As he closed the door, I took a moment to calm the butterflies in my stomach. But the moment he opened his door and climbed in, they returned with a vengeance.
His eyes met mine in a heated stare for a good thirty seconds, pinning me to my seat.
Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “What?”
“You look beautiful.”
“You already said that.”
“Just thought you should hear it again.”
When he started the truck and took off, I decided I wasn’t going to wait around for more. I slid closer to him and took his hand in mine, slightly surprised when he gave a small squeeze.
“So, what did you have in mind for tonight?”
“You mean, other than dinner?” he asked, glancing my way.
“Well, this is technically our first date. You did ask me to dinner.”
“With our parents,” he pointed out. “I’m not sure that really counts as a first date.”
“You picked me up.”
“Not at the door.”
“And you held my hand.”
“You put your hand in mine.”
Frustrated, I huffed in annoyance. “Are you going to fight me every step of the way?”
“Are you going to do my job the whole time?”
Yes, I was well aware that I tended to say things as they were, but it wasn’t because I was filled with confidence. In fact, it was just the opposite. Inside, I was a wreck, constantly worrying about everything. It just came out through my mouth instead of me shoving it deep down.
“You know, you never did tell me what finally inspired you to dance with me.”
When he didn’t say anything, I decided to switch tactics.
“Have you dated many women from around town?”
“What?” His head snapped to mine, and I finally got a reaction.
“Well, you hear rumors, but that’s about it. I guess I was just wondering how many women came before me.”
“No one came before you,” he answered, not that I believed him.
“There was Susy…She came into the bar about a year ago, bragging about how you took her out and showed her a good time. And then Dakota had quite the tales to tell after you were snowed-in together.”
If I thought about it hard enough, the churning nausea I felt when she told me every last detail would return in full force. The whole thing was a nightmare. “I have to say, I could have done without hearing about how you bathed her and laid in bed with her.”
“And you believe rumors?”
“Not particularly, but since you won’t answer my question?—”
“I already did.”
I huffed out a laugh at that. “Yeah, I believe that. There’s no one but me.”
