So, he’d asked Dominique to introduce them.
It was the first time he’d ever seen the demi-fae thrown for a loop.
Tonight, he would see Astra again.
He arrived early at the wine bar and the place was busy, but the crowd was beginning to thin out. The happy hour crowd was heading home, and the after-dinner group hadn’t arrived yet.
Though the hostess had offered him a table, he waited for Astra at the bar at the front of the restaurant. He wanted to see her walk in. To have a chance to just look at her.
It was still ten minutes to six when she walked in, and he was grateful that he was sitting out of her line of sight.
Her tall, voluptuous figure was clad in a simple black dress, but the design was meant to showcase the body beneath the garment rather than the dress itself. The neckline was high, cut straight across her collarbones, but when she turned, he saw that her back was bared by a pattern of straps that crossed over her pale ivory skin. An intriguing tattoo peeked out from behind the draped fabric, a single line of text that curved around her ribs to the edge of her back. It looked like runes, Norse runes. He could only see it because she’d lifted her arm to brush her hair back from her face.
He wondered about that for a moment…until he was distracted by the length of thigh bared by the slit on one side of her knee-length dress. Wow. Her legs were so long and so, so…yeah, wow was the only thing he could think of.
Before he could get his shit together and stand up, she turned toward the bar and spied him. He stood as she walked closer, trying not to gape. Her eyes were more gold than green tonight and her lips were the same deep burgundy as the wine in his glass.
“Hi,” he said, completely unable to think of anything suave to say.
“Hello,” she replied. Her voice was low and lightly accented, something else he hadn’t noticed yesterday when he’d been blinded by the sight of her.
“Shall we get a table?” he asked.
“Please.”
As they turned to walk back to the hostess stand, he instinctively reached a hand out toward the small of her back before he stopped himself. She didn’t know him. While it might be acceptable after a few dates, he shouldn’t touch her just now.
Instead, he lowered his hand to his side and his arm brushed her shoulder.
The hostess smiled at him when she returned from seating another couple. “Your date has arrived, I see. Do you still want a table in the back?” she asked.
Rune looked at Astra. “Is that okay with you? It will be quieter so we can talk.”
Her lips curved. “That would be nice.”
Rune nodded to the hostess, and they followed her to the rear of the restaurant where a small alcove stood. There were two tables there, but no one was seated at either.
“Your server will be right with you,” she said, placing the menus on the table and walking away.
Rune moved over to hold out the chair for Astra, confused when she remained standing by the table. “Is something wrong?”
“I prefer to face the entrance,” she murmured.
Though he didn’t quite understand, Rune moved to the other chair and pulled it out, pushing it in as Astra sat down.
Once he’d taken his own seat, Astra said, “I’m sorry. I know it probably seems strange, but it’s a habit from work.”
“Work?” he asked, leaning forward.
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m a partner in a security firm.”
His brows rose. “Really? That’s interesting. What do you do? Or are you in the office most of the time?” More questions wanted to trip off his tongue, but he swallowed them down. “I’m sorry, asking questions is a habit frommywork.”
“What do you do?” she asked.
“I’m an author. I write mysteries and thrillers.”
Astra folded her arms and rested her elbows on the table. “See, that’s interesting to me,” she said.
