Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)(22)

“Yes.” I laughed. “Well, I guess that’s a little bit of a lie.”

He squinted and sat upright. “How so?”

“I broke a couple of ribs in the accident. And, uh.” I hesitated and looked down. Even though I hadn’t dated in a long while, I knew it was a no-no to discuss past relationships, but it felt dishonest not mentioning Gabe. “I just broke up with someone.”

“Oh.” He laughed through a large exhale.

I chuckled, watching his reactions. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He turned to look out to the bay, picked up his glass of water and crunched on a piece of ice. “How are your ribs now?”

“Still sore, but I’m okay.” I shrugged.

“And your ex?”

“The jury is still out.” I smiled weakly.

Stephen laughed. “I won’t ask.”

Our server returned and poured our wine. When she stepped away, I lifted the wine to my nose and smelled the crisp fruit in the glass. It tasted like a mixture of apples and pears with hints of key lime. We drank and enjoyed light, easy conversation until our food arrived.

When the server placed my soup in front of me, it was thick and pale orange, topped with a small dollop of crème fra?che and sprinkled with smoked paprika. As I stirred it, big chucks of claw meat and small squares of sautéed onion rose to the surface. It was warm and velvety sliding down my throat and everything it should have been. The acidity in the wine cut through the creaminess of the soup perfectly. If this was how good food tasted when I skipped meals then it was totally worth it.

Stephen reached across the table for my hand. “I want to tell you something before our night goes any further.”

I laid my spoon next to my bowl. “What?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you today. I had a really nice time last night and I’m glad I talked you into going out with me.”

Was it butterflies fluttering in my belly or pangs of guilt? Butterflies, definitely butterflies. “Well, I didn’t take much convincing, in case you didn’t notice.”

“I might have.” He smiled. “Either way, I’m a lucky man.”

I laughed and had an irresistible urge to kiss him. I ate the rest of my meal with a distracted mind. My thoughts were consumed with his hands, his lips. I watched him like a wildcat sizing up its prey. After dinner, we stepped outside to a breathtaking, blood-red sky.

He walked with me around my side of the car and before he opened the door, he pressed his body to mine. I palmed the hot metal as he brushed his lips against my ear. “Want to come back to my place? We can sit and watch the rest of the sunset from the lanai. I promise there won’t be any fire ants and I might be able to scare up some more drinks for us.” As he spoke, he left a heated trail from my ear down my neck, kissing me tenderly.

“That sounds nice.” My voice was heady with anticipation and my heart beat wildly.

Rising from my neck, he held me in his crystal gaze then kissed my lips. He was surprisingly gentle compared to the eagerness growing within me. I was impatient and desperate for everything he could give me. I pressed my body to his, but he stepped back and smiled. The kiss was too brief. His restraint both frustrated and impressed me.

We got in the car, and the short drive was tortuously slow. He anesthetized my pain, and I wanted more of his drugs. When we arrived back at his place, he took me by the hand in the driveway, and I followed him quickly through a tall section of grass which canopied the walkway to his front door. I thought his eagerness was beginning to show, and my mind raced with images of what might happen once we were behind the doors. He ushered me into the foyer and locked us in then his composure returned.

“Come into the kitchen. I have some beers in the fridge, if that sounds good?”

I groaned quietly. “Yeah, that sounds great,” I said, fighting my urge to pounce.

The space outside the foyer opened up to an arched cathedral ceiling and was simply decorated. It was also immaculately clean; the polar opposite of his car. No pillow was out of place, and when I sat down at the small bar in the kitchen, not a single dish or utensil was in the sink. A towel was folded neatly next to the cooktop, and the air smelled like lemons. He must have gotten a maid service with his rental package.

“If I’d been put off by the mess in your car, you sure would have made up with it by how clean you keep this place. Are you sure you’ve been staying here?” I chuckled.

He stood from retrieving the drinks from the refrigerator and laughed. “I guess my car is my little bit of rebellion. I think better in a clean space. Come on,” he said, motioning with his head toward the back of the house. A set of sliding glass doors led to a screened in lanai. It was the perfect spot for witnessing one of the most incredible sunsets I’d ever seen.

The sky was on fire with brilliant streaks of orange, yellow, and red. Small violet clouds flanked either side of the glowing sun as if they’d parted purposely to frame it. I took the beer he handed me and followed him through the living space. We stepped up to the door, and he froze when his hand touched the knob. He turned slowly toward me and took the beer from my hand, placing it on the glass top table next to the couch.

The look he gave me sent my pulse soaring.