The Hookup Handbook(47)
When five o’clock rolls around, Sienna gathers her things to head home, eyeing me from her desk as I finalize the schedule for the week.
“So, what’s the dress code for this place? I don’t want a repeat of last time I showed up to a white tablecloth joint in distressed denim,” she says, slinging her purse over her shoulder.
“Anything you pick out will be perfect. Besides, if memory serves me right, those jeans didn’t stay on for long.”
She rolls her eyes, a pretty blush creeping over her chest and up her cheeks. “Fine, I’ll just google the place before you pick me up. Seven, right?”
I nod, shutting down my computer. “I’ll make sure Ryder’s out on time, and I’ll text you when I’m driving over.”
Sienna nods back, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one else is around. I do the same, and when we’re both convinced the coast is clear, I pull her in for a kiss, my hands settling on the small of her back.
Her fingers curl around the back of my neck, and for a moment, the rest of the world fades away. Ryder, the business, even everything my mom and Nic said about finding “the one.” It’s just Sienna and me, coming together in a way that feels like the most natural, inevitable thing in the world.
When she pulls away, trailing her fingertips along my jaw before turning to leave, I watch her walk away with a confidence that sends all my blood rushing behind my zipper.
And all at once, it hits me.
I love this woman. And I’m done dancing around it. I have to find a way to tell her how I feel, as soon as possible. Tonight. At this dinner.
I spend the next hour and a half getting ready, both physically and mentally. I do a quick workout to get some of my nervous energy out and hop in the shower, practicing my speech in my head while washing up and doing some much-needed manscaping.
It’s not just that I want her to know how my feelings for her have grown and changed. I also want to make it clear that I see her as so much more than my employee or my friend’s little sister. Sienna has become the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, the one person I can’t wait to see. I think about her all the time, and more than anything, I want her to be happy—and I hope to God that she’s happy with me.
My stomach does backflips the whole drive over to her place, making me feel like the biggest loser in the world. I’ve seduced countless women, and built a career around charming and wooing them like there’s no tomorrow. But now? Now my palms are sweaty and I’ve got butterflies in my stomach, all for a girl who very well might still see me as nothing more than a good lay. It’s risky as hell, and it could ruin everything all in one night, but I have to tell her. And more importantly, I have to know if she feels the same way.
Sienna answers the door in a dark red silk dress that hugs her curves in all the right places, the fabric dipping around the neckline and stretching tight around her hips.
The things I want to do to you right now . . .
Practically picking my jaw up off the floor, I scrub a hand over my face, trying to wipe away the stupid grin I know is plastered there.
“What, is it too much?” she asks, nervously adjusting the neckline around her cleavage.
“No, it’s . . . Fuck, it’s perfect.”
I pull her toward me by the waist and our lips collide, all the passion that welled up in me at the sight of her rushing out all at once.
“Whoa, there, tiger,” she says when we part, her breathing heavy and ragged. She tucks a few loose strands behind her ear, searching my face for any traces of her lipstick.
“Come on.” I lead her by the hand to my car, trying not to walk so fast that she stumbles in her heels. “The quicker we get to this dinner, the quicker I can take you back to my house and show you how much better that dress will look on the floor.”
Sienna chuckles and climbs into my car.
By the time we get to the restaurant, I’m completely on edge. If I wasn’t nervous enough trying to find the right time to slip a casual “I love you” into the conversation, Sienna had to make it ten times worse by looking more drop-dead gorgeous than I thought possible.
Luckily, the rumors I’ve heard about this place were right—it’s romantic as hell. Tall, cream-colored candles have been placed artfully around the room, giving the whole place a warm, hazy glow.
The hostess seats us at a cozy little table near the front of the restaurant with a perfect view of the lake and city outside. I remember someone telling me about a rooftop bar in this same building, and I can only imagine how amazing the view must look from up there. Especially if Sienna is a part of it.
“Case, this place is amazing,” she says once our waiter is out of earshot, her blue eyes wide with disbelief.
“Haven’t you learned by now not to doubt me?”
“Let’s give that calamari a try before you get too full of yourself.”
“Oh, come on, this view isn’t enough for you? I’ll take any food that’s half-edible as long as I can keep looking at all this.”
“Eh, it’s okay,” she says with a playful shrug, scrunching her nose.
“Well, I for one definitely like what I’m seeing.” I keep my eyes trained on her face, and another blush spreads over her cheeks.
She smiles, taking my hand and leaning in to kiss me over the table. “Fine, I’ll give you a few points for that one, cheeseball.”