I smiled. “I know you do. You know why I know?”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t keep my eyes off you, not since the first time we met. And back then, I had no idea you were going to take off. So, no…” I shook my head. “I can’t be interested in you because you’re the girl I can’t have, because I was a damn goner before you even left.”
Autumn’s face softened. “I don’t know what to say, Donovan.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just give me the chance to show you…”
She looked me in the eyes for a long time before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She smiled.
The waitress delivered our appetizers. It felt like we needed the minute that gave us. Since the evening had gotten off to a heavy start, once the waitress left, I rounded our conversation back to what I thought was the safer part of Autumn’s therapy exercise.
“So what are we up to? Things we’re grateful for?”
“I think so. You want me to go first again?”
“Sure.”
She started to tap her finger to her lip, then smiled when she caught herself. “Okay, let’s see… I’m grateful for my health, good friends, having a job that’s rewarding, good food…” She looked up at me. “And second chances.”
“Nice…”
She sipped her wine and lifted her chin. “Your turn. What are you grateful for?”
“Well, Bud would be near the top of that list. I’m grateful for all the things he’s done for me over the years, and I’m grateful he wasn’t hurt worse than he was when he was attacked.”
“I’m grateful for that, too.” Autumn cut into her burrata.
“I’m also grateful for a career I like, friends who tolerate me, and having a nest egg in the bank—something I definitely didn’t grow up with.”
Autumn slipped a piece of burrata into her mouth, and her eyes shut. A look I could only describe as orgasmic came over her face. My eyes were glued to her lips. Damn. I’m jealous of a piece of cheese. I also started to harden under the table. This woman made me feel like a teenager. We were supposed to be taking things slow, and watching her eat got me worked up? Unfortunately, I sensed a lot of whacking off in my future.
She opened her eyes, and I cleared my throat, still staring at her beautiful lips. “Burrata. I’m extremely grateful for burrata.”
Autumn looked amused, yet truly innocent. “You’re a big fan of burrata?”
“I’m a tremendous fan of the face you make while you eat it.”
“What face do I make?”
I leaned forward. “The same one you made when I went down on you.”
She covered her mouth and blushed. “Oh my God, really?”
I nodded. “Really.”
Luckily the waitress came to check on us and see if we were ready to order dinner. Another minute of this conversation, and the white napkin over my lap would look more like I was trying to wave a flag to surrender.
This time, when we were alone again, I moved the conversation to something way safer.
“So how’s Storm doing?”
“He’s doing great. Though he keeps asking me when he can go work at Bud’s house. He really wants to earn that bicycle Bud promised him. But I wasn’t sure if Bud would feel up to it yet.”
“I stopped over there this morning, and he was rototilling part of the garden with one hand. He’s definitely feeling better.”
She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. He’s the type of man you worry about if he sits around watching TV for too long.”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, if you think he’s really up for it, I could probably take him over there Sunday.”
“I’ll run it by him when I check in again, but I’m sure it will be fine.”
The rest of the night went by too fast, even though I stalled and dragged out dessert for so long that the waitress was giving us the evil eye. I just wasn’t ready for our first date to be over, and I was certain going slow didn’t include spending the night.
When we got to Autumn’s apartment, I parked.
“Would you want to go for a walk?” I asked. It was a nice enough night.
She pointed down to her shoes. “I normally would, but these aren’t really walking shoes.”
I’d parked under a streetlight so the inside of the car was pretty well lit. I followed her sexy legs down to the strappy, high-heeled sandals she had on.
“I forgot to mention how grateful I am for your shoes earlier.” My eyes trailed their way back up her legs and over the thin material of her dress. “And for that dress. I’m really damn thankful for that dress.”
She giggled. “What about my bra and underwear? Aren’t you grateful for them?”
“I don’t know. Let me see, so I can decide.”
Autumn leaned closer to me and took my hand. The beaming smile on her face made my heart swell in my chest.