He throws his head back in laughter. I stare at the shape of his jaw and the soft stubble that is covering it. None of the boys I've dated in school have been anything like him. He's different. Maybe it's his confidence or maybe it's just that fact that he knows how to carry himself. Whatever it is, it feels like a magnet that is pulling me into him.
"That's fair." He picks up the paper cup and lightly taps it against the table. "I shouldn't have come back that late and I sure as hell shouldn't have been a dick about your work."
The way he emphasizes the word dick makes me smile. "You were hot for Petra," I say casually.
His eyebrows shoot up and a smile once again floods his face. "I was?"
"You must have been." I shrug my shoulders while I try to stifle in a giggle. "Why else would you come back in the middle of the night to get her number?"
"I lost track of time?" He poses it as a question.
"Wrong answer," I tease.
"I was in the neighborhood?" He runs his tongue along his lower lip and I almost melt.
"Strike two," I whisper.
"I'm a dick?" He playfully punches his fist lightly on the table.
"We have a winner." I giggle before taking a small sip of water from the bottle.
"I came to apologize." His voice has taken on a more serious tone. "It was wrong of me to show up at the door that late and I had no right to ask about where you worked."
I'm surprised. I'm sure that he can tell by my silence and the stunned look on my face. This guy sitting across the small table from me isn't the same guy I was talking to a few hours ago in my parent's house. This man seems genuine and the charm has slipped into the background.
"Apology accepted." I glance at the clock on the wall to the right. "I need to get back to work."
I feel his hand reach for mine as I start to stand. The electricity that flows from him into me startles me. I look directly into his eyes to see if he feels anything and I see something that I just can't place there.
"Wait," he says quietly. "Maybe we can grab a coffee or lunch sometime."
I sit back down in silence. I can't process what he just said. I don't want to humiliate myself again by misjudging his words.
"I thought it would be good to learn more about your mother's charity." He drops my hand. "I was impressed by what I heard last night and I'd like to know more."
I breathe in a heavy sigh. "My mom would be the best person for you to talk to about that. She's away in Europe right now but if you give me your card I can have her call you."
"Can't you tell me more?" He cocks his head to the side.
"I guess," I say dispassionately. Although my mother started her charitable endeavours when I was ill, I've never been directly involved with it. Last night I was pushed into hosting her dinner because she had scurried off to Europe with my father to put out another fire started by my older brother, Dylan.
"What about later today?" He stands as he picks up the empty paper cup.
"I have plans." I push myself from the chair.
"Plans?" he questions.
I wish I could read him better. He's being almost as pushy as he was last night. "A birthday dinner for a friend," I cautiously offer.
"A boyfriend?"
The question startles me. Why is he asking me if I have a boyfriend? That is what he's asking, isn't it? Maybe he means a friend who is a boy? It's obvious that he sees me as a girl and not a woman.
"A friend." I push back. "I need to get back to work. If you drop by the house late next week my mother will be back and she'll be more than happy to tell you all about her charity work."
He doesn't say anything. He just nods as I turn and walk back towards the counter and Alexa's grinning face.
Chapter 4