The fact that I’d been able to be anywhere near him at training today without getting a major hard-on was a damn miracle. It was also due largely in part to how many times I’d gotten myself off between yesterday and today.
I cut the engine and removed my helmet, and as I sat there staring at Solo’s bike, I knew that by the end of the night I would have my answers. I was almost as certain that being here was asking for all kinds of trouble. That didn’t stop me, however, from getting off my bike, securing my helmet, and heading inside to track down the man I’d wanted since the moment I laid eyes on him.
As I crossed the lot toward the two-story adobe building that was home to Salsa’s, I looked down at my navy button-up shirt, jeans, and black boots. I’d gone casual tonight, knowing this wasn’t a dress-up kind of date or place, but as I got closer to the front door, I began to second-guess my choices.
Stop it, I told myself, as I reached for the door and pulled it open. But as I stepped inside the crowded foyer and it slammed shut behind me, the panic set in.
Shoulder to shoulder with several other people waiting for a table, I couldn’t help but think: What if I see someone I know? What if they recognize me and it somehow gets back to my father that I was out eating dinner with Solo? But just as that thought entered my head, I heard my name being called out.
“Grant? Grant! Over here.”
I turned in the direction of the voice I was starting to hear in my dreams, and as Solo’s familiar face came into view, my breath got caught somewhere in the back of my throat.
Damn, he was gorgeous. Not like I didn’t already know that, but I’d gotten so used to seeing him in his flight gear that I’d almost forgotten how amazing he looked out of it. Well, not out of it, per se, although I was fairly certain Solo naked just might kill me. But dressed in his civvies, he was one extraordinary-looking man.
Tonight he’d gone with black boots and fitted black pants, paired with a wine-red deep V-neck t-shirt, which not only showed off his ripped biceps and chest, but also his dog tags, which invited me to take a good, long look at the tanned skin they lay on.
My cock jerked as he made his way through the crowd toward me, and as he got closer, I noticed he had a small silver hoop in each ear, and wrapped around his right wrist was a leather band and a beaded bracelet.
The overall package was super fucking hot, and when he stopped in front of me and flashed that heartbreaker smile, I had to remind myself I was out in public and couldn’t just grab him and kiss the ever-loving hell out of him.
“You came,” Solo said, his eyes all but twinkling as he looked at me.
“I told you I would.”
Solo nodded and then sidled in closer beside me. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you were fucking with me or not.”
I arched an eyebrow and glanced at him, and something about his grin made me relax. “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m fucking with you. But for now, I believe you promised me a meal.”
As I straightened, Solo licked along his bottom lip, and sweet God almighty, if this conversation was any indication, tonight was going to be torture. Because being this close to him, yet keeping my hands to myself, was proving to be much more difficult than I’d imagined. Something I’d become increasingly aware of throughout the day.
Solo inclined his head for me to follow him, and I was careful not to make it too obvious that I was staring at the way his pants hugged his ass, just so I could claim tonight as partners hanging out if I was recognized. But Solo had been smart. He’d chosen a restaurant on the outskirts of town, not far from where we’d first met.
He gave me the side of the booth facing the door, like he knew that would be my choice so I could keep an eye on the entrance. He was right, of course. It was a habit, one I’d picked up from my police officer friends.
As soon as we sat down, a waiter stopped by to drop off chips and salsa, and after they took our drink order, Solo picked up a chip and loaded it down with the hot stuff.
“Mmm,” he said around a mouthful. “The spicier the better.”
“That seems to apply to most things in your life.”
He swallowed, and then that sexy half-smile emerged. “Glad you’ve noticed.”
“You’re pretty hard to ignore.”
“A compliment. I’ll take it. But I have to say, I’m glad I got your attention.”