I grip the bottom of her stool and tug it closer, legs screeching, until she’s close enough for our bodies to touch. I tilt her chin until our eyes meet, and she truly hears me. “We are celebrating.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“Our first date.”
“You’re a lot sweeter than I imagined.”
Savannah’s offhand comment hits me like a ball to the nuts. Sweeter than she imagined? So, before now she thought I was some piece-of-shit asshole who fucked women and dumped them?
Didn’t you?
Fucking hell. Even my brain is calling my ass out for being an asshole. I drop my hand from her chin and look away, poking at the food on my plate instead.
I don’t deserve a woman like Savannah.
“Hey, where did you go?” Savannah places her hand on mine, waiting for an answer, as I stare at my plate.
“Nowhere. Eat your food. It’s getting cold.” My words sound harsher than I intended, making my insides sink even lower.
Savannah’s chair screeches across the floor, and I’m bracing myself at the possibility that she walks right out the door. Instead, she shocks the hell out of me and wedges herself between me and the counter, and climbs into my lap to straddle me.
“Look at me.” She places her hands on my cheeks, forcing me to do as she asks. The power of her gaze makes my heart race as her warm amber eyes search my face. I memorize the gold and orange flecks staring back at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I grunt.
She narrows her eyes at me in frustration. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Push me away.” She grips the tops of my shoulders. “Talk to me.”
Her firm tone and refusal to let me off the hook bring back memories of the first session with my therapist. Although, Ido prefer Savannah sitting in my lap to that stupid fucking metronome.
Here goes nothing.
“I don’t want to push you away. I want you to stay. But…” My tongue freezes. What if Savannah never sees me as more than a fuckboy and decides she’s done? Not sure how I’d take that after putting pieces of me I don’t let people see out there for her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. At least not in that way.” I try to interject, but she places her hand over my mouth. “This is listening time. Understand?” I nod, and my blood rushes south. How the fuck does she do this to me every time? “You keep surprising me, and I really like it. I really like you. I’m so freaking glad you’re nothing like my sister and the papers made you out to be. You’re intelligent. Sweet. And actually, a little romantic.”
I push her hand away from my mouth. “I’m only this way because you bring it out in me. You and only you. I’ve never made a woman dinner before you. All of this is new to me too. I’m scared I’ll let you down and you’ll walk away.”
“Have you let your family down?” She tilts her head to the side, and her wet hair falls around her shoulders like a curtain.
I push them back; her brown locks are cool to the touch. “No.”
“Then I have faith you won’t let me down. I don’t expect you to be perfect, Nico. I’m certainly not. We are going to disagree on things, but that’s okay. It’s part of being in a relationship.” Savannah gasps and slaps a hand over her mouth, her eyes bugging out of her head.
Her confirmation of our “relationship” calms the storm inside me.
“You’re right. That’s what relationships are all about,” I agree, fighting back a smile.
“You’re not freaking out? I just said ‘r’ word.” She’s so damn cute thinking I’m going to freak out. Before her, she would have been correct. Now? No way.
Savannah is a fucking diamond. Worth millions.
I wrap my arms around her back and bring our chests flush. “Why would I freak out? You are way too good for me, and yet here you are. I’m the luckiest motherfucker on the planet.” I cup her cheek, brushing my thumb across the apple. “Cazzo, sei bella. Ti prometto, gattina, che ti tratterò come una regina se me lo permetti.”You are so fucking beautiful. I promise you, kitten, I will treat you like a queen if you let me.
“I’m not sure what you just said, but it sounds good to me.” She smiles, and the look is one I’ve seen before. Just not aimed at me.
