He was stunning.
He had one hand in the pants pocket of a black suit, the other behind his back. Underneath was a black collared shirt, opened at the top. His hair was styled perfectly messy, his skin sporting a clean shine. Electric blue eyes widened as they took me in, giving his sculpted cheeks a rosy hue. They traveled from the top of my head, along every curve, finally stopping at my French manicured toes.
“You’re exquisite.”
Taking my hand, he kissed my knuckles and then pressed a rose into my palm. The best rose yet. I smiled.
“Thank you. You look . . . incredible.” I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth and eyed him.
“Incredible, huh?” His clean shave showcased his dimple as he inched forward, causing me to stumble back into the apartment. “I knew that dress would look amazing on you. Turn around. Let me see.”
Smiling, I held my hands out to the sides and completed a slow spin, letting him appreciate his handiwork.
“Perfect.” His eyes drank me in as he took both my hands in his and placed a kiss to my cheek.
A familiar warmth spread there. “Thank you for today.”
“My pleasure. I wanted you to relax and enjoy yourself. I hope I succeeded.”
“More than you know.” I elongated my body and kissed him on the nose, then wiped away the glisten of lip gloss I left there. “So where are we off to?”
He gave me a mischievous look. “Now what fun would telling you be? Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.” He reached out for me, but I declined his hand.
“One sec.” I scooted to the kitchen bar and added the most recent rose to the vase, making a half dozen. Smiling, I walked back and scooped up his hand.
“Now we can go.”
“Reservation for Turner,” Blake said to the hostess.
The young girl blanched, clearly taken back by Blake’s striking features. “Ah, yes, Mr. Turner. We’ve been waiting for you. Everything’s ready.”
“Thank you.” Blake pressed his hand to the small of my back and led me through the dimly lit restaurant, his excitement barely contained. He looked like a five-year-old on his way to meet Santa Claus.
The hostess stepped aside, extending her hand. “Enjoy your dinner. Someone will be with you shortly.”
Blake looked into the room, and his smile spread further. Gripping my hand, he guided me inside and I froze, just barely inside the door. “It’s a wine cellar.”
“Yes, it is.”
“We’re eating in here?”
“Yep.” His proud smile showcased the twinkle in his eye.
“This is unbelievable,” I breathed, looking around astounded.
Set inside a circular room was a small round table with two chairs on either side. A candle flickered in the center, accentuating the bottles lining every inch of the walls from floor to ceiling. My eyes landed on a rose which lay across one of the settings and I smiled. He had booked a private room—in a wine cellar.
In-Fucking-Credible.
I looked back to him and shook my head. “Better and better.”
The corner of his mouth tilted up, and he helped me into my chair before pushing it in and rounding the table to join me, still looking like a kid in a candy store.
“So is this how you woo all your women?” I asked.
“Are you wooed?” He folded his hands and leaned forward, his eyes illuminated with each flicker of the candle.
“Oh, I’m wooed all right,” I confirmed, curling my body over the table to close more of the distance between us, not liking even that small barrier. Blake balled his hand, pulling his elbow back while crinkling his nose as if he’d scored a winning goal, and it brought something to mind.
“I have a request.”
“Anything.”
“The other night when we were dancing, you did this nose-scrunch thingy when you were singing and you just kind of did it again.”
“Nose-scrunch thingy?” He cocked his head to the side, laughter in his eyes.
“Yes,” I wet my bottom lip. “I’m going to need you to do that more often. It’s sexy as hell.”
Blake let out a hearty laugh, leaning back in his chair. “Nose-scrunch. Got it.” Then he scrunched his nose one more time and winked. “Like that?”
“Yes. Just like that.” I shivered noticeably, and he smiled his famous dimpled smile.
Reaching across the table, he took both my hands in his. “Are you happy?”
I considered his question before nodding. “I am.”
And I was.
He studied me. “Good.” All the words that hadn’t been spoken yet shone through his eyes.