreciate what he means, though, and it makes me like him even more.
His voice is curious, “Why bartending?”
I shrug one shoulder and take a drink before answering. “I like people and having fun and I’m good at it. I’m always fascinated by the people I get to meet. For them, it’s one night when they’re letting loose, but I get to see it over and over in so many different ways.”
He nods slowly as he takes in my words. I was never the kid who had some big dreams about what I wanted to do when I grew up. School wasn’t really my scene and college was so fucking expensive anyway. I like what I do and I’m not ashamed of it.
When our food arrives, we talk a little about some of our favorite places in the city and he tells me more about the school he works at and his coworkers. I even find myself telling him about my love for dance and how it makes me feel free. We compare notes on favorites—movies, food, and entertainment.
It’s all easy between us. By the time we’re done eating, I find I don’t want the night to end.
It’s a strange feeling considering how worried I was before he showed up on my doorstep tonight. I thought maybe there would be nothing between us. Maybe part of me was hoping there wouldn’t be. I can see clearly now that there is something here.
I should be running, but as I look into Rhett’s eyes, I know, even if I try, he won’t let me go far.
CHAPTER 6
RHETT
