***
“So, you were on your way to the gallery when you saw your parents here in town, and you found out they were selling your brother’s old pickup truck?” Nathan asks after I finish telling him the story.
“In a nutshell, that’s it.” I pop a morsel of grilled shrimp inside my mouth.
The food in the restaurant is exquisite just like the ambience, the music of violins in the air and the old-fashioned lanterns with warm white bulbs on the wall and every table.
“Wow.” He picks up his glass of wine. “That’s a cruel trick of fate.”
“I know, right? I mean, of all the places to find a buyer, they had to find one here in New York City. And I happen to stumble across the very café they’re making the sale in just as they’re doing it. What are the chances?”
His gaze hovers over me as he takes a sip. “Well, fate works in mysterious ways.”
Why do I feel like he’s talking about something else?
I have to agree, though, after what happened today — first, that squabble with my parents and then Nathan finding me.
I still can’t believe he found me. I guess he’s really interested in me. My heart does a somersault, warmth swelling in my chest and coating my cheeks. Consciously, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I reach for my own glass.
“I was just so upset. I couldn’t believe they’d do that. And they were even trying to do it behind my back.”
Thankfully, he’s gone back to eating. “If no one knows, no one can protest. It’s smart, actually.”
I’ve forgotten I’m talking to a businessman. For sure, he didn’t get this successful by playing nice.
“It hurts,” I tell him in a no-nonsense tone. “I feel so betrayed.”
He nods, his eyes shining with empathy. “I can imagine.”
“It’s no excuse for me to just leave you hanging, though. I’m really sorry.”
“Hey.” He puts down his utensils and reaches for my hand. “Don’t mention it.”
I nod, reluctantly pulling my hand away so I can continue eating. “I actually thought you’d gone and called up one of the women in your contacts.”
“There are no other women in my contacts.”
Really?
“Even if there were, none of them can hold a candle to you.”
My breath catches.
“I mean, none of them would have looked as good in a torn dress as you did.”
My eyebrows furrow.
“And none of them would still look as good with a bit of shrimp.” He wipes the corner of my mouth with his thumb then sucks on it.
I hold my breath. His gesture is simple and innocent, and yet it turns the warmth in my body into heat, my mind conjuring an image of him sucking on something else.
He smacks his lips. “That tastes good.”
I blush even more furiously.
“Also, no one looks as good with puffy eyes.”
I pout. “You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”
“It’s a compliment.”
“How would you feel if I said you still looked good with something stuck between your teeth?”
Nathan gives a puzzled look as he curls his lips. “Is something stuck between my teeth?”
I laugh as I grab my glass of wine. “I’m not telling.”
“Meanie.”
“I’m still not telling.”
“Though I’m glad to hear you laugh. Earlier, you looked… well, dejected.”
I set down my glass. “It hurt to find out they were getting rid of Jack’s truck.”
“You must have loved your brother so much.”
“Just as much as every little girl loves her big brother. Do you have a younger sister?”
“No. I was an only child.”
“If you had a younger sister, though, I bet you’d be spoiling her rotten by now. I bet she’d just say ‘please’ once and you’d do whatever she asked.”
He frowns. “Do I look like I can be easily made to do a girl’s bidding?”
“Not a girl. Your little sister.”
He shrugs. “Maybe she’d be the one at my beck and call instead.”
I can imagine that. A little girl running to fulfill her brother’s every whim, eager to please him.
“Then I’m glad I’m not your little sister.”
“So am I. If you were my little sister, I wouldn’t have been able to kiss you like I did last night. And the night before.”
The confession sends heat and electricity tingling through my veins, even more so when I see the look in his eyes.
Heat. Hunger. Desire.
It’s enough to make me shudder with excitement, enough to make me wet, but I get a hold of myself.
“Anyway, my older brother was the sweetest. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me, from finishing my vegetables even though he hated them more than I did, to dressing up like a girl just so I could have another princess to play with. But my favorite part was when he’d tell me all about the different animals. He knew so much about them. Sometimes, he’d make up stories about them. Even when he went to Africa, he’d still write and tell me about the animals he’d see. He sent me pictures, too, which is what made me even more determined to become a wildlife photographer. I couldn’t wait to get his letters, and whenever I did, I’d light up like a kid on Christmas morning.”
“I’m jealous.”
I look down at my plate, finishing the last of my grilled shrimp. “You don’t have to be.”
“I can be crazy sometimes, wild even.” His eyes narrow. “Would you like to see how wild I can be?”
I pause with my fingers wrapped around my glass of wine. My heart seems to have stopped as well.
“I’m scaring you, aren’t I?” He gulps down the last of his wine. “Just forget about it.”
What? He isn’t serious?
I, too, finish my wine, letting the liquid wash down my mixed emotions — relief at the reprieve I’ve been given contrasting with annoyance and a bit of remorse at the withdrawn invitation.
“Are you done? If you want, we can stroll for a bit. They have lovely gardens here.”
“Sure.”
I get the feeling we both need some fresh, cool air.