Dude? Of all that’s good in this world…
“Oh, no need to remind me of that,” he says smoothly. So smoothly. “That’s something I’m not likely to forget.”
Shiver.
“So to clarify things, what you see is what you get… for better or for worse.”
His sidelong glance heats my skin. “Until death do us part?”
I huff out a laugh. “Now, now, let’s not get carried away.”
He shrugs. “But getting carried away has worked well for me in the past.” He leans in closer as we pull down Beacon Street. Boston is, predictably, filled with traffic, so the ride is slow. I’m enjoying it, though. Even more so when his hand reaches for my knee and he gives me a squeeze.
What’s he going to do when he gets me alone?
Really, the virginity thing isn’t an asset right now. I mean, is it ever?
We make it to his place under the very, very thin premise of… having work to do.
I’m at a standstill, though, waiting to hear back from the few people who could put the investigation into motion, so when I get there… I can focus on work again. My purpose. I can help Toni.
“Drink?” Miguel asks.
I shake my head. “Not tonight, thanks.”
He smirks. “You don’t have to have amaretto,” he says, giving me that crooked smile that makes me want to kiss each corner of his mouth.
“Nah, I’m good. I already had a bit of wine at the restaurant.” God, ‘bit of wine,’ like I’m sixty-four and will next ask for a ‘spot of tea.’ So, in an apparently signature move that I am really good at, I continue talking, because that never gets me in trouble.
Gods.
“I want to be in full control of my faculties,” I say. Then I stop talking and think that over, which I think is out of order. I should think and then speak, but hey, some of us are overachievers. Does… faculties… mean what I think it does? I meant mind, but I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.
The crooked smile deepens.
It’s hard for me to remember at first that this is the man who’s got a temper the size of the Boston Common, the next-door grump who wants us out. Instead, I see a man who is every bit the gentleman. A man who cares about his niece, even though he was totally unprepared for her coming into his life. A man who makes my heart beat faster, who doesn't think I'm weird for all my quirkiness, but instead… seems to like it.
So, for just this one night, I’m not going to censor myself. I’m not going to tell myself to run, that he’s going to hurt me, because tonight… maybe I don’t want to.
Maybe a part of me has always been attracted to the Beast, like Belle, because a part of me sees the man beneath the stern, rough exterior. The man with a big heart, who may not play by the rules like everyone says he should. Because the truth is? There’s an honesty to someone who doesn’t play nice just for the hell of it. Sincerity in the words of someone who says what he really thinks.
I decide to put my theory to the test.
I watch him pour himself a drink, something fragrant and amber, the ice in the glass clinking melodically. He places the decanter back on the little table and turns to face me.
“So,” I ask, crossing my legs casually. “What are your thoughts on global warming?”
Really, Sam?
His brows rise a tiny bit.
“Global warming?”
I nod, biting my lips and willing my cheeks to stop warming. I was looking for something non-political to discuss, but something that would give him an opportunity to tell me what he really thinks.
I own a yoga/smoothie/cookie shop. Girls like me should be very concerned about global warming, buy sustainable, organic cotton, and perhaps consider paper straws for our customers. Girls like me are very concerned about global warming.
“I believe we call it climate change these days,” he says, in a sort of conversational way, not a dick way, and I dig that. “And I think it’s a concern, but we have bigger concerns. So while I support the move to reduce waste and make conscious, ethical decisions with consumerism, as a restaurant owner, I have to admit there are some things that are unavoidable and it isn’t fair to castrate businesses most impacted by regulations that could put a major hit on profitability. That said, as educated and responsible citizens, I do believe that we should continue to not actively ignore the impact of environmental concerns.”
Okay, then. Well played. He sips from his glass.
“You?”
“I share a similar philosophy. I think while it’s important to do what we can, some concerns trump others, and what may appear to be the best environmentally-sound decision may not always be. Sometimes, simple is best. For example, I could go on and on about choosing cardboard packaging over Styrofoam, or I could simply choose to cook more foods from scratch and avoid convenience food packaging altogether.”