Another lingering stare ate up the space between us, and I dug my fingers into my thigh to keep from reaching out and stroking her smooth cheek. She was so goddamn beautiful. Smart, sexy. A perfect enigma that I wanted to unravel slowly.
"So, what do you do to unwind?" I pressed, needing a distraction, before I cleared the table and jumped her.
"Well, as you know, I like to read." Her nose wrinkled in humor as a look of shame crossed my face when I remembered the asshat comment I made to her that day.
"Ah, yes.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," I laughed. "I hope my crass joke didn't put you off finishing it."
Maria's electric blue eyes lit up in pleasure. "You remembered the title."
"Yeah, well, I was curious and looked it up when I got home later. Boy, was I way off base," I joked as I took a swig of my soda.
"Definitely not a reverse harem. Although, I am reading one now."
I choked on a chunk of ice, sputtering as I covered my mouth with the inside of my elbow. "Sorry," I coughed, my eyes tearing up as I tried to get myself under control.Real smooth, Brian."You caught me off guard."
Maria's mouth twisted in a smirk, her beautiful blues laughing at me. "They’re called “Why Choose” and It's a sports-themed one," she continued as she watched me splutter with an amused tilt of her lips. "Hockey. You may like it."
"Um," I cleared my throat, wiping excess liquid off the table. "I'm more of a Tom Clancy and John Grisham kinda reader. But your book sounds...erm, interesting."
My mind was now filled with a locker room gangbang scene. I'm sure I'd seen that in a porno once. I felt myself harden again, but it had nothing to do with the fantasy of a girl getting a train done on her by a hockey team. Or whatever the fuck she was reading. It had everything to do with the gorgeous female in front of me. Seeing her face flush pink in pleasure as she watched my unfortunate choking display had a kaleidoscope of sensual images racing through my brain. Interestingly enough, the idea of Maria getting pleasure off anyone else—even a fictional book—had me wanting to stake my claim.
"Just so you don't get any ideas," I fixed her with an intense stare laced with possessiveness. "I don't like to share what's mine."
Her eyes widened, and I almost cursed myself for showing my hand so soon. Being with Maria had all my caveman instincts rising to the surface. I wanted to invade her thoughts just like she did mine. When she picked up that book at night, I wanted her to imagine me...and only me.
I never found out what my words did to her since our waitress, again, interrupted our connection. Our plates were laid in front of us, and Maria made quick work of dousing her fries with ketchup before taking a few careful bites of the crunchy sticks. My earlier comment forgotten as her eyes lit up, humming in pleasure as she chewed. She glanced at my untouched plate.
"You're not gonna eat?"
I gave her a lazy grin as I picked up my knife. "Sorry, just enjoying watching you." I winked, chuckling as she blushed prettily. I cut my sandwich in half before taking a big bite.
After we made pleasant but not awkward commentaries on our food—my steak was nice and flavorful, and she rated her salad a solid nine, losing a point to an egg that wasn't as runny as she'd liked—we fell into a comfortable silence as we enjoyed our respective meals.
I wasn't in a hurry. With other dates, I’d use my social energy to engage in mundane conversation, eager to get to the night's carnal activities. But with Maria, everything she said, every small action she made was savored. How she held her fork in her mouth for a brief second before slowly pulling it away. The way she'd cover her lips with a delicate hand as she chewed as if she were a dainty princess. So fucking cute.
I listened to her chat briefly about her working week, my eyes soaking up her expressive hand movements and how her mouth shaped her words. Even her rundown of the monotonous things she did in her office interested me.
Once we finished and our dishes were cleared, I reached across the table and boldly clasped her hand.
"How is someone so beautiful and fantastic still single?" It was a puzzler, for sure. Someone of Maria's caliber should have already been snapped off the market.
Her gaze dropped from mine, and she stared at our entwined hands. Her mouth turned down quickly before her expression cleared. She met my eyes with blues that suddenly appeared guarded. Why had her demeanor changed so suddenly? A picture of an ex she had lingering feelings for entered my thoughts, darkening them. Fuck, I hoped that wasn't it.
"I guess I haven't found the right one yet," she eluded.
I squeezed her hand. "Is that what you're looking for? The right one?"
She hesitated and glanced down again before squaring her shoulders, lifting her gaze again to meet mine.
"Honestly? Yes. At this point in my life, if I'm dating someone, I'm dating towards something more with them one day."
She shook her head as she gestured between the two of us. "I'm not saying that's what I want with you, or that's where this is headed. We could decide just to be friends or - or more." She shrugged as she rubbed at a spot on her elbow, her face flushed. "Who knows."
Her gaze held an air of defiance, even if her demeanor was unsure. Did she expect me to be put off by what she told me? I've had women tell me up front that they were after commitment, and I'd ended things without malice. I hadn't been at that stage yet where I could see myself working towards something serious with another woman after Hannah. Even when I decided I might be ready to date again, I still had trouble motivating myself to pull that trigger.
That is until a wet and rainy day caused me to duck into a café I rarely ate at, and I spotted a ray of sunshine in the corner. I knew that "just friends" was not where I wanted to head with Maria. The attraction between us burned too bright for it to endplatonically. Would it lead to something more? Maybe. Maybe not. But I was willing to stay on the ride to find out.
I squeezed Maria's hand again, meeting her gaze unflinchingly with steely sincerity. "I'd love to see where this goes, Maria."
