Bree

The lights were dimmer outside on the street after I locked down the shop. As usual, it was quiet, but now, with less people, the silence was a little eerie.

I quickened my footsteps, my senses alert, eager to get home and eat something warm. I headed to the nearly-empty parking lot where Rona usually parked.

The abrupt ringing of my phone made me gasp in surprise, unusually loud in the night’s stillness.

Rona was calling.

“Don’t be mad,” she said in a rush before I got a word out.

“Mad?” I repeated, puzzled. “Why would I be mad?”

Liam stood waiting in the parking lot by his car, talking to someone else on his phone. Tall, sexy, delicious…

Oh God. I’d been working too long, I was starting to hallucinate.

I blinked.

Still there. I rubbed my eyes.

Then the answer to her question dawned on me. “Is it something to do with Liam picking me up?”

“Something like that,” she answered sheepishly.

He ended his phone call. The way his eyes lit up when he saw me stole my breath. Something about him did that—drew me in.

I suspected it was simply an effect he had on people.

“Hey.” He returned my smile, and his hand rested on my back as he led me to his car. “Long day?”

And just like that, even being on my feet the whole day, his low voice and the soothing quality to it made the weariness melt away. “Felt like it would never end. I hope you didn’t wait long. There were a couple of things I had to finish first."

He shook his head. “Not long at all.”

I paused before the door, raising a brow. “Would you let me know if you had?”

His lips quirked up. “Maybe.”

He so wouldn’t.

When we both got in, he stopped, his eyes sweeping over me. “Hungry?”

I thought about it for all of a second.

I was hungry.

What Rona told me a couple of days ago about giving things a chance ran through my mind. This might go south. It might not even happen at all.

And yet, this time, something about him made it hard to say no. Made me want to give this a chance, because the alternative made my heart squeeze in my chest with an aching sense of loss.

I didn’t want to say no. I couldn’t think of a single reason to fight it. “Yeah,” I replied.

“Any preference?”

“Nope.” I yawned. “Surprise me.”

I leaned my head back against the seat. The windows were partially open, and the cool wind hit my skin. The car’s gentle movement was starting to lull me to sleep.

I fought it, focusing on the trees outside, and counting each car that passed. My eyelids started to feel heavy, and I decided I was just going to close my eyes for a bit…

* * *

"Bree.”

Someone shook my shoulder gently.

“Mmm.” That voice. I wanted to bottle it so I could keep it with me forever. I shifted, turning my head to the other side, away from whoever was interrupting my sleep, so I could continue to dream about it.

“Bree, baby, we're here."

My eyes snapped open. “Wha…?” I looked at Liam in confusion.

Then it hit me.

His fingers brushed my hair away from my cheek, and the sweetness of the gesture made my heart race. “Do you want to go home instead?” he asked me.

“No,” I mumbled. “I’m hungry.”

It was only Liam’s hand on my back that kept me steady on my feet. The dredges of sleep were starting to wear off, and I released another yawn.

We went to a small Italian restaurant that sat between a small boutique and a potato chips joint. I appreciated that it was a lesser known venue. It was quiet and afforded us some privacy.

It felt a lot like I was in high school again, butterflies in my stomach and my heart unable to settle.

The waitress shot him a bright smile when we walked in. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and tugged her ponytail, flipping it to one side. She licked her lips as she asked him what he wanted. She took his order, and recommended a couple of things, laughing a little too loudly.

I couldn’t believe she was openly flirting with him in front of me.

I cleared my throat. “Can I order yet?”

She turned to me, her expression souring. “Yes?”

I ordered crumbed veal with roasted potatoes.

“Anything else?” she asked him, ignoring me again, and moving closer to him.

His eyes went to me, questioning. I shook my head.

“We’re good,” he replied, nodding once, barely paying her any attention.

After she left, trying to gauge his reaction, I said, “She’s really pretty.”

He looked puzzled. “Who?”

