She sighed and pulled the glasses from her face as her mind churned with a million thoughts, all of them salacious. “Would you mind if we ordered Chinese instead of going out?”
“I love Chinese.”
“Great.” She loved that he was so easygoing. “There’s a menu in the top right-hand kitchen drawer. Order me the House Special Scallops.” She dug in her bag, pulled out her debit card, and placed it on the counter. “This is on me. Order whatever you like, but, please, let me get it.”
He looked down at the card and then at her, a skeptical smirk on his face.
“I’ll be out of the shower in fifteen minutes. Please get comfortable while I’m gone. And use my card.” She pointed to it but knew he probably wasn’t going to let her pay.
The hot shower not only washed away the day’s grime, but it also gave her the opportunity to ladyscape. She had an appointment to get waxed tomorrow, since she expected to see Robert on Thursday and knew how the night would end despite her continued denial. But since he showed up today and things were moving ahead of schedule, she needed to clean up.
Once out of the shower, she rubbed the citrus-scented body lotion into her flesh and brushed her long hair. Luckily, her natural waves bounced back with volume and shine since there was no time to wash and style it. Lastly, she put in her contacts and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a scoop neck, short-sleeve top. A simple necklace adorned her throat, and she wore the diamond studs her parents gave her when she graduated from elementary school. She fingered one of the studs. Life was so different back then. Simple. That’s why she loved the earrings so much.
When she exited the bedroom and entered the living room, Robert was sitting on the sofa talking on his cell. One ankle leisurely rested on the opposite knee, and his face practically glowed as he listened to whoever was on the other end.
“Really?” he asked. “A red velvet cake? Save me a big piece. I’m coming over tomorrow to try it.” His gaze moved to Amber as he saw her enter the room and he sat up. “I gotta run, Tess. Love ya bunches. I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a pause. “OK.” Another pause. “OK, Tess. I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And another pause. “Yes. I promise. Bye.”
Tess? Love ya bunches? Promise to come by tomorrow?
Robert’s phone dinged, and his smile brightened further as he looked at the message.
“Who was that?” Amber asked, unable to keep the accusatory tone from her voice.
“The sweetest girl in the world.” He tapped on his phone, still wearing a smile that lit up the room, and then turned it toward Amber. “My niece Tessa. She’s six and just made a red velvet cake.”
An adorable little girl with black hair and big dark eyes smiled at the camera. A white frosted cake sat in front of her that looked almost as big as she was.
Robert turned the phone back to face him, tapped on it again, and showed Amber another photo. “This is her brother Lucas. He’s eight. I love these kids as if they were my own.”
This time, a photo of a little boy was depicted on the phone screen. He had blond hair that touched his shoulders and sat on the floor with a guitar in his lap.
Amber leaned in to look at the photo more closely, and her heart filled with joy at seeing Robert’s niece and nephew. “They’re precious. The little girl is adorable and that little boy. . .” She trailed off, not finding words to convey how cute he is. “He looks just like you.”
“Yes,” Robert boasted. “Lucas inherited the Blade genes. Everyone on my dad’s side of the family is blond and has blue eyes.” He paused for a second. “Actually, my mom’s side is fair too. But me and my brother and my nephew look just like my dad.”
If this is what all the men in Robert’s family looked like, Amber wondered where they were hiding because she had at least three friends who’d be on a waiting list to meet them.
The doorbell chimed and interrupted Amber’s mental matchmaking.
“Do you mind if I get it?” Robert asked, already on his way to answer the door.
“Go ahead.” She followed him to the kitchen to get drinks from the refrigerator.
Robert took two plastic bags from the delivery driver and handed him some cash.
Surprised at the amount of food, she asked, “What did you order?”
“Your house scallops, crispy shrimp in wine sauce for me, plus house fried rice, dim sum, and sauteed string beans.”
“Isn’t that a lot of food?” she asked, placing two bottles of water on the kitchen island.
“Everything sounded so good on the menu that I thought we could sample a few dishes. Plus, you have to have leftovers when you order Chinese.”
He made a good point.
She shared her scallops, and he shared his shrimp. The rice was amazing. The dim sum was one of her favorites. And the string beans, something she never tried before, were divine. After they ate, Robert helped her clean up, and now they sat in the living room staring at one another.
A shy smile bloomed on his lips, and he glanced at his lap, making his hesitancy obvious. This man didn’t lack confidence—not by any means. He was making a point not to pressure her. He was relinquishing control and leaving the next move up to her. She appreciated the respect, something not a lot of men had these days.
