Touching her arm, I stopped her before she could get too far. “Excuse me, but what’s going on? Why is it so empty in here?”
“Mr. Atkins rented out the place for the night. Right this way,” she said leading me through the restaurant.
My eyes landed on Bentley immediately. He was dressed in all black allowing his muscular frame to be seen. The slacks, the fitting button up, the ice that sat against his skin, the Cartier frames… he looked damned good. I didn’t think he could beatthe ensemble he wore earlier, but I’d be damned if he ain’t pull it off.
Standing, his expression remained neutral as he took me in from head to toe. I didn’t know why it felt like that man could see right through me, but it did. Those pearly whites shined in the dimly lit room making his appearance that much more intriguing. He had no idea how handsome he really was.
“Here we are. I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu,” Roxanne stated before giving us some privacy.
“Bentley, what is all this?” I asked gesturing to the emptiness of the restaurant.
“Public but private. You good with that, right?” he inquired resting his hands in his pockets.
“You didn’t have to bother Royce for a quick dinner. This is absurd,” I chuckled shaking my head.
With his head tilted to the side, he displayed a look of confusion. “What makes you think I had to call on Royce for this? Do I look like a nigga that can’t afford this? Do I look like the kind of nigga that need to count on another one to handle light shit like this? Damn, I guess Royce the only one with bread in yo’ eyes, huh?”
Stepping up, I closed the gap between us and placed my hand on his chest. Shaking my head, I tried to apologize and recover what I said. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything this is just very Royce. He’s over the top in everything he does, so I assumed. I’m sorry.”
He looked down at my hand and gently grabbed it. His thumb brushed across the back of my hand giving me a hell of a rush. Being so comfortable to his touch was new and terrifying. It wasn’t supposed to be so easy for him. I wasn’t supposed to like it.
“I ain’t trippin’. Sit for me,” he said ushering me to the seat behind me. He pulled out my chair and allowed me to get comfortable before occupying the one across from me.
His attention was back on me instantly. Something was twirling in that big ass head of his, and I was curious to know what. Then again, I was too shy to ask. I’d already offended him; I wasn’t trying to make things worse.
“Since this is your doing, what prompted you to do it? I don’t mind others being around. Dinner isn’t special,” I questioned.
“To whom?” he countered throwing me off once more.
Bentley was a smooth talker. I knew that already yet experiencing it in person was quite different. It created a nervousness I couldn’t shake. My gaze touched the floor for the umpteenth time. Cowering in front of him wasn’t what I had plans on doing.
“Look at me,” he demanded. Releasing a low chuckle, I rubbed my palms across my thighs before pulling my head up. My eyes found his, and I quickly dropped my head once more. “You fall asleep to my voice every night baby. Why you acting like you can’t handle this?”
“It’s not that Bentley.”
“Then what is it? You can talk to me just fine on the phone, but now that I’m here, you got me feeling like I’m doing something wrong,” he voiced.
“That’s not…” Sighing deeply, I fiddled with my fingers for brief second before showing some respect and making eye contact. “This is new to me. Usually, I’m on a date with Royce and his family, or Striker. We’re all friends so it’s not intimate. The last time I wasintimatewith a man wasn’t due to my free will. You’re doing nothing wrong Bentley, I just don’t know what to do,” I stated with unsureness.
He gave a light chuckle and asked, “Would it have been easier for you if it wasn’t so secluded?” I shook my head, and he commanded once again, “Use your words beautiful.”
This man was forcing me out of my shell, and I didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. It had been years since I had to do something outside of my routine. I had the nerve to try and use him to get back into the dating world. It seemed as if he was the one winning me over instead. No playbook, just him being him. I couldn’t deny how much I was feeling him.
“No, it wouldn’t. I haven’t looked at a man with interest in damn near eight years. This was going to be hard for me either way it went,” I confessed.
“So, you interested?”
“No. I mean…” Rubbing my forehead, I tried to shake off the nervous ass cloud that was raining on my parade. “I’m not sure what I am. I think you a cool ass nigga, and I enjoy talking to you. Did I think you would show face here in Sage Springs for real? Nope. And I really didn’t expect for you to come for me for real. You said it many times, but I?—”
I was interrupted by a small laugh of his. He offered a nod right after saying, “Nah, I get it. You don’t trust nobody’s word if it ain’t an Atkins… that you know.”
“That’s not true,” I answered quickly trying to break away from the awkwardness that was beginning to form.
“It’s cool love. I’m a person that don’t trust a soul as far as I can see them. So again, I get it. However, I earned everything with my name on it. What the fuck makes you think I won’t put in the effort to earn you?”
His comeback caused my heart to beat rapidly. I placed my hand over my chest to gain some composure, but I failed miserably. I never had a man be so sure about me the way he was. He didn’t back down from a thing I said, and he was stern on pursuing me.
Ni said we would look good together, and now I was starting to picture it. He was sexy as hell, there was no denying that. From the way his thick brows complimented his long lashes to his chiseled jawline to the beard that accentuated his full lips, this man was more than eye candy. His frame was larger than mine also. I just knew if he ever picked me up and handled me, it would take little to no effort.
