“Gorgeous,” he remarked in that deep, manly voice that made me feel so feminine. “I love your hair down.” He reached out and pulled part of my hair, caressing it between his thumb and forefinger before bending in close and putting the locks to his nose. He inhaled deeply as he maintained his gaze with mine, and I felt the air being drained straight from my lungs. He straightened and let go of my hair somewhat grudgingly.
It wasn’t like I was overly dressed, but I was wearing a black pencil skirt, some peep-toe heels Alexis had loaned me, and a baby blue cashmere cardigan set that my mother had bought me when I graduated high school.
This was as fancy as it got when it came to me.
He stretched his hand out, and I didn’t hesitate as I slid mine into his. I stepped outside, closed and locked the door behind me, and urged myself to be calm.
I faced him and smiled, wanting nothing more than to kiss him.
He appeared conflicted in that moment as he leaned in close and gently brushed his lips against mine. “The spell you’ve put on me has me mesmerized, Grace,” he muttered against my mouth.
When he pulled back, I looked around, frightened that someone might have seen. I didn’t want him to get in trouble.
“Let them stare. I don’t care if they do.” He took my hand in his. “In fact, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
My heart did a tiny flip in my chest. There was obviously no going back now. I’d jumped in feet first and anticipated what was next.
I’d debated where to take Grace tonight, even thought about just fixing her dinner at my apartment. We would have been alone… I would have had her all to myself.
But I wanted us to have a private experience, to have people serve us so I could entirely focus on her.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be seen with her, my student, but I wanted this to be personal, intimate. And so, I’d decided to go to Vincenzo’s, the little Italian restaurant owned by a personal acquaintance, one who would close the place down for me so it could just be Grace and me.
I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. It was deserted save from three automobiles parked in the very rear. I knew one of them was Vincenzo’s elegant Lexus. The others I had to guess was the waitstaff and chef.
I climbed out of the driver’s seat and made my way around the front of the car to the passenger-side door. I wanted things to be flawless, wanted this to be unforgettable for her. Hell, I wanted to show her that even though I was utterly fucking enamored and protective of her, I could be a gentleman.
I could be gentle.
I opened the passenger-side door and held my hand out. I instantly felt excited when she put her smaller hand against mine, curled her fingers into me, and invited me to help her out. My gaze was concentrated on her body as she unfurled from the interior of the car.
Long legs, a tucked-in waist, and nicely proportioned breasts that were squeezed against her cardigan. God, she was fucking gorgeous.
When she was standing, I slammed the car door, wanting nothing more than to bring her close to my body, cup the side of her face, and kiss her soundly. But we had plenty of time for that, so much fucking time. I didn’t want her thinking all I wanted was her body.
I wanted all of her.
Instead, I walked her toward the restaurant. A notice on the front window stated that the restaurant was closed for a private function.
My intimate affair with Grace.
I pulled the door open for her and let her step in before me. The soothing sound of music playing in the background formed the ambiance with the low lighting and the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Vincenzo’s was recognized for its wonderful and authentic Italian cuisine. Featured in several publications and journals since it opened, with reviews all positive, the restaurant always had a huge wait list.
Vincenzo and I went far back to when we were both trying to keep out of trouble so we didn’t embarrass our family.
But that was a whole other story, one I knew I’d have to tell Grace at some point. This wasn’t a one-time occurrence for me where she was concerned, and because of that, I wanted her to know all of me, not just the professor she saw at the front of the classroom.
Not only the man who loved her.
I went up beside Grace and immediately slid my fingers into hers. She looked across at me, a little bit astonished, and I couldn’t help but smile, the innocence pouring from her so intense I actually felt drunk from it.
“Seth,” I heard Vincenzo exclaim as he made his way toward us.
He had a smile on his face and his arms outstretched. His jet-black hair was cut short and slicked back from his face, and his equally dark eyes were furrowed at the edges as he grinned widely.
He embraced me swiftly. “It’s been too long, my friend.”
