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“Yeah?” he asks, pressing his hips into me and I suck in a breath, nodding. His eyes flash with desire and he drops his gaze to my lips. My tongue darts out involuntarily and slides along my bottom lip. He groans and his arms tighten around my waist before he looks up and blows out a breath.
“We should get to dinner.”
I look at him in confusion. He is really taking this gentleman thing seriously, isn’t he?
“Ryan, it’s okay,” I reassure him but he shakes his head.
“No, it’s not. I really like you, Emma, and you have no idea how badly I want to throw you over my shoulder and carry you into the next room but I’m trying really hard to show you that I want more than just sex from you.”
“Oh,” I whisper, my pulse racing and a blush staining my cheeks as I peek up at him. “Okay.”
How the hell is a girl supposed to say no to something like that?
He smiles, releasing me and grabbing my hand, lacing his fingers with mine as he pulls the door open and leads me outside. I can feel his gaze on me as I lock my apartment and we’re quiet as he leads me out to the car, opening the passenger door for me as I bite back a smile. This is all so crazy but like the most amazingly wonderful crazy I’ve ever experienced. After I’m safely inside, Ryan shuts the door and jogs around the front of the car to the driver’s side. He slides in, shutting his door and starting the car, glancing at me before he pulls away from the curb.
“So, I hope you like barbecue.”
I snort. “What self-respecting southerner doesn’t like barbecue?”
He laughs. “Good. I know this great little place.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He grins over at me, satisfied with my answer. “So, tell me what you’re doing when you’re not working.”
“Uh… well, probably painting or sleeping.”
“Painting?” he asks, his brows shooting up in surprise. I nod.
“Yeah, I’m an artist and that’s what I’m doing most of the time. I sell my pieces down at the farmers market on the weekends.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I can’t wait to see your work.”
“I can’t wait to show you,” I reply with a shy smile.
“Do you do pretty well with that?”
“Most of the time. I’ve been getting more popular lately and so more people are asking for custom pieces, which is really cool.”
“How much do you make on something like that?” He looks over at me with genuine interest in his eyes and I want to squeal in excitement. I love that he is so interested in something I love so much.
“Depends on the piece but it could be anywhere from a hundred dollars to a thousand. Most of the time, people spend around three hundred.”
“And how long does it take you to finish a piece?”
“Again, it depends on the piece. Sometimes, I get stuck and other times, I feel inspired and stay up all night working.”
He nods, pulling into a parking space in front of the restaurant.
“One sec,” he says as he jumps out of the car and hurries over to my side. He opens the door for me and holds out his hand. I place my hand in his and get out of the car. After shutting the door, he wraps his arm around my waist and leads me into the restaurant.
I love the quaint little space as soon as we step through the door. There aren’t many tables, maybe twenty tops, but they are all full of people laughing and enjoying the food. My stomach growls as I smell the delicious aromas swirling around us and Ryan chuckles. He presses his warm lips against my cheek and I can’t fight the smile on my face. Country music is playing over the sound system and servers are bustling by us constantly. It feels so homey and comforting.
“I love it here,” I say to Ryan and he grins.
“Wait ‘til you try the food.”
“Two?” a hostess asks, reaching into a cubby and Ryan nods. She pulls two menus out and motions for us to follow her as she leads us to a table in the back with a little placard on it.
