“You’re not staring at my teeth thinking painful thoughts, are you?” I ask, my words coming out muffled sounding from behind my hand.
Matt’s wide eyes gleam with humor as he rocks back in his seat, deep, husky laughter pouring out of him. He swipes at his moist eyes and shakes his head. “Not at all,” he gasps, struggling to control his mirth. Grabbing at his water, he takes a long gulp and pulls himself together. “But if you’re having orthodontic issues, I hope you give my office a call.”
“You’re probably out of my price range,” I say, careful to keep my teeth covered.
“We have payment plans. Either way, from what I saw of your teeth already, you don’t have horrible issues.” His head cocks to the side, his expression transforming to a calm and professional one. “Open up.”
I blink at the command and let out a nervous laugh. Matt’s expression doesn’t change. He’s the very picture of patience.
He’s serious!
Hesitating for another moment, I mutter, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” before leaning forward and opening my mouth wide, praying I don’t have tons of food stuck in my teeth.
Matt peers intently for a moment, his hand going to my cheek and gently positioning my head differently. “Posterior crossbite. An easy fix.”
His fingers drift over my skin, causing a shiver to race through me as he withdraws his hand. “Or not. No pressure and no cause for concern or embarrassment.”
He studies me for a moment, then turns his attention to the charge slip the server slid next to him. With a flourish, he signs his name and folds and tucks his copy into his wallet along with his credit card. His gaze rises slowly to me, a serious look on his face. “I’m not in the habit of ridiculing people over their teeth, nor do I want to cause undue pain. That’s not why I got into this business. Same as you, I want to help people feel better. Mentally and physically.”
Rising to his feet, he holds out his hand, which I accept with a smile.
Walking with him out to my car, our fingers entwined, warmth thrums through me. Once more, my thoughts circle back to the love spell my friends and I cast. On the surface, Matt is everything I could dream of and more. And though I’ve barely scratched the surface of his personality, from what I’ve seen so far, he’s warm, caring, and has a great sense of humor.
Could meeting the perfect man really be so simple and easy?
Doubtful.
Yet when we arrive back to the parking lot of D’Angelo’s and Matt turns to me, I can’t help believing that with the right man, maybe falling in love really is effortless.
“Can I kiss you?” he whispers, his head already angling closer.
His deep voice sends butterflies to my stomach and a pinch of nervousness. “You gave me a dental exam. I don’t think you need to ask anymore.”
With a husky chuckle still vibrating his lips, Matt claims his kiss. His mouth moves over mine with an intensity that has tingles racing from my lips to my toes. I sink into the bliss kissing him brings and when his arms curl around me urging me closer to his big, broad chest, a sigh of contentment wells up from deep within.
When our lips part, heavy condensation fogs the windows and I feel like a naughty teenager making out with a forbidden boyfriend.
Our age difference might be more extreme than I would have ever considered before, but there’s nothing illicit or wrong about a relationship with Matt.
It all feels so right that it’s almost painful when he exits my car and I watch him walk over to the gleaming white Tesla. I can’t help smiling a bit over how I just knew it was his. It kinda reminds me of a big tooth, though I’ll never tell him that.
Okay, no, I will probably tell him that at some point.
Maybe even the next time I see him, which will hopefully be soon.
It suddenly hits me that we never finalized our plans for Friday. Not missing a beat, I lurch from the car and race over to his SUV. He’s out of his door in a flash, his hands reaching for me. “Are you okay?” he says, his eyes dark with concern as they move over me.
“Friday, right?” I ask, finding it hard to catch my breath with our bodies so close together. “Our next date,” I add.
A half-grin tugs up the right corner of his mouth. “Guess I can’t call you until you get a new phone. Call me and we’ll decide what we want to do on Friday.” After half a beat, he asks, “Are you working tomorrow?”
My brows scrunch down. He said he was busy tomorrow. “Yes,” I say slowly.
“It’s going to sound crazy, but would you be open for an early breakfast together?”
“Breakfast?”
His half-grin stretches into a full-on smile that makes those previous butterflies in my stomach take flight. “I’m going to miss you too much to wait until Friday.”