“Tonight,” I say, my voice strained with want.
She releases my thumb with a wet pop. “You promised kissing and rubbing.”
“I know,” I say, laughing. “And I promise there will be more, but I want to date you. I want to get to know who you are before I explore what you like,” I explain, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t want another fling.”
Her perfect lips curl in a mix of delight and desire. “Well, when you put it like that…”
“Not so fast.” Standing up, I crowd every bit of her personal space. “I have to go in to work for a few hours, but I want to take you out tonight. Would that be okay?”
“I would be honored to go on a date with you, Noah Cunningham. What time should I be here?”
“I don’t know what kind of guys you’re used to dating, but that’s not how this works. I’ll pick you up at your front door at seven o’clock sharp.”
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“But I need to know how to dress.”
“Baby, you could wear a fucking burlap sack and still be beautiful.”
Lennon curls her fingers around my shirt and tugs me in for a quick kiss. “Don’t be late.”
Not a chance in hell, pretty girl.
“Wow,” I say, sliding into a small, half circle booth tucked in the back corner of The Loading Dock. “This place is amazing.”
“This is Nova’s favorite restaurant.”
“I can see why.”
There isn’t an actual wall in the entire place. In fact, there isn’t a ceiling either. Everything from the floor up is one giant saltwater tank, filled with fish of all different colors, not to mention stingrays, turtles, and even sharks.
It’s absolutely breathtaking.
Noah slides into the booth next to me. “This restaurant is actually a rescue habitat. Some of the turtles and sharks have been injured or caught up in fishing nets. So they come here to get treatment and heal.”
“Do they get released back into the ocean?”
“Eventually some of them do. Some aren’t so lucky.”
“It’s fantastic.” A large, black stingray swims right at me before making a hard left and skimming against the wall. I laugh, pointing. “Did you see that?” Noah doesn’t respond, but I can’t pull my eyes away from the fish to see why. “We don’t have anything like this where I’m from.”
“Where are you from?”
It takes a second for his words to register, and then I remember we really haven’t discussed anything about me. I’m relieved that we’ve made it this far. I’m not trying to deceive him, but he’s gotten to know me a different way. No preconceived notions, just me. Lennon. And I like that. A lot.
“New York. Manhattan to be exact.”
“That’s a far cry from Heaven, Texas.”
“It is—”
“Hey, Noah.” A tall, thin man with an easy smile approaches our table. He’s dressed casually, but the grease stains on his hands leave me wondering if he works at Noah’s shop.
Noah slides out of the booth, greeting him with a man hug. “How are you, Rick? How’s the car running?”
“Like a dream, thanks to you.” he says. “I owe you.”