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He smiled at her as he watched the emotions play on her face. Surprise and nervousness seemed to be the primary ones. Her short hair perfectly complemented her oval face. Her lightly glossed lips trembled as they spoke. He underestimated her inexperience in the dating world, thinking earlier that she was playing coy. Now, however, he could see that she was the real deal.
“Maybe we should leave now and head to the restaurant. If I stay here alone with you and add alcohol to the mix, I may not be able to control myself,” he offered softly.
He winked and stepped back, allowing her to lead the way. He couldn’t help that his eyes landed on her backside, just briefly, before taking in her straight posture and sexy legs. He was a lucky man.
3
Walking to his SUV Sam silently worried about gracefully stepping up into it with a dress and heels. It sported twenty-two-inch rims which made the Escalade tall. At only five-three with heels on, she was no match. He quickly stepped around her and pressed the fob in his hand, unlocking the door, and much to her relief, releasing floor boards from their hiding places. He held his hand to offer his assistance, and she fluidly stepped up and sat in the vehicle. She watched as he walked around the front of the vehicle admiring the entire package. He appeared confident and smooth, and he oozed a sex appeal she’d thought only existed in the movies.Damn! She might need to pinch herself to make sure this was real.
He climbed into the driver’s side and settled in his seat. As he turned the key in the ignition, he asked, “What kind of music do you like to listen to?”
She giggled, “I love rock and roll. Kid Rock is one of my favorites, but I like Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bryan Adams, Ozzy Osbourne … I also like some country and Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli when I need some peaceful, quiet music. What do you like to listen to?”
Gray’s smile spread across his face. “Would you believe that I love the same music as you? Not kidding, that’s exactly what I listen to. I have my iPod plugged in, and you’ll find all of that music and more on there. Would you like me to start with anything in particular?”
Sam chuckled and shook her head. “Anything you want to listen to is fine with me.”
He picked up his iPod, tapped a couple of times and soon Kid Rock’s “Born Free”—one of her personal favorites—floated from the sound system. Finding it hard to keep still but ever mindful of the fact that singing wasn’t a strength of hers, she simply mouthed the words and nodded her head to the rhythm.
“We have something in common!” he chuckled as he put the SUV in reverse and backed from the driveway.
On the ride to the restaurant, she inquired, “Tell me about your business.”
He smiled. “As you know, I own Kinkaide Architects and Engineering. I’m an architect and employ several others—my son, Ethan, being one of them. Caleb Locke, my best friend, was the engineer. He started the company with me; however, about a year and a half ago, Caleb had some health issues and asked me to buy him out. He had headed up the engineering division until then. Now my brother, Jamie, does. Jax heads up the demolition company, which is just in the first year of business. During his last deployment in the Army, Jax, Jamie, and I began talking about starting the demolition business, and it’s already showing signs of becoming a huge success.”
He navigated a corner and smoothly merged into traffic.
“Ethan, my youngest, was also military—the Army—and served in Afghanistan. He wanted to serve but didn’t enjoy Army life. He served for seven years, then came home and completed his degree. He came into the family business, which, of course, I am extremely happy about.
“My daughter, Sarah, also works with us at the firm as an accountant. Sarah and her husband, Cole, have two children: Lily is six and Lincoln is three.”
She enjoyed the pride in his voice and the serene look on his face as he talked about his children. “Cole is Caleb’s son, so it truly is a family business.”
“You’re fortunate to be so close to them and share the business with them.”
“I am indeed. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”
Gray pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Walking in, he kept his hand on Sam’s lower back. His heated touch did funny things to her body. After being seated, they each ordered a glass of wine, chuckling after the conversation at the house. The waitress left menus for each of them. Sam looked around and caught the eye of a few women glancing their way, who quickly looked away from her gaze. She glanced at Gray, who seemed oblivious to the secret looks, which she took as either he was used to it or he didn’t care. She hoped it was the latter.
Not sure what she’d be able to eat, she searched the menu.
“The steak here is superb if you like meat. If not, they also have fabulous pasta dishes,” Gray offered.
Looking into his eyes over the menu, she marveled at the earnestness in them. He made her feel like a silly schoolgirl and a sexy woman at the same time.
The waitress came back with their wine and took their orders, each settling on steak.
While they relaxed and waited for their meal, Gray asked, “Tell me, what do you do at the law office?”
“I manage the office, mostly keeping track of the HR functions and running interference with any issues that might come up. I’m also a paralegal, so I fill in during the busy times.”
“What about your kids? Any of them work in the legal profession?”
Laughing, she answered, “No. I have three sons. Joshua and his wife, Tammy, live about thirty minutes away in the outskirts of Pulaski. They have eleven acres and play around with trucks and four-wheelers all the time. They have two children—Abby is six and Dodge is four.” She giggled. “We both have grandsons named after cars.”
Gray laughed. “We do. Another thing in common.”
Sam continued. “Josh was in the Army and saw conflict in Iraq. Gage lives fairly close to me in Harmony and just started dating a girl recently, but he’s still at the stage where he doesn’t want to jinx anything. He won’t tell me a thing, no matter how hard I try to get him to spill. Jake and his wife, Ali, are both recently home from the Army where Jake spent nine months in Afghanistan and was heavily involved in conflict. But, he seems to be handling it well so far, and I hope that continues. They’re both in school—Ali for business management and Jake for his general eds right now. He’s trying to decide what he wants to do.”
