by Jenna Tyler
After we hop inside, we're on our way to our next destination. I hope it's not a fancy place, or even a mildly fancy place because I probably smell and I'm not dressed for anything other than a dive. Oh, I forgot that I brought a dressier blouse. That's why I brought the sandals. Not such a dumbass, after all. Just forgetful.
I'm sure my hair is a disaster, too. The place can't be too nice if he's in gym shorts, though. I relax a little at that thought.
“There's a little café just up the road overlooking the ocean. It's quaint and the food is great.”
“I'm starving so I'm sure it will be fine no matter what.”
Five
The little café we arrive at is cute. It looks like an old shanty with white-washed wood everywhere. I immediately think of a shipwreck for some reason. This is my kind of joint. Seems like a place where the locals go and everybody knows everybody.
Drew snags us a booth in the back corner next to a window that looks out over the ocean. We're pretty high up on a cliff and the view is spectacular. A house with a view like this would be amazing. “This view is absolutely stunning,” I tell him. “Just gorgeous.”
“It's definitely a stunning view. Almost as stunning as you.” I feel my cheeks redden.
“Thank you, but I'm sure I look and smell awful.”
“Nonsense. You are beautiful and you smell just fine.”
“I'm sure I'd smell better after a hot shower. I feel like I sweat like a man.” I chuckle.
When the waitress comes over and takes our drink order, I notice her eyes are fixed on Drew. Hmmph. The nerve of her. Doesn't she see that he is here with a woman? We could be married and she doesn't even seem to care. Tramp. I guess I really can't blame her, though. He is as gorgeous as they come. I bring myself back to reality.
I open the menu, a bit roughly, as the waitress goes off to retrieve our drinks. “What's good here?” I ask.
“I'm not really sure. It's been a while since I've been here.”
I look over my menu at him. “Been a while since you've been on a date?”
“Rebecca, I told you, I don't date.”
“You mean you've never dated? Ever?”
“Well, not never, but not since I was young.” I feel a crease form between my eyes and my forehead wrinkles in disbelief.
“So you haven't had a relationship in over ten years?” He shakes his head. “What have you been doing for your...? Wait. I hold up a hand to stop him from answering, “I don't think I want to know the answer to that.”
He smiles. “Probably not. We all have a past, though. I'm not particularly proud of mine, but it is what it is. A past.”
I nod. “True.”
The waitress comes back to take our order and he sends her away, letting her know that we need a few more minutes. He didn't even look at her. That makes me feel good.
“I think I will play it safe and get a salad, and a turkey and swiss sandwich.” He nods, acknowledging what I've said. “I'm going to go to the ladies' room and freshen up a little. Will you order for me? Honey mustard salad dressing, and mayo and mustard on the side for my sandwich, please.”
“I can do that for you, Miss Michaels. I shall go, as well, after I've placed our order.” He gives me a wink and a smile. I grab my bag, get up, and head to the restroom. I do my business, wash my hands and arms, splash my face, and freshen up my makeup.
Good thing I threw my mini purse into my backpack. I give a little squirt of perfume and tidy up my hair. Better, Bec. Much better.
Heading out of the restroom and into the hallway…SLAM! You've got to be kidding me! Again? I look up into those Caribbean blues of Drew's, and then burst into laughter. “Seriously?” I exclaim. “I think you plan these run-ins, Mr. Chambers.”
He wraps his arms around my waist and leans down to kiss me. My arms wrap around his shoulders and pull him in tighter. The fire deep inside ignites and my core squeezes up into a tight little ball. My lips part and my tongue quickly finds his. They find a nice rhythm and then I retract mine, realizing where we are. I give him a nibble on his bottom lip and then a kiss.
Grabbing his hand, I lead him back to the table. He leans down to my ear from behind as we arrive at the table and says, “I did plan them, Miss Michaels.” My head whips around to him to see if he's joking. He doesn't appear to be.
“You did what?” I say, not believing what I've just heard. “You planned me running into you? Why would you do that?” He snickers as we both take our seats.
