“You’re batshit crazy,” he quipped before leaving the kitchen. “We leave in five!” he shouted from the hall.
Donna smacked her lips. “Crazy? Hmphh!”
She placed her shoes on the floor and slid her feet inside. “Whew! Gotdamn, that’s cold!”
* * *
“This is so amazing.”
Donna took a sip from her fourth glass of Rosé while admiring the beautiful scenery. Their table was on a patio lit by candles, torches, and decorative lighting. They were enjoying dinner and wine with a perfect view of a lake. About twenty-five feet away was a beautiful bridge covered with what looked like thousands of twinkling lights, reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower after dark.
So far, her visit had been extraordinary—from the moment she landed, to the hot welcome to Georgia sex, the redfish cooked by the Gods, and the stimulating conversation and romantic atmosphere. Lincoln did not disappoint.
“I’m glad you think so. How’s your Crème Brûlée?”
“Mmm. It’s perfection,” Donna gushed.
Her eyes went from Lincoln to the beautiful view. It was then she realized that she would’ve been happy without all the bells and whistles. They could’ve been having dinner at a hot dog stand, and she would have been content with just being with him. Unlike her sister, she didn’t run from love. Bella had been hurt, so she avoided romance like the plague, but Donna was different. She was willing to find the one. Although, she knew that with the job she did, it was unlikely.
For months, she and Lincoln had been spending every moment of free time that they had with each other. In his eyes, she could see that he cared for her. His actions confirmed it. In her heart, there was absolutely no doubt that she was falling for him. However, the sad reality was that they both could be called away at any time, and neither could predict how long they would be gone. They’d never sat down and discussed the dynamics of their relationship, but she knew that the conversation needed to happen.
“Lincoln, I—”
Donna was suddenly hit by cold feet, not so literal as before. He placed the spoon on the table and looked pointedly at her, giving her his undivided attention.
“What is it, Donatella?”
She chuckled nervously, surprising herself. Nervous wasn’t one of her personality traits. “Why do you insist on calling me Donatella?”
He smiled, showing off perfectly straight teeth.
“Because that’s your name. And I told you I love your name. Now, what’s on your mind?”
Donna cleared her throat. It was time to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid. “Well, about us…”
“What about us?”
“Okay. The thing is…if we were ever to try this relationship thing, our jobs—”
“Okay. I gotta cut you off.”
Donna held her breath. Maybe she’d jumped the gun. They were having fun, and maybe that was all he’d intended for them. However, things between them had heated to a boil and naturally, she was thinking about the next step. But she might have just unintentionally ended their thing.
“What do mean, ‘try this relationship thing’? Donatella, we’re already in a relationship. Shit, I thought you were aware.”
“Oh.” She exhaled, feeling surprisingly relieved. “To be honest, I wasn’t aware. That’s not something we’ve discussed.”
“What we have has been established by feelings, not discussions.”
“So, how long have we been in this…relationship?” Donna asked with a raised brow.
Lincoln grabbed his spoon and dipped it in his bread pudding.
“Lincoln?”
He shoved a generous amount of pudding in his mouth and slowly licked the spoon clean. Donna found herself reminiscing about the way he had so thoroughly licked her earlier in the day.
“Stop playing,” she chuckled.
