Time flew faster than Claire had imagined, and before she knew it, the sun was setting. Dinner was usually at seven, so she assumed Chance would be at her door by then. She readied herself in anticipation. And right before seven, she broke down and put on the necklace.
At exactly seven, she heard a knock at the door. She skipped a few steps, then paused as she tried to still her beating heart. She took a deep breath and opened the door to a rather dashing Chance on the other side. He was sporting a pair of soft, denim pants with a white shirt that had three buttons at the top opened to reveal a rope necklace that had what looked like a shell as a pendant. He looked handsome, and his smile completed his outfit.
When he saw her, he whistled. “I didn’t know emerald would look so good against hazel and white,” he grinned and held his arm out for her. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and pulled the door closed behind her.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said to him. She wanted to add that he looked sexy and she was sort of happy to be hanging out with him, but that was mushier than she wanted to be.
“I had no idea I’d actually get the chance to be here with you,” he told her as they sat for dinner. “Especially after Amy told me about…him.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” she murmured, looking down.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “But I want you to tell me about it whenever you feel you can talk.”
“There is nothing to say, really. We were together for over three years, we were supposed to get married, and the day before, I caught him cheating on me. The end.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Okay, no more depressing talk. Let’s drink some wine and forget about everything bad.”
Claire smiled at his words, but her heart had been reminded of the hurt. But the evening refilled her happiness, and soon she was laughing at Chance’s stories about his adventures and misdeeds. She had never imagined she would enjoy herself so much in his company, but she did. By the end of dinner, she was completely comfortable with him, and she had even started fantasizing about him.
They danced to a live band playing, and when he held her close, she felt the ground move under her feet. His touch sent volts of electricity racing along her spine. Chance didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, or if he did, he had a good way of hiding it.
“Did you enjoy your evening?” he asked her when they stood outside her door at the end of the night.
Claire leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms. “It wasn’t what I expected. I must say, I thought you would be a complete asshole.”
“Oh, so I guess I was only half an asshole,” he teased.
“Maybe just a little,” she giggled. “But not too bad.”
“Would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?” he asked.
Claire’s heart flipped as he spoke the words. She felt her body rising from the ground, and she held onto the door for support. She couldn’t recall if any man had ever asked her permission before he kissed her.
Claire felt him lean forward, holding her eyes with his, blue on hazel, and brought his lips to touch hers, softly and gently. Then she closed her eyes as they touched. She felt his breath on her skin, and it intensified the deeper she got into the kiss. His hands touched her body, and she felt him shiver like he could hardly contain himself. Then he ended their kiss.
Claire’s eyes opened a few seconds after Chance parted his lips from hers. Then, so lightly, he traced her throbbing lips with his index finger as he bit his. Claire noticed him looking behind her at the bed and she nodded. He looked at her, his eyes asking her if they could go into her room. She nodded again, and he held her as he gently nudged her into the room and towards the bed. They stood in her room kissing, and just when Claire thought he would make a move and take off her clothes, he broke the kiss again.
“Thank you so much for dinner,” he said. “But I need to leave you to get some rest.”
Claire wanted to scream at him for abandoning her, abandoning her throbbing body, but wasn’t that what she had wanted? A man who would not pester her for sex until they got married? Funny how she hadn’t wanted to have sex with Trent even after years of dating him and while engaged to him, but now she was willing to give up her virginity to a man she had just met. She looked at Chance, and instead of disappointment, she was grateful he was able to control himself and stop things before they went too far.
“Thank you for a great day,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
***