I still hadn’t seen him as the hostess led me to the back of the restaurant and when she stopped in front of a corner table, I could feel him before even laying my eyes on him.
“Here you go, miss. Enjoy.” The hostess placed my menu down and scooted away along with the rest of the world around me.
“Wilde?” I said, a large smile stretching across my face. I couldn’t help it. He looked even better in person.
He immediately got to his feet and held out his hand. I placed my small hand in his large bear’s paw, swallowing my hand whole. I shook it though the entire meeting felt far from friendly, sexual tension appearing from thin air and growing between us. “You must be Reagan?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice meeting you. You’re gorgeous.”
I chuckled as my cheeks flushed, my skin growing warm. “Thank you.” He held his hand out towards the booth and I slid in, him taking a seat across from me.
Wow. The picture…it didn’t do him any justice.
He was fucking hot. Like sexy fireman calendar hot.
I squirmed in my seat as my brain went right into the gutter, wondering what he might look like under that tight, well-fitting outfit of his. His features were dark, brown hair and eyes, with a dark beard, full and sexy. His chiseled jaw and sexy lips made me want to kiss him, and every part of me begged for a taste.
Damn you, Elena! Your brother is smoking hot!
When his eyes met mine across the table, he offered me a bit of a smirk, before quickly looking down at the menu. “Never been here before, you?” Wilde grunted.
Fuck. His gruffness turned me on even more.
“Yes. The steak is good. So is the pizza, believe it or not. It’s brick oven style.” I smiled warmly.
“One of my favorites.”
“Me too.” I said, surprise laced through my voice. “It tastes so good. I think that might be what I get. They have personal sizes.”
As we browsed the menu, we made small talk, mainly about food and our favorites, ending with an order of fried calamari to start, and two brick oven pizzas for dinner.
I couldn’t believe how easy he was to talk to and before I knew it, the dinner was over and Wilde settled the bill. I glanced over his shoulder towards the window along the back well, the lot outside lit up by lights. The snow was really coming down now, hard and fast, worse than earlier. Ugh. Should probably end this sooner rather than later.
I sipped my water and wiped my mouth before applying a new coat of lip gloss. “Thanks for tonight, Wilde. I had a good time. Never thought I’d meet someone who enjoyed watching the black and white classics.”
Wilde chuckled, the sound going straight between my legs. “Me either. Most people can’t stand them. Like Elena.”
“She hasn’t seen enough, but I asked her to watch my favorites and she said no.” I clicked my tongue against my teeth. “I’ll convince her one day.”
“Good luck. How’s the snow looking?” Wilde glanced behind him. “Oh. Not good. Are you okay with driving home?”
“I should be. My car may be small, but it’s mighty.”
Wilde paid the bill, and we walked outside together. That’s when the reality of the snow hit me. There wasa lotmore snow than I thought. Crap.
“Wow. A lot fell in the two hours we had dinner.” I said as I nodded towards my car.
“Doesn’t look to be letting up anytime soon, either.” Wilde looked up towards the sky, snow falling on his hair and face. Snowflakes danced on his eyelashes, and it was so fucking cute. I wanted to kiss them all off. “Are you sure you’re okay with getting home? My truck could drive through a foot of snow. I don’t mind giving you a ride home. I’ll even make sure you get your car back by giving you a ride tomorrow.” Wilde smiled and my heart fluttered.
Shit. This man had left a mark on my heart as much as I didn’t want him to. But in the little time we’d spend together, it was there. And somehow, I knew it wouldn’t be going away.
“It’s okay. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thanks for the date, Wilde. It was fun, despite snowy.” I reached out and patted his arm, unsure if he would up for a hug. Elena told me he could be a little gruff, a little cold, sometimes mistaken for full on grump, so I didn’t want to overdo it.
His hand covered mine and before I realized what was happening, he took me in his arms and wrapped his large frame around my smaller one.
And he was warm. So warm.
