Chapter Five

Blaze

There was nowhere in Springvale where people dressed nice, and ate dinner after eight o’ clock. I had known that when I made the date. We would have no choice but to make the drive into Dallas. It would make for a long night.

But, it had been a long time, and I wanted to do it right, including picking her up. Leaving straight from the ranch after work wouldn’t be very romantic, and it wouldn’t give her any time to get ready. Chicks loved having time to get ready.

The day had been excruciatingly long.  Every second had ticked by, and the ones where I was actually around Lucy had been the worst. Having to watch her smile at my men when they complimented her cooking, and the way she smiled and flipped her hair every time she caught me looking at her. She caught me often.

I had tried to sneak out of the house without catching Rusty’s attention, but the man had a mind like a steel trap. Not that it wasn’t blatantly obvious that something was up when I walked out of the house at seven thirty wearing slacks and a dress shirt. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had worn slacks. It felt good.

And she looked good. Like damn good. I wasn’t sure when she had found the time, but I was sure her dress was new. A black off the shoulder number with a skirt that flared and spun when she walked and ended just above her knees.

When she was sitting beside me in the truck, it rode up her legs, revealing just enough thigh to drive a man wild.

I turned the key in the ignition and smiled at her. “I’m a little nervous. I think I forgot to tell you how lovely you look tonight.”

The blush started in her pale cheeks, and covered her cheekbones, trailing down her neck and chest. It just made her look even more endearing. “You did. But, that’s ok, so did I.” She blushed again. “Forget to tell you, I mean, that you look nice. Very dapper.”

Compliments made me uncomfortable, and I cleared my throat, wondering when that had happened. I hadn’t always been that way. Maybe it was just her.

“We’re going into Dallas for dinner. Is there a type of cuisine you prefer?”  I hoped she wasn’t a picky eater, or one of those women who ate nothing but a salad and filled up on wine.

She perked up, and looked at me hopefully. “Do you know any good Italian places? Where they serve real authentic Italian food? It’s been years.”

“Traditional or New Age?”

“A little bit of both?”

She couldn’t have given a better answer. It was music to my ears. “A woman after my own heart. I know just the place.”

The place I chose was called Nonni. An upscale, modernized Italian eatery that took classics and added their own original spin.

Thankfully, for a Friday night, they weren’t too busy.

The hostess seated us at a small table in the back, near a window that overlooked the river.  The atmosphere was very romantic, just as I had hoped for. It helped if the restaurant was romantic, because then I didn’t have to be. I was very nervous.

I pulled out Lucy’s chair for her, and waited until she was seated, before taking the seat across from her. I could tell from her smile that she was already impressed. Thank god I had learned dating etiquette from my Uncle Sal and not my father.

She opened the menu and started perusing it, while I took the liberty of ordering a bottle of white wine.

The way she hummed and squealed with delight as she read over the menu was somehow the sexiest thing I had ever seen, I was glad the table was between us hiding the physical evidence of the effect she was already having on me.

“You like Italian food, I take it?”

Her nod was emphatic. “I really could order just about everything. It all looks so good. But why am I having a sudden craving for simple spaghetti and meatballs?”

My own stomach growled in response, and my cock stirred as I envisioned the two of us sharing a plate of long noodles drenched in the spicy red sauce. Disney style.

“You might have to put that on the menu for this week.”

She frowned, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me with a blank stare.

“At the ranch? I mean, spaghetti is supposed to be pretty easy isn’t it?”

“Oh!” Her whole face lit up in surprise. “Oh, yes, I suppose it is. I wouldn’t know. Back home, I mean, at my grandmother’s, she made everything from scratch even the noodles. I guess most people don’t. But then, you have to wonder, will it taste nearly as good?”

 

*****

Lucy

Holy shit. I had forgotten my backstory for a hot minute and nearly blown my whole cover with one simple innocent comment. Dating in the witness protection program was hard. And there was something about Blaze that put me on edge while making me feel wildly comfortable and more at home than I had ever felt here in Texas.

And now I had an Italian cooking grandma. Sigh. I was going to have to tell Mike about this latest development. And then, I would have to explain how it happened. Fun.

“Lucy?” I closed my eyes and hid a wince when I realized it wasn’t the first time he said my name, and that the waiter was standing there waiting for my order. I hastily pointed at the first thing I saw, Italian chicken caprese and breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded and walked away. Then I turned my attention back to Blaze, and away from the fact that Mike was going to kill me.

“I was asking where your grandma lived, and if she was Italian. Before the waiter showed up.”

Of course he was. This was probably why I hadn’t dated until now. This shit was complicated.

I opened my mouth to answer, scanning my brain for the most believable action. And then my phone rang. A quick glance at the screen showed that it was Mike, and I belatedly remembered that he tracked my phone.

I glanced apologetically at Blaze, secretly thankful for the distraction from my made up grandmother. “I’m sorry. I have to take this, do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

I stood and walked towards the restrooms as I answered, hissing into the phone.

“What are you doing in Dallas? Are you okay? You’ve never left Sunnyvale before. I’m worried.”

“I’m on a date, Mike.”

“You are?” He couldn’t hide the shock in his voice. “Good for you! Anyone I know?”

It was a trick question, because he literally knew everyone. “I’m on a date,” I repeated. “Can we talk about this later? Like over the weekend, maybe?”

“Oh, right. Yes, Sure,” he fumbled. “Have fun. Be safe.”

Oh brother. My cheeks burned as I hung up, not bothering to reply to his last comment. There is no privacy in this life. This was just a reminder that if anything more happened after dinner, it would need to happen at my place, or Mike would know exactly who I was with and what I was doing. That was not what I needed right now.

When I returned to my seat, I was having serious second thoughts about this whole dating thing. And then Blaze smiled at me. I was helpless against those damn dimples and his turquoise eyes. Who even has eyes that shade, anyway? They were ridiculous. Ridiculously gorgeous, that is.

I’m not sure if it was Mike, and my stress over trying to keep everything straight or Blaze himself, but I couldn’t even taste dinner. When Blaze looked at me, I kind of wanted to jump into his lap and tell him everything about me, and my life and who I was. None of that was allowed, of course.

Although, he did happen to be looking at me the same way.

When my food was finished, Blaze looked over at me with sex evident in his eyes. My stomach jumped and rolled. Was I ready for this? Probably not, but god, I wanted it.

“Room for dessert?” His strong voice cut through the air, interrupting my lustful thoughts.

The only thing I wanted for dessert at this moment was him….and maybe some tiramisu.

“I’m stuffed,” I lamented, “but I can’t bring myself to pass it up. I don’t know when I’ll get out here again. Maybe we can get it to go?”

His answering grin could only be described as devilish. And sexy. “An excellent idea.”