***
Thursday dragged on miserably. I barely worked that day. Marcy kept asking if I was okay, but I was more than okay. Just the prospect of seeing Julie again was enough to keep my spirits high. I was concerned about how into her I already was, but I decided to run with it. What was the worst that could happen?
“I’m out of here,” I told Marcy as I pulled my office door closed behind me. “See you tomorrow.”
“Have fun tonight, Mr. Smart.” Marcy grinned slyly.
“Been eavesdropping, Marcy?” I asked.
“Never.” Marcy winked, making me laugh. I shook my head and hurried outside, climbing behind the wheel of my car and speeding toward home.
Once I was showered and dressed, I left to pick up Julie. She came to the door dressed in a simple blue dress that made her eyes even more striking. Her hair was curled slightly, drawing my eyes and making my heart race.
“You look gorgeous,” I said. “Not that you need to be told.”
“A woman always needs compliments,” Julie said wisely. “Even if she says otherwise.”
I laughed and held out my arm to her. She took it and let me lead her to the car. We climbed inside, and I drove us to Dallas. The restaurant I picked was a classy steakhouse that was reasonably casual. It left room to relax without the pressures of overly-fine dining.
“This is great,” Julie said as we sat down. “Steak sounds amazing.”
“Oh, thank god,” I said. “I was worried you’d be one of those salad and soup girls.”
“Salad and soup?” Julie raised her eyebrows.
“You know the kind,” I said. “They’re too afraid to eat on the first date, so they order something tiny and pick at it nervously. Drives me nuts.”
“You don’t have to worry about that with me.” Julie laughed. “Food is life.”
“Amen to that.” I grinned just as the waiter appeared.
We ordered a bottle of red wine and a steak each. By the time the food arrived, we were so deep in conversation that I barely noticed my plate. If it weren’t for the way Julie’s eyes lit up when she saw her steak, I wouldn’t have eaten a bite.
“Oh god,” Julie moaned. “This is so good.”
“It really is.” I laughed and took another bite.
Just as Julie opened her mouth to speak, my phone rang in my pocket. I frowned and grabbed it quickly, ready to silence it. When I saw Josh’s name flashing across the screen, I looked up at Julie with an apologetic grimace.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is my brother. Do you mind if I…?”
“Not at all,” Julie said. “Go ahead.”
“Thanks,” I answered the phone quickly. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Hey, man,” Josh said. “Are we meeting up tonight or what? You never called me back.”
“Oh shit,” I said. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot. Work was crazy this week. Can we do something next weekend?”
“Sure thing,” Josh said. “Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
We said goodbye, and I hung up, eager to get back to Julie. She smiled politely as I tucked my phone back into my pocket.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “My brother and I have been working on our relationship lately.”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“We try to meet up once a week,” I said. “But with our schedules, it doesn’t always work out that way.”
“At least you try,” Julie said kindly. “A lot of families don’t.”
I moved the conversation away from Josh, and soon, we were laughing and talking like we’d never been interrupted. The wine was flowing freely and, when we ordered dessert, I found Julie’s foot beneath the table. She didn’t move when we touched, but her eyes told me she felt it. She stared at me with an intensity I hadn’t seen from her yet. That look sent bolts of electricity shooting through my body. I could barely think the entire drive home.
“Walk me up?” Julie asked as I put my car in park outside of her house.
“Of course,” I said. “I am a gentleman, you know.”
“You are?” Julie teased. “I never would’ve guessed.”
“Very funny.”
I climbed out of the car and hurried around to open her door. We walked slowly toward her house. We weren’t touching, but the tension between us was palpable.
“I had fun,” Julie said. She turned to face me, and my eyes flickered down to her lips.
“Me too.”
Julie’s eyes met mine. Her lips looked soft and inviting. I couldn’t stop myself from stepping forward.
Julie inhaled sharply but didn’t move away. Her eyes were locked on mine, and when our lips touched, she melted into me. My arms went around her waist, and she sighed against my lips. The kiss was soft at first, but within seconds, my entire body was on fire.
Julie wrenched herself away from me and took a step back. She fumbled with her keys and quickly unlocked her front door. Pushing it open, she turned back to me with a hungry look in her eyes.
Without a word, she held out her hand to me. I didn’t need to be told twice. I grabbed her around the waist, and we fell over the threshold, our lips thrashing against each other with desperation.