Who? How hadn’t he noticed it when she was just standing in front of him? “You know who,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. He must’ve found the answer in my face. “The waitress?” His perceptive gave missed nothing. “Jealous?”

I looked down at my empty plate and ran a finger absently on the shiny cutlery. “No.”

A smile touched his lips, and I felt his warm gaze on every inch of my skin. “I have no interest in her.”

I believed him.

You learned a lot from someone’s eyes. His eyes met mine straight, and I felt the way his gaze lingered on me even when I wasn’t looking. It made me feel wanted. Desired.

But there was more. He listened when I spoke. He held my gaze when he talked, and it spoke a lot about his honesty. He wanted me to know he’d meant every word.

Warmth suffused me. I felt like I was free falling, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. I wasn’t sure I wanted it to either.

We talked about why I came to Fortuity. I told him about wanting to be closer with Rona, and a desire for independence. To follow my dreams, to do what I wanted to for so long.

“Do you miss it?” he asked me.

He meant the city.

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “There are times when I close my eyes, and I forget I’m away from it, and that I’m here now. And there are other times when I don’t think about it at all.

“And then I go to work, and then the people, the quiet…” I held my hands out. “Just—Just doing what I am now, it makes me so happy.”

I forgot about the waitress.

I forgot that I was even tired, listening to him speak, almost entranced with the way his throat moved.

Both arms folded on the table, I leaned forward, unable to help feeling a little sad that the night was ending. He did the same, mirroring my position.

We both looked at each other and grinned.

“I don’t want to go yet,” I said.

He unfolded an arm and reached out with a hand and closed it over mine as he looked down, as if it was the most interesting sight in the world.

His thumb ran over my knuckle. “I know,” he echoed the sentiment.

There was a connection that simmered between us then. As if somehow, somewhere, a line was pulled tighter, drawing us closer.

It broke when the waitress gathered our plates. She scowled at me as she did it. But I found it didn’t matter anymore. And I was determined that nothing would ruin this night.

* * *

I sat back in my seat as Liam drove, twisting my bracelet around, looking out the window. It gave enough time for my thoughts to wander, thinking about the past.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The question surprised me, but I found that I wanted to talk about it.

“She was driving from work when I turned seven to go to my birthday. A truck was driving too fast to stop.”

I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Bree.”

I closed my eyes. “Thank you. It’s been a while, but talking about it’s always hard.”

“I’m sure she’s looking over you, proud of where you are,” he said, his voice low.

I touched a charm on the bracelet. It was the only thing I had left of hers, so it was close to my heart. “You think so?”

“Yeah.”

Maybe he was right. I looked up at the sky, reminded of the childhood tale so often told to me to bring comfort, of coming to the sky when one passed away. Now, more than ever, it had.

* * *

We stopped by my door.

I took one step forward and stopped. I turned around quickly to face him. “Thank you. For dinner… and for last night.”

And as I said the words, I just realized what that sounded like. I pulled my gaze away from him, embarrassed. “I mean—telling her how important my work is to me,” I clarified.

His eyes crinkled in amusement. “Got what you meant, Bree.”

He took a step closer until we were a breath away from each other, and then he closed the distance.

His lips captured mine. Soft at first, then teasing. His tongue swept inside my mouth, until mine met his. The sensation made me feel lightheaded. I pulled him closer. My hands fisted on his shirt.

He kissed me deeper.

His hand was on the back of my neck, the other sliding down just underneath the hem of my tank top, stroking the sensitive skin.

We broke apart, breathing hard.

I shivered in his arms. I sighed, melting against him.

He still didn’t let me go.

I dropped my forehead on his shoulder, and his head rested against mine.

“Fuck. I don’t wanna leave, but I need to go. I have to meet someone.”

“Oh.” Disappointment colored my voice, but I tried not to let it show, also hearing his reluctance to leave. “Okay.”

His arms tightened around me. He moved back, and his gray eyes met mine, warm and captivating. “Thanks for tonight.”

And finally, he let me go.