Chapter 7
Tommy was fifteen minutes early, and Annie rushed to finish getting ready while he stood nervously in the doorway. He had brought her flowers, which made her blush even more. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy had bothered to bring her flowers. Especially one as handsome as Tommy, with his piercing dark eyes. His broad shoulders stretched under a black tailored button-down shirt, and his faded jeans hugged his long legs and tight ass in all the right places.
At last, she was ready. She felt amazing in her pink silk blouse, dark jeans and stilettos. What felt even more amazing was him standing next to her, towering over her, even when she wore her stilettos.
Tommy held the door for her as she slipped into his car. She brushed against him so he would smell her sweet perfume. She sensed that he wanted to reach out and grab her, but thought twice about it. It was only their first date after all.
He drove her to the only fancy restaurant in town, a Creole and sushi place she had wanted to try since the first time she spotted it. Inside, Tommy waved hello to the waitress, and they sat down in a dark little corner booth.
Annie studied the menu, her heart racing a little as she tried to think of things to talk about. They’d managed a little small talk in the car, and Tommy had said he was glad to find out Marti and the ranch hands were helping her with her fence. Annie though that he would have offered his help on the day of the broken fence but he’d seemed so flustered, he obviously thought he had better not.
Yet, now they sat awkwardly, and Annie felt a little silly. This wasn’t anything like dating in the city. Back there, she didn’t know anything about the guy, so it was easy to come up with small talk. This time, she was out with Tommy. She knew Tommy. She could remember his dad polishing the counter at the bar, leaning over to scowl at her and Marti when they came in asking for peanuts or to find Marti’s dad.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “So… you’re sheriff now? Why did you want to become a sheriff? Seems like a pretty stressful job to me.”
“Stress? Not really. Only when beautiful ladies get terrified of wild animals looking for food.” They laughed and the nervousness subsided. “No, actually, I did two tours in Iraq and when I got back, I went straight to the academy in Savannah. Been a policeman ever since. That old badger Vernon finally passed about a year back.” His eyes twinkled when he talked and it made her heart race. “And since I was the most senior officer, everyone just assumed I would pick it up.” He shrugged. “I guess it made sense. No one else even ran for the office, so I got the position by default.”
Annie nodded. “That’s kind of amazing. I mean, you’re really a young Sheriff.”
He shrugged. “I know. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I like it.” He looked back down to toy with his menu for a minute. “I guess I just wanted to be worthy of you when you came back.”
Annie blinked, surprised. Of course, she had known Tommy had liked her. Everyone in town had known. But Tommy had been so awkward back then, with his head always tucked in a book, his body tucked into a corner. The kids were always so mean to him, especially her and Marti. She hadn’t thought the grown up Tommy Donovan would have the same feelings.
His eyes rose to meet hers as the silence stretched on, and Annie looked down. “Thanks.” She looked back up to smile at him. “You know, you were always a pretty cool kid. I was just too much of a jerk back then to know it.”
He smiled, though he didn’t look like he believed her. “Nah, don’t worry about it, I was kind of a loser. That’s all changed now.”
Annie felt a blush sting across her cheeks, and her eyes met his. His smile was still mischievous. “You know, Annie, I saw everything you were in. Even the silly vacuum commercial.”
Annie was startled. “What? You saw me? Oh my gosh! That crap was ridiculous. It was just something to help pay the bills.”
He shrugged. “It was nice to see you, though. I liked thinking that you were famous.”
She grinned. “Well, that was the plan, wasn’t it?”
Tommy winked. “Maybe there’s a divine reason that plan didn’t work out?”
The waitress stepped up to take their order, and Tommy ordered for the both of them. As they waited, they talked about Iraq, L.A., Grandpa Graham, elementary school and growing up in a small town. This was Tommy. With him, she could be completely comfortable and just be herself.
When they were ready to leave, Tommy stood and held out his arm for her. She wanted to grab and devour him right there, but gracefully placed her hand in the crook of his arm and walked out to the car. Tommy was truly a gentleman and, feeling a little light-headed from the wine, she clung to his arm a little bit more than she needed to as he helped her into the car and drove home.
He had promised her he would show her his house, and he pulled into the drive of a big antiquated manor with the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. The grass was cut perfectly and flowers of every color lined the yard. Columns surrounded the massive double doors and the house was immaculate on the outside. It definitely rivaled the ranch house.
“Th-this is your house?” she asked, astonished that a single man would have this much house. Her eyes widened.
“Yeah, my daddy gave it to me when he and my mama moved to Mississippi. It’s a big house, lots of work, but I love it!” He helped her out of the car, and they walked together up the drive to the house. Annie breathed deeply, taking in the beauty of it all. She was in awe of this man and his living arrangements. For a minute he played with his keys, and then he looked over at her nervously.
“You sure you want to come in?”
She smiled at him, blushing. Hell, yeah! I’m going in! “I’ve been hoping for it all night.”
He looked into her eyes, stepping just a little closer. He stood tall above her and she could smell his cologne, a light musky scent. Her heart beat almost as fast as the cicadas outside. He leaned over, sliding his hand around the back of her neck, pressing his lips to hers. Her whole body tingled, her senses awakening as she moved closer against him, pushing into his kiss. His tongue slowly slid along her bottom lip, over into her mouth and she moaned against him.
She gripped the front of his shirt tightly in her fist as he gently moved his hands to cup her face. “Annie, you are so beautiful. Let’s go inside,” he whispered through the gentle kisses caressing her face.