“How did you find this place?” I asked him. “It’s really pretty.”
“A friend of mine owns it, and I told him I wanted the best table they have.”
“Of course you did. The question is, how could he give it to you on such short notice?”
Tate leaned in slightly, bringing his mouth to my ear. “I know how to persuade people.”
“Oh, yeah. Tom, the guy who got the delivery, said something similar.”
“I’ve had lots of practice in business.”
Tate Maxwell was in a league of his own when it came to making me swoon. I could imagine him in his office, looking all dominant and businesslike and negotiating like a shark.
Was it odd that I felt honored he was using the same skills to romance me? Because that was exactly what it felt like, and I loved it. How was I ever going to date anyone else? The thought made me sad.
As I sipped my cocktail and slid up a bit farther away from him so I could take a good look at him, I was surprised to find his gaze on me once again. Is he always watching me? My heart fluttered.
“I can’t believe you organized all this in one day. I wonder what you could do if you had more time?”
“Try me,” he said, and then he wiggled his eyebrows, which was so out of character for him that I couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew about the Ferris wheel for a while, though.”
“You still get full points for all of this.”
His gaze was playful now. "Points? Okay. I like this game.”
And he was so good at it. Why was he still single?
“Tate, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Have you always been single after your divorce?”
He nodded, drumming his fingers on his glass. “I’ve been with women, but nothing serious, and I didn’t want Paisley to get confused.”
My heartbeat accelerated. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he wanted to tell Paisley about us, but I couldn’t work up the courage to ask it. So instead, I started rambling nervously.
“Dating isn’t easy. I’ve been dating for, I don’t know... fourteen years. Ever since I was in high school.”
A weird noise popped up. It seemed to come from Tate, but maybe the cocktail messed with my senses. I kept rambling. “I had a few relationships over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”
The admission surprised me, and by the way his eyes widened, it surprised him too. Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear something so deep from me yet, or perhaps it wasn’t something he wanted to know at all, but I didn’t feel the need to hide from him. I wanted him to know who I was. But what if he didn’t like it? This was too much information for a first date.
I licked my lips before adding, “So, yeah, I would think that now in the age of Tinder, it’s easier to get dates, but every time I swipe—" That weird noise came again. I turned my head to him. “Did you make a sound at the back of your throat?”
He tilted closer. “Lexi, I don’t want to hear about you seeing other men now or in the past, ever. It drives me crazy.”
Oh my God. That had been him earlier. I swallowed hard, acutely aware of the heat of his body, his forehead pressing against mine, his fingers sitting in the small of my back possessively.
“You’re mine,” he growled. An honest-to-goodness growl.
“Okay. Fair enough,” I responded, breathless. His presence was all-consuming. For a few seconds, I completely forgot people surrounded us. We might not see them through the plants, but we could hear voices and the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.
“Tate,” I whispered, my voice uneven.
His fingers were pressing into my back even more, and the corners of his mouth tilted up.
“You’re doing something to me, Lexi, and it’s even more dangerous than I thought.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, keeping my tone playful. “I like the sound of that.”
He leaned back, taking his hand away.
“And you think not touching me will make it less dangerous?” I teased.
“I sure as fuck hope so, because I’m close to throwing you over my shoulder and walking out of here with you.”
Oh. My. God. That sexy, determined voice was going to be my undoing.
I shifted even farther away on the couch. A twinkle of amusement popped in his eyes. I loved it.
“My mom always says that when a person makes you feel everything intensely, it’s a good sign,” I said before pressing my lips in a tight line. Oh sweet heavens. I’d only had one cocktail and I was already reciting Mom’s advice. I’d managed to scare off a lot of dates like this, and I hadn’t even shared half the things I just told Tate. I didn’t seem to want to hold back.
“You’re close to your parents, right? I mean, I know you’re helping them, but that’s not the same thing.”
“Mom is my best friend. I tell her everything. Growing up, she was the best mother I could want. She listened, and when I asked for advice, she gave it to me, but it never felt stifling or overly pushy or like she was taking away my freedom. We had a bit of a rough time when I was a teenager because, well, all teenagers seem to want to piss off their parents.”
“I’m sure Paisley won’t be like that,” he said stoically.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Right. Keep thinking that if it helps. Just prepare yourself for the worst.” Sighing, I added, “I miss being able to talk about everything with Mom. In the past few years, life has changed a bit, especially this last year with the surgery. I spoke more to Dad, but even so, most of our conversations were about health or bills. I’m sure it’s going to get better. Mom is already feeling loads better than before. I sent her a box of sweets last week from Le Chocolat, and she sent me, like, a dozen silly pics. That’s a good sign.”
Tate looked at me intently but didn’t say anything.
“You freak me out when you do this,” I said honestly.
“What?”
“You don’t say anything, just look at me.”
“Trust me. If I say everything that’s on my mind, it’ll scare you even more.”
I swallowed hard, whispering, “Try me.”
His eyes flashed. “Not tonight, Lexi. Not tonight.”
“Hmmm... this is a two-way street, mister. I want to know stuff about you too.”
“You can ask me anything. Except what you just did.”
Chuckling, I racked my brain for something I wanted to know. “I haven’t met your parents. Do they live far away from here?”
“No, they live in the city, but every summer, they go on a long vacation. They’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Okay. And you’re as close to them as you are with Beatrice?”
“We’re all very tight. Tyler jokes that Gran is the glue that keeps us together because we take turns finding stuff for her to do so she doesn’t get too bored.”
“But she still has the bookstore, right?”
“Yes, but she’s not actively involved. She’s had someone managing it for years. It’s more of a keepsake.” Chuckling, he added, “She was even more excited than my parents when Paisley was born.”
“She told me that she lost her husband when she was young.”