When he opened the door to his car, Ella paused for a minute before getting in. “Is everything okay?”
Hell no, everything is not okay. Where are the rest of your clothes? “Sure, Ellie, everything is fine,” Declan replied as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. With one more uncertain glance, Ella allowed him to help her inside and shut the door. He walked around the back of the car instead of the front so he could take a few deep breaths without her seeing him. So much for the cold shower; they were up to DEFCON-5 here and it wouldn’t take much at all to set him off.
***
Ella saw Declan’s knuckles turning white from his tight grip on the steering wheel. What was wrong with him tonight? She had expected some kind of reaction out of her new dress, but this wasn’t exactly going how she’d hoped. He had looked like he was going to pass out when she opened the door earlier and things hadn’t improved much since then. Was he sick? She had caught him staring at her chest a few times before they left her apartment. That was the only outward indication that he had noticed anything different. Maybe different wasn’t always better because he had buttoned her coat up to the very last button. She had to shift around to keep her airflow going. Well, right or wrong, she had gone to this much effort and she was seeing it through. The jacket was coming off at dinner and if Declan was turned off by seeing more of her body, then she needed to know about it before they slept together.
With that vow in mind, she quickly handed the hostess at the restaurant her jacket despite Declan’s attempts to convince her that she might get chilly. He was still throwing reasons out for her to keep her coat, even as the hostess walked away with it.
“Declan, I’m not cold, I promise. I will let you know if that changes.”
Their waiter was very funny and friendly and Ella smiled as he insisted on bringing extra bread and wine to their table. Declan continued sitting across from her in sullen silence.
Finally she had had enough. “Alright, what’s going on with you tonight? Are you not feeling well?”
“I’m fine, Ellie; I’m just tired of watching that jackass look down your dress while he drools all over you.”
Shocked, Ella gasped, “What?”
“Oh come on, Ellie, look at our table and look at everyone else’s. We have enough food in front of us to feed an army. I have never been so well waited on in my life.”
Looking around them, she had to admit that things seemed a little different from where they were sitting as opposed to those around them. “Maybe he just likes us?”
“Oh yeah, he likes one of us for sure and it’s not me.”
She didn’t know what came over her at that particular moment, it was the equivalent of laughing at a funeral, but suddenly the whole situation just seemed funny. She threw her head back and started laughing. She laughed until there were tears coming down her face and Declan handed her his napkin while he stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “I’m . . . sorry,” she choked out, “the irony of it all just got the best of me.”
“Are you going to share the joke or leave me hanging here?”
Ella settled back in her chair and decided to throw it all out there. After this disaster of a meal, what did she have to lose? “It just seems funny that the waiter was apparently the one that I impressed tonight, which was not what I intended.” When Declan started to open his mouth, she held her hand up for him to let her continue. “Suzy helped me pick this outfit out because I wanted to look sexy for you. I want to make love with you, Declan, and I can’t seem to get that across to you. I don’t know if you just don’t want that from me, despite the way that you kiss, or if you think I don’t want it from you, but I do. I dressed tonight to get your attention. I feel about as uncomfortable as I’ve ever felt in my life, and that’s saying something. I did all of this for you . . . but you didn’t even notice it.”
“Oh f**k me, Ellie, I noticed it. I’ve been out of my damn mind since I picked you up earlier, hadn’t you noticed? The only thing that’s wrong with me tonight is the raging hard-on that never seems to leave me since we started dating. For once, I was trying to do the right thing and give you time, but you’ve made it so difficult. I’ve swallowed my tongue over and over tonight watching that bastard of a waiter fall all over you while you charmed him as you do everyone else. Not notice you? Ellie, tonight you’re mine and nothing is going to stop me, not even me.” With those words, Declan stood, pulled his wallet out and dropped two large bills on the table. “That should take care of it.”
Still in shock at his heated promise, Ella allowed him to pull her from her chair and hurry her out of the restaurant.