“I didn't plan on the actual running into you, just meeting you. There was this...” He motions with his hand back and forth between me and him. “...pull towards you that I couldn't understand. Until now.”
My eyes are wide open, eyebrows up in complete shock. “Umm. You couldn't just walk over to me and meet me that way?”
“I could have, but what fun is that? Are you mad at me?” I frown. I don't know if I'm mad or not. I mean, it worked. Wait. Did he say he figured out this thing between us? Now I'm curious.
“What have you figured out?”
Looking me straight in the eyes, he hesitates a moment. “This thing between us,” he says, nonchalantly.
My brows furrow. “What is this thing between us? In your opinion, that is.”
Of course the waitress comes with our salads as he is about to answer. I want to hear this, but now all I can think about is food. I mix up the salad so the dressing is evenly dispersed and take a bite. Mmm. Food. My stomach growls in appreciation. Another bite in and I look up at Drew. He is staring at me. I must look uncivilized. “What? I told you I was hungry. By the way, feel free to answer my question whenever you're ready.” I smile.
“Rebecca, I believe you may be…my soul mate.” I stop chewing and am conscious to keep my mouth shut because there is food in it. I just stare at him like a deer caught in headlights. What the hell? Soul mate? We just met. I can't deny the connection or the feelings, but it's been what? A little over a week since we met?
He's still watching me, probably trying to read my reaction. Surely I am just showing pure shock. Am I breathing? I do an internal check. Yes, I'm breathing…barely. My insides are bunched up nice and tight. Everything sounds about right when I'm around him. I should probably say something back, but I can't seem to move. I wonder how much time has passed. I blink for what feels like the first time, and muster up the will to speak. “Why would you think that after such a short time of knowing me? We just met.”
Drew looks down at his salad and starts to fiddle with it. He looks a little...nervous? That's a new look for him. I wonder if he thinks I might be scared off at his realization. I must reassure him, but he interrupts me before I am able to open my mouth.
“I've never felt like this with anyone before, Rebecca. Anyone. It's a new feeling for me and I'm pretty sure that this pull between us, one that is undeniably strong, is that of a soul mate connection. And the fact that it's not just an attraction, that there is such a pull that we both feel, just makes me believe that you are the one for me.” The one? What is he saying? Marriage? The long haul?
“Rebecca, please breathe. You are worrying me. And close your mouth.” He smiles. I snap my jaw shut and swallow whatever food is left in my mouth. Crap. I take a napkin and wipe my mouth, just in case anything may have escaped. Now that would be embarrassing.
“What exactly are you saying, Drew? Are you suggesting…?”
He chokes a little.”Oh, good god, Rebecca. No. Not marriage. Well, not yet anyway. But I do think that, in the future, it's a possibility. I just can't deny these feelings I have.” I let out a deep breath.
“I thought you had gone off the deep end. I couldn't even fathom that right now. Still, maybe talking about it this early in the game is a bit much.” I should cut him some slack. He's not had a relationship since he was young.
Reaching across the table, I grab his hand and give it a little squeeze. A small gesture of encouragement. He smiles and pats my hand. “Perhaps I should've kept it to myself
a little longer, but why wait when you know what you want. Just go for it, right?”
I snicker. “Well, that's one way of looking at it.”
Getting back to eating our salads, we keep the conversation light. The waitress comes back with our meals. She still only looks at him, totally ignoring me. I just want to smack the rudeness out of her.
As we finish up our lunch, I wonder what else he has planned. I allow him to pay for my lunch. I'm not quite sure why I did, but it made him happy. He's even sexier when he's happy.
We stand at the table, getting ready to leave, and I feel the urge to make that bitch of a waitress jealous. I step closer to Drew, wrap my arms around his waist, and look up at him. He, in turn, wraps one arm around me and his free hand comes up to my face, pulling my lips to his. It's a very PG-rated kiss, but I can feel the passion radiating…especially down deep. He releases me and grabs my hand as we walk out of the café together, as a couple.
“Did you enjoy that display, Rebecca?”
Huh? “What display?”
