He laughed. “I was trying to ask you out on a date.”
“Oh.” Her blush deepened.
“How long will it take you to get ready?”
“I’ve got to shower and change. It will probably take me an hour.”
“Then I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
***
Grace looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She ran her hand down the front of the soft blue maxi dress in an attempt to calm the butterflies that flittered in the pit of her stomach.
Her limited wardrobe consisted of jeans and T-shirts. The dress was the nicest outfit she owned. She hadn’t given much thought to buying new clothes since she’d moved to Cloverton. She had no need. She didn’t want to waste her money when it could be used tofix her home.
She shrugged as she eyed herself in the mirror. This was a small town and maybe people dressed casually when they went out. She should have asked Sloan where he was taking her.
If he hadn’t kissed her senseless, then maybe she would have had enough brain cells to ask.
A brisk knock at the door made her heart catch in her throat.
He’s here. No more changing clothes for her.
She walked to the door, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was wearing through the window, but couldn’t get a clear view.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
Sloan stood there, dressed in dark jeans and a black button up shirt, looking sexy as hell. He smiled when their eyes met. The dark color of his shirt made his blue eyes more intense. Her stomach tugged with lust as her gaze traveled over his hard body. She knew from their kiss how much muscle lay underneath those clothes.
She curled her fingers at her side to keep from reaching out and pulling him inside and kissing him.
“You look beautiful.” His husky voice sent delicious tremors across her skin.
“Thanks.” She glanced down at her dress. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. You didn’t tell me where we were going.”
A slow grin spread across his beautiful mouth. “You distracted me.”
Her pulse sped up.
“Are you ready?”
“Sure.” She grabbed her purse off the small table in the foyer and prayed for strength to keep her hands to herself.
With his hand splayed across the small of her back he led her to his white truck. He opened the door for her. He grabbed her waist, just as she was about to climb inside, and spun her around.
She tried to slow her breathing as he bent his face closer to hers. “I’m not going to lie. It’s going to be very hard for me to keep my hands off you during dinner.”
“Is that so?” She wet her lips with her tongue.
“Yes. So I’m going to kiss you now so I’ll have something to think about while we eat.”
“And what happens after dinner?”
“I think I’ve made it very clear how much I want you, Grace.”’
She gasped as her stomach warmed. She wanted him just as much and that was what scared her.
“Tonight is all about what you want.”
She leaned into him, seeking out his warmth. “What if I don’t know what I want? What happens then?”
He ran his thumb across her lips. She opened her mouth under his touch.
“If you don’t know what you want then we’ll take things slow. No pressure. Tonight is in your hands. But right now, I need this.” He covered her mouth with his, kissing her slowly and deeply, stoking the fire that was already burning in her core. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him and not wanting the kiss to end. His tongue, hot and wet? dipped into her mouth, tangling with hers and branding her soul.
When he finally pulled away, they were both panting.
“We need to go, or else I’m going to carry you back in the house and make love to you all night.”
Her heart fluttered and for a brief second she considered his offer. Shoving down her hormones, she climbed into the truck.
***
Sloan pulled into the parking lot of Granny’s Little Italy restaurant. The options to eat in Cloverton were limited. It was too late to drive to the nearest city so Sloan had decided on the small Italian restaurant. He also chose the restaurant for purely selfish reasons. He wanted to make sure the rest of the male population of the town knew Grace was not available.
Just thinking about Grace with another man made his chest ache.
His body reacted the second she opened the door. Her sexy dress made her sapphire-colored eyes seem even bigger. He loved the fact it was sleeveless and showed off her toned arms and slender shoulders.
He opened her door and wrapped his hands around her slim waist and helped her down. Since he used his truck for work, he added the lift kit. In the past it had come in handy chasing down a criminal who thought he could escape on the rural back roads. Because of the height, it gave him another reason to touch Grace. It was money well spent.
“I hope you like Italian.” Maybe she didn’t eat carbs, or worse, was a vegetarian.
“I love Italian. I haven’t had it since I was at Allison’s that night.” She cut her eyes up at him.