It was an effort not to text her back.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look?"
Maria glanced up from her menu. I wasn't blowing smoke up her ass, either. Maria was stunning in a simple, light grey, tight-fitting sweater. But what had me hot under the collar were her tight white jeans that hugged her hips and ass. When I opened the door for her to Roman's, I about came in my pants at the sight of her perfect ass swaying enticingly in front of me—no panty lines, which had me picturing a tiny white thong. I shifted in my seat again.
God, I wanted her.
Maria raised her brow at me, her mouth kicking up. "Yes. You may have mentioned it a couple of times."
"Right." I gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."
"Really?" She closed her menu and tilted her head at me. "The guy that approached a random girl and asked to share her table? I would never have guessed."
I gave her a lazy smile. "And I'm so glad I did."
I placed my menu down. Maria's slim hand rested by her water glass, and I bit back the urge to put my hand on top. "No, I'm nervous because –" I shook my head, nerves pinching at me again. "Look, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way."
Maria nodded before lifting her glass and taking a sip of water. "About you being a widower?"
Once again, I appreciated how much of a straight shooter she was. "Yeah. Look, I wasn't quite expecting you to find out that way." To be honest, I wasn't expecting to tell her at all until I was sure things between us might lead somewhere.
"Brian." Maria placed her hand on mine. My skin prickled at the simple touch. "I didn't expect you to share something that personal with me after just one brief meeting. I saw the photo and jumped to conclusions. I should've waited to let you explain."
She removed her hand, and my own itched to grab it again. "It's just that...well," a pink tinge painted her cheeks as she shrugged. "I've had trouble with honesty in my dates before."
Understanding and a lick of anger had me grinding my teeth. What dumb fucker had misled Maria? She was a fucking knockout with a personality that had me on my toes. It was their loss.
"I understand. And honestly, you didn't owe me anything, either. But I'm glad we bumped into each other again."
She didn't need to know that I practically stalked up and down Main Street, hoping to run into her coming out of her work. Or that I frequented that damn café more times than I needed to for lunch and the occasional breakfast. I was relieved that her receptionist didn't recognize me as the doofus who hightailed it out of there.
Maria gave me a demure smile beneath long lashes. "Me, too."
The air between us sizzled with an excitable energy. The same energy that had pulled me to her table that fateful rainy day. I was thrilled my attraction for her was still alive and strong. Even more so now that I had her out in a romantic capacity. My eyes zeroed in on her red lips, glazing over as I pictured what they would feel like against mine.
It was then our chirpy waitress chose to refill our water glasses and take our orders, effectively breaking our searing connection. I ordered a grilled steak sandwich, and Maria opted for a Caesar chicken salad with a side of fries.
"I know it's boring, but a chicken Caesar salad is one of my favorite meals," she grinned as she handed her menu to our waitress. "I always have to try it when I go somewhere new."
"Order whatever you like," I encouraged. "I've had the Caesar before, and it's good. Huge portions."
Her eyebrows danced in excitement. "That's what I like to hear."
My eyes met hers, unable to stop my thoughts from going down the dirty route. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized what I was thinking. But instead of embarrassment, amusement danced in her expression at the double entendre. Maria was a mystery I couldn't place my finger on. She was equal parts bold and flirtatious yet also shy and submissive. I couldn't wait to discover the real Maria.
The waitress interrupted again to place our order of drinks down. Her timing was impeccable.
"So, apart from being a badass boss, what do you do for fun? Do you go out often with your work colleagues?"
Maria's silken hair shook as she took a sip of her soda. "Actually, no. I don't go out often anymore. That Friday you saw me was the first time in a long time I accepted their invite to drinks."
"Really? Maybe that's why I haven't seen you out."
She shrugged. "Probably. I always thought I'd be cramping their style if I joined them. You know, the killjoy boss stopping them from gossiping about how much they hate their job."
I tipped my head back and laughed. "I know what you mean. I take my boys out most Fridays, but sometimes I feel like they're itching for me to leave so they can lay into me."
Her tinkering laugh ran straight to my groin. "Right. See, you get it." She lifted her glass toward me.
