But this, this was completely different. From the time I woke up, I was buzzing with excitement about that evening. I didn’t even know what we were going to do, but I couldn’t wait to do it. I was scurrying around trying to get ready in time for Carter to pick me up, when my phone rang. I held it with one hand and leaned close to my mirror to do my makeup with the other.
“Hey, Harleigh,” I said. “What’s up?”
“I was just calling to see if you want to hang out with me tonight,” she said. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I would love to, but I’m actually busy tonight. What about tomorrow night?”
“Well, I don’t have a babysitter for tomorrow night.” She hesitated for a second. “But you know what? I will just deal with that then.”
I laughed. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I got off the phone and finished getting ready. I wondered if Harleigh could hear something suspicious in my voice. She hadn’t asked what I was doing, even though I told her I was busy. I had a feeling if she suspected me not being available to hang out with her was because I was going on a date with Carter, I would have heard all about it.
Carter got to my house to pick me up right on time. I had just finished getting ready, and I felt a little breathless when I heard him ring the doorbell. Opening it, I smiled out at him.
“I didn’t expect you to come to the door,” I said.
“It’s a date, isn’t it?” he asked. “It would be rude of me not to pick you up properly.”
He leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek, then offered me his hand. I took it and let him guide me out to his truck. He opened the door for me, and I got inside with my cheeks flushed and my heart trembling. I couldn’t believe how much he affected me. He was sweet and respectful, but also rugged and sexy. The combination had me completely wrapped up.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he got behind the wheel.
“I thought maybe we would go back to the restaurant where we had lunch. See if we can make some better memories there.”
“That sounds perfect.”
I knew the chances of running into Ashton at the same place twice in a row were next to nothing, but I still looked around carefully as the hostess led us to a table. Rather than putting us at one of the large, round tables positioned in the middle of the restaurant, she brought us to a small table tucked into a little private alcove against one wall.
It created a quiet, romantic space just for the two of us, and I got even more nervous as we sat down. I’d been thinking about this since meeting Carter and waiting for it to happen. Now it was finally here, and I didn’t quite know what to do with myself.
A waiter came by almost as soon as we sat down, and both of us ordered wine. When he walked away, Carter looked across the table at me.
“Would it be a giant cliché for me to ask you to tell me more about yourself?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said with a soft laugh. “But you can.”
He smiled. “So, tell me more about yourself.”
Our wine came as we started talking. Getting two glasses in before our food helped me relax. We talked and shared details about our lives, getting to know each other on a deeper level than we had before. I found out about his family and the pets he had when he was younger. He told me about his dogs, and I told him about the kitten I wanted.
“Well,” he said. “You’re a cat person, and I’m a dog person. We’re doomed for failure.”
I laughed. “Maybe we could just teach our pets to overcome adversity.”
We lingered over our dinner for two hours and then walked slowly out of the restaurant with our fingers linked between us. We got in the truck, but he didn’t move to drive out of the lot.
“I don’t want tonight to end yet,” he said.
“Neither do I.”
“Do you want to come over to my place and watch a movie?”
He was leaning gradually toward me as he spoke, like his body was drawn to mine. The sexual tension between us was intense, tingling on my skin and humming at my core. I nodded, leaning toward him until our noses brushed. He tilted his head, and our mouths hovered close to each other, not quite touching.
“Yes,” I whispered.
That one word meant so many things in that moment.
His lips finally touched mine, and I sighed into our soft kiss. I could have just stayed that way for hours, but Carter pulled back and started the truck. Soon we were at his house, and I was sitting on the couch while he tried to find something for us to watch.