He's grinning from ear to ear. “That PDA in the cafe. That was a show for the waitress, was it not?” I blush. How did he know it was for her benefit?
“How do you know it wasn't just an 'I want to kiss you' kiss?” I reply and he chuckles.
“I pay attention. I saw you glaring at her every time she came to the table.” I look down at the ground. Is he mad? With two fingers, he lifts my chin up, amusement in his eyes. Oh, goody! He's not mad.
“I enjoyed it very much, even if it was to make her jealous. Feel free to use me like that anytime,” he says with a big boyish grin. Such a man, I think as I smile back at him.
“She deserved it for being so rude and ignoring me,” I mutter.
Drew places a quick kiss on my lips and smacks my ass in a playful way, then opens the truck door for me. I gasp and rub my butt. It didn't hurt, but I'm going to try and make him think it did. “That wasn't very nice,” I say. Grinning wider, I climb into the truck and try to hide my face.
Watching him walk around to the driver's side, I see a smirk on his face. Shaking my head, I have to giggle. So much for my acting skills. This man is laying on the charm today. I hope it's not a one-time deal. I like this Drew. A lot.
“What's next on your agenda, Mr. Chambers?”
“I thought I would take you to another scenic spot and then head back to town. If that's okay with you?” Hmm. Not an all day date then. Everything inside me seems to wilt.
“Okay,” is all I manage.
Drew drives us up the coast. The views are astonishing. I thought he wouldn't be taking us far, but it seems I was wrong. About an hour goes by and he finally pulls off of the road. It doesn't look like much to me. “What are we doing?” I ask.
“We are going to go to a scenic spot, as I said. But it's a little further up the hill. We will have to walk from here. You might want to put your other shoes back on.” I frown. I don't want to put those things back on. My feet are happy being out of shoes. I take a deep breath and let out a sigh.
Reaching into the back seat, I find my shoes and socks. They are still sweaty. Note to self…bring extra socks next time. “Ugh. This is gross.” He laughs a little. Scrunching up my face in disgust, I pull on my sweaty socks and I just want to gag. It feels so nasty. I get my shoes on and look at him, all gorgeous and perfect. It's not fair.
“Come. I'm excited for you to see this.”
My brain lingers on that first word for a moment. Get your mind out of the gutter, Becca.
We head up the hill and through the trees, hand-in-hand. It makes me smile. I follow his lead around rocks and limbs. I can hear the ocean below. It sounds so serene and beautiful. The sound seems to get closer as we continue on. About twenty minutes into our little hike, the trees seem to part and there before me is the most magical view. My breath hitches. “Oh my. This is absolutely breathtaking.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that he is looking at me and not the scene before us. I want to look at him, but I can't take my eyes off of the view. “How did you ever find this?” I vaguely hear him smile. At least, I think that's what it was.
“I came across it on one of my hikes. I sometimes hike off the path and this is what I found. I come here once in a while to relax or think. No one ever bothers me here.” I tear my eyes away from the view to look for a spot to sit and maybe a tree to lean back against.
Drew sees what I'm looking for so he ushers me over to a spot and we sit down together. It’s the perfect spot. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in close. I fight the urge to rest my head on his chest because I don't want to skew my view. Instead, I place my hand on his leg and just lean in. “Thank you for bringing me here. It's perfect,” I whisper.
“The pleasure is all mine, Rebecca.”
After what seems like hours, I think my butt has fallen asleep so I shift. Yep, it's numb and tingly. Ouch. I grimace and lean over and rub it. Drew looks down at me with a grin. “Problem?”
I look up at him with a scrunched up nose. “Er. Yeah. My butt's asleep and it hurts.”
He chuckles. “Well, we can't have that now, can we? Do you need help waking it up?” he says with a wicked smirk. I roll my eyes at him, although the thought of him rubbing my backside does sound appealing.
