Drove her crazier how she so easily reacted to him, too.
“Trust me, do I ever know that,” he drawled, his gaze trailing along the length of her, so intense it was as if he’d physically touched her. “Dress causal. We’re going someplace easy tonight.”
“Where?” She’d fully expected another intimate dinner at an expensive restaurant—a place that made her so nervous she’d consume too much wine and barely be able to eat her meal. The man agitated her that much.
“A great little pizza place Jared told me about. I guess he and Sheridan go there all the time.”
She frowned, tempted to call bullshit. “A pizza place for our first date? You’re serious?”
“Darlin’, you’re lucky I’m taking you out at all. My idea of romance back home is a hot tub, a jug of cheap wine, and a loaded extra-large pizza from the local Hut. No onions though, because I’d fully expect to kiss you before the night is through.” He chuckled. “So consider this date my modified homegrown way of romancing you.”
Willow wrinkled her nose. The scenario he described sounded like something out of a cheesy TV show. But it also sounded kind of fun. Different. “There will be no kissing involved on this date, I hope you know. None. I have no time for romance.”
She was desperate for romance. Just not from him.
Well. Sort of.
“Really?” Nick frowned, leaning in closer, his mouth at her ear. “Guess I’ll order those onions after all,” he murmured, his voice low, his breath warm on her sensitive flesh. “Since I won’t have any need to kiss you, being all anti-romance like you are.”
A shiver moved through her. Damn him and his sexy voice, talking about romance. “You’re really taking me out for pizza?”
“Sure am.”
“And this counts as one of our dates?”
“Sure does.”
She pulled away from him, meeting his gaze. “And you won’t try any funny business?”
His expression turned serious, those laughing blue eyes darkening in an instant. “Sure can’t promise that. A man’s gotta at least try, right?”
She half hoped he would.
“Twenty minutes,” she told him as she started toward her bedroom. “I’ll be ready.”
“Hey Will.” His soft voice reached her as she walked down the hall, and she turned to see him watching her.
?
??Yeah?”
“Wear your hair down.”
Willow frowned. “Are you telling me what to do?” She remembered when he used to ask her to keep it down all the time when they were together that summer. How much he’d enjoyed stroking it with his fingers. Thrusting his hands in it when he kissed her. Tugging on it when he…
“Merely making a simple request. Reminds me of how you used to wear it when we were younger—except your hair was longer back then. I like seeing all that hair of yours loose and tumbling down your back. Makes me wanna bury my fingers in it when I kiss you.”
Her heart fluttered. Their memories were on the same page. “No kissing, remember?” she said weakly, her mind awhirl at the images he was conjuring up.
“Right.” He stretched the word out. “No kissing.”
The moment she shut her bedroom door, she sagged against it, blowing out a harsh breath. They agreed to no kissing, but it was all she could think about.
Kissing Nick, those big hands of his in her hair, tugging her close, his tongue searching her mouth, his hips grinding against hers…
She wouldn’t survive the night if her thoughts kept at this pace.
Chapter Four