Stop! You’ve changed three times already!
It was ridiculous. Her options were all variations of black clothes. The first outfit had been leggings with a loose tunic top, but it had looked too shapeless and frumpy. The second was ripped black jeans with a baby tee. While cute, it definitely gave off trying-too-hard vibes. The outfit she’d settled on was wide-leg pants with a simple long-sleeved, scoop-necked bodysuit. It was classic and cute, but was ittoosimple?
Ugh! You look fine. Stop being so nervous.
She snorted. Yeah, right. Easier said than done.
Last night had been... epic. No, beyond epic.
Their date had been like something out of a romance novel. Their conversation had been easy and flirty. He’d kept his attention on her with zero wandering eyes. That said a lot since alotof women at the bar had checked him out. But he’d kept his focus on her, and it had been wonderful. Then his friends hadjoined their table, and his obvious initial discomfort had been so cute. Well, if you could describe such a large, muscular man as cute. How he’d talked about the two women after they’d left had nearly made her swoon. The man was so freaking sweet.
And that kiss? Her face heated.
Beyond hot.
She’d initially been surprised when he’d declined her invitation to come in, but right when all the doubts had started to bubble, his words had melted her into a puddle of goo. He wanted to take his time with her.
Holy shit. Who the hell said that?
Face flaming at the memory, she let out a breath. God knew, she was looking forward to their dinner later tonight and was definitely ready to follow Xander’s lead. So far, she was enjoying every moment of it.
The brisk knock at her door startled her. She glanced at her watch and smiled. Eight o’clock on the dot. After one last glance at her reflection, she hustled to the door, muttering, “Calm down. You look fine. Obviously, the man likes you.”
Her hand stilled on the doorknob. At least he had last night. What if he’d gone home, reevaluated the entire evening, and regretted their kiss. Found her lacking.
A new batch of nerves sprouted in her belly, and she wanted to bash herself over the head.Stop! Relax and just follow his lead.
If Xander had second thoughts about yesterday, she’d deal. It would suck, but she’d deal.
She took a breath for courage. Hoping her smile wasn’t as nervous looking as it felt, she swung the door open with a chipper, “Good morning!”
She was momentarily struck dumb. All thoughts fled. Xander took up the doorway. He was dressed casually—a light-gray henley under a distressed dark-brown leather jacket that lookedbuttery soft, faded jeans, and scuffed work boots. His hair was pulled back into a bun, and his sharp jaw was clean-shaven.
Delicious. The man looked utterly delicious.
She sent a prayer up to the universe that he wasn’t having second thoughts about going out with her again.
It took a moment for her to realize he was holding two drinks in his hands. The smaller to-go cup was engulfed in his hand, but she could make out the familiar logo of Comfort Food, one of her favorite local cafes, on the larger plastic cup. Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to the side. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but...
She shifted on her feet and nodded at the drink. “Is that for me?”
He held the plastic cup out to her, and a small smile played at the edges of his lips. “Iced sugar-free vanilla latte with oat milk.”
Her jaw fell open in surprise. “How did you...”
“You mentioned you liked them when you were cutting my hair.” He shrugged. “Hope I got it right.”
Oh my God, this sweet man.
She took the latte from him and smiled. “Thank you. That was sweet of you. And yes, that’s my favorite, even down to the oat milk.” She took a step back and held the door open. “Come on in, and I’ll grab my jacket.”
He didn’t move. Instead, he gestured to the stairs with his coffee. “Did you know the door downstairs was wide open?”
Her brows rose at the sharp edge in his voice. Nerves bloomed anew as she easily recognized the work-Xander tone. “Um, yeah. I wasn’t sure what time you were showing up, so I propped it open. Is there a problem?”
She took a sip of her latte as she watched a flurry of emotions flash over his face.
After a moment, he cleared his throat and stepped into her apartment, his shoulder holding the door open. “There’s no buzzer?” His tone lost that business-mode sharpness.