“Maybe not this time. Walking back to the truck should help get some life back into it.” He stands and offers his hand to help me up. I take it and he pulls me into his arms and kisses me deeply. There's nothing like his touch to make me forget everything. I snake my arms around his neck and pull him in tighter. Our lips part and our tongues find each other once again. A little moan escapes me as our tongues find a rhythm. It suddenly hits me that I do not want to have sex on a first date...or maybe even on the second date. I have to stop this kiss or I will be having sex here in the bushes, with a numb butt, in broad daylight.
I pull away, panting and breathless, stepping back several feet. He is in the same state I'm in, but he seems a little confused. “Sorry,” I say. “If we continue like that, I might end up doing things I'm not quite ready to do. I just don't think sex on the first date is my cup of tea.” He smiles and steps towards me like he wasn't done. I hold out my arm to stop his approach. His smile gets wider. Oh my. He's so fucking gorgeous.
“Did you hear what I said?” I ask firmly. Drew continues to approach me. “I'm serious, Drew. Do I need to go get my pepper spray?” I question, only half joking.
He stops, arms up as if to surrender. “Okay. I'll stop…for now. But I can tell that you want more.”
I flush. “Maybe so, but not tonight. Not on a first date. I'm not a tramp.”
“I wouldn't think any less of you, but I can feel this pull between us. It's not a normal feeling people have and you are an extraordinary woman. There is no way I could ever think of you as a tramp.”
I smile shyly. “Thank you, but I would still feel better if we waited, at least until tomorrow,” I challenge.
He raises his eyebrows, and then twists his expression to a wicked one. My core twitches at the thought of what he could do to me. I raise an eyebrow at him. We laugh and head back to the Hummer, hand-in-hand. As has become customary, he opens the door for me and I settle in. I watch his smooth movements as he walks around to his side. He hops in and starts the truck, getting the air blowing. He looks over at me with a look on his face. Frustration?
“Tomorrow, huh?” he teases, and we chuckle again.
“Well, I can't give you all the goods in one day, Mr. Chambers. I have to give you something to look forward to. Thrill of the chase and all that.” He grins and leans over to kiss me again, just a quick one this time.
“Oh, I think there is plenty to look forward to, Ms. Michaels. Plenty.” With a childish grin on his face, he puts his arm across the back of my seat and turns to look out the back window to back out. He pulls out of the lot and we head back to the interstate.
It seems to be a quicker trip home than the trip to get out there. It
made me sleepy, though. We pull up to my apartment and he opens the door for me. I hop out and then gather my belongings. “Thank you, Drew. It was a great day and a fantastic first date.”
He grabs my hand and kisses it softly. “Trying to get rid of me so soon, Rebecca?” A frown appears on his face. What? He wants to come in after I just told him I won't have sex on the first date? I'm at a loss for words.
He's amused and smiling at me. “Rebecca, I want you to go up to your apartment. Take a shower. Relax. Then get ready to go out for dinner. Cocktail attire. I'll be back at seven to pick you up.” He brings his hand up to my chin and gently pushes it upwards, closing it. Oh, crap. My mouth was hanging open. Still smiling, he leans in to kiss me.
“Uh. Er. Huh?” I babble.
“Seven o'clock. Dinner. Cocktail dress. Understand?” Focus, Bec!
“But I thought this was the end of our date.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Well, I thought I should feed you dinner, a proper end to the day.” He's being so formal, and a little bossy. I kind of like it. It stirs something deep within me.
“Uh. Okay. I will see you at seven then. I don't know that I have cocktail attire. I will manage something, I guess.”
“Very well. Let me know if you need something. I'm just a phone call away.” He leans down and gives me another swift kiss. He grabs both of my shoulders and turns me around to face the entrance to my building. He gives me a little pat on my butt and says, “Off you go, Rebecca.” I hear the smile in his voice and I start my way up to my apartment...in a bit of a daze.
What just happened? One minute I'm thanking him for a wonderful date and the next, I'm to get ready for another? Wait a minute. Would that be considered a second date? What's he trying to pull? Does he think that this will get me into bed with him faster? That little shit. Well, this is a game I am more than willing to play. He may be hard to resist, but when there is a challenge involved, I will take no prisoners. Challenge accepted, Mr. Chambers.
