“It’s great isn’t it? I went on a river cruise the other day. I didn’t know there was so much history here.”
I liked her this way. Approachable, real, while she looked fresh and beautiful. The white contrasted her eyes, making the blue pop.
“If I wasn’t such an avid bike rider, I probably would want something to do with the water. Do you want to start with something to drink, a coffee or something?” I offered, as the slight breeze lifted her hair from her face. One minute she was this whirlwind of a storm and the next a calm, peaceful ocean. All of it led to a huge adrenaline rush.
“Ah, I’m more in the mood for a wine,” she shot back.
I stood up and pulled the cane chair out for her as a waiter came to take our orders. “Wine it is.” She was falling very easily into my trap. Too easily… I figured she might have presented more of a challenge for me.
“I want to eat of course too. Not just wine. Don’t think you can just ply me with drinks, I like the beef nachos here. I’ll have a plate of those.”
Ok…There was the sass I knew already. I grinned as I watched those perfect small lips bite back at me. Just my brand of wild, and I would catch my prize whether she knew it or not.
The waiter arrived with two menus under his arm.
I took one and handed it to Jaz.
She set it down on the table and spoke to the waiter, “I’ll have the nachos and white wine.”
“Certainly ma’am, and for you sir?” the waiter asked.
“I’ll go with the nachos and a beer. Thanks.”
Jaz dug in her bag for her sunglasses.
Damn, I wanted to see her eyes when I asked her questions. It would be too safe to say I was lusting after her. Any man would have been, but she would have to do more to truly entice me. “So Jaz, are you enjoying Mississippi?”
“I am. It’s muggy and that’s the part I’m not enjoying. I wish it was just a little cooler.”
Just then, the waiter came back with our drinks.
Jaz quickly gulped down her wine. Her fingers were long and elegant, perfect for shifting cards.
I wanted to pick one of them up and stroke it, but resisted my primal desires and listened. She was right about Mississippi being hot. Sweat trickled down the side of my face, making me feel like I needed another shower. “Yep. When you step out of the shower, and then you need to have another one in three hours, you know you’re in Mississippi. She’s a bad Mama Jamma,” I stated with a laugh.
“Somebody could have warned me before I got here!” Jaz gulped down more of her wine. “At least, the wine is cool.”
Her witty mouth made the whole date fun, and our banter together made it interesting. “Let’s have a toast to that.” I grinned.
Jaz raised her glass and we clinked them together. “I know you have a bunch of questions to ask me. Let’s play a game of 10 questions. You can go first.”
Not being able to see her eyes was a problem for me. A person’s eyes let me know if they were lying or not. “You like your little games, don’t you?” I fired back, husky.
She wriggled around in her seat. “I don’t mind a game or two. Don’t you?” she asked coyly, tapping her manicured finger on the glass.
I watched her and was taken in by her movements. I looked at the horizon line out to sea and the people walking the boardwalk. “I mean I might at the start, but after a while we all have to show our faces. You don’t need to play games all the time,” I challenged her truthfully.
Her silence led me to believe she knew she would have to be a little vulnerable with me and let her guard down.
“Sure. That’s why I made up the game. It’s a good way to get to know one another.” She looked away.
I could sense her reluctance.
Our nachos came out and I could still hear the sizzle on the plate.
“Careful, it’s hot, guys. Enjoy,” the waiter warned.
Jaz dug into the nachos, scooping up a cheesy measure of beef and chomping down.