“Um . . . yeah.” Giving him a hopeful look, she said, “We could just order a pizza, though.”
He tweaked her nose, laughter rumbling from his broad chest. “I like the way you think, but there is no way I’m letting that dress go to waste. If we stay home, it’ll just end up on the floor in less than five minutes. And even though that sounds like heaven, I want to look at you across the table tonight and imagine what I’m going to do to you later. There is nothing like anticipation.”
Daringly, Ava ran her hand over his ass, cupping him firmly before releasing him. “So, this is like a few hours of foreplay, right? I can’t wait. Let’s go!”
She grinned as she heard Mac mutter, “Fuck,” under his breath before taking her hand and walking her out to his SUV.
* * *
Ava wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she was determined to make Mac regret his decision to skip pizza and go somewhere public. He thought anticipation made things better. Well, she intended to give him more than he could possibly handle. She’d never been the daring type, but something about the dress, the shoes, and the man was a heady mix. Tonight, she felt powerful and sexy and she wanted to spread her wings and fly.
When they were seated in a quiet corner of the upscale restaurant, Ava waited until their server had left the table before scooting her chair closer to Mac’s. She had no intention of sitting so far away from him for the next hour. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t comment on her movement. Mac ordered a bottle of wine, and they both decided on seafood as their main course. He was just lifting his wineglass when she made her first move. She put her hand firmly on his hard thigh, only inches from his crotch. His wineglass tilted alarmingly before she quickly reached out to steady it. Leaning over, she whispered, “You better be careful. You wouldn’t want to stain the tablecloth.”
When she started rubbing wide circles on his leg, he quickly set his glass back down. Looking adorably rattled, he asked, “Er—baby, what’re you doing?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
His hand dropped to cover hers, squeezing it lightly. “I mean, what’s going on with this hand?”
Giving him a wicked smile, she said, “Ohhh, nothing much. You look so good tonight that I need to be touching some part of you so that I’ll know that you’re real.”
She looked at him in fascination as he appeared to blush. Mac was a gorgeous, hot hunk of man, and she’d always assumed that he was well aware of that fact. Emma was right about one thing: the men at Danvers, Mac included, did have the cocky-walk thing going on. Was it possible that after all the years of her refusing to take their relationship past a friendship, he was insecure about her feelings toward him? Could he actually doubt that she thought he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen? Had she ever told him that? God, she couldn’t remember now. She knew he’d caught her ogling his body on more than one occasion, but she should make sure that he knew, shouldn’t she?
Clearing his throat, he said, “I think that should be my line, shouldn’t it?”
Taking a deep breath, she locked her eyes with his as she began, “Mac, aside from my brothers, you’re the most incredible man I’ve ever known. I know it’s not cool to say, but you’re beautiful to me. Handsome just isn’t a good enough word to describe you. When you walk into a room, my heart skips a beat and then speeds up to double time. Even when I was scared of my own shadow, I wanted you. You were gorgeous as a teenager, and it’s only gotten better. I could sit and stare at you for hours and never grow tired of it. I’ve never desired anyone but you . . . always you.”
She watched the emotions flicker in Mac’s expressive eyes as she talked—seeing first surprise, then happiness, followed by desire. “Avie—I,” he began just as their server returned with their plates. Ava wanted to turn around and roll her eyes at him for intruding on their intimate moment, but maybe it was for the best. Did she really want to have a heart-to-heart with Mac in the middle of a restaurant? They had all night for that. Right now they could return to their fun, easy flirting and enjoy their meal. This was her first real date, and she didn’t want to miss a single moment of it.