“Exactly!”
“Do you feel more powerful over it now?” Sienna takes a moment to think, twisting her lip to the side.
“I feel a lot of things right now.” Her bright eyes meet mine, and my heart nearly stops in my chest. I initially asked her out because I thought she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen, but now I see she’s so much more.
“I’m right there with you,” I reassure her, a smile tickling the corners of my lips. “We could have one more glass of wine here. Or…”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got beer and whiskey at my place.”
Sienna’s head flies back, exposing her long, kissable neck. “That sounds perfect.” Her hand darts in front of her. “Not that I didn’t like the wine, but—“
“You’d rather have something else?”
“Yes.” Her eyes dart toward the table, a sly grin plastered on her lips. “And I’m also very curious to see where you live.”
I’ve never asked for the check quicker in my life.
ChapterEight
Sienna
This man continuesto surprise me. His home is modern and sparse yet simultaneously homey. I pictured a bachelor pad, complete with black leather sofas and sporadic red accents. Hell, there’s not even a video game console in sight. Instead, smooth lines and neutral colors create a cozy ambiance. I recognize his L-shaped sofa from one of my favorite and completely unaffordable furniture stores.
Maybe Holt really does have the potential to break my pattern.
“It’s not much.” Holt takes my coat and hangs it in the hall closet. “But it’s mine.”
“Are you kidding? It’s adorable.” I run my hand over the smooth walnut console table and catch him shooting me the side eye. “But like…in a verymanlyway.” I lower my voice an octave to prove my point. Holt smiles in return. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m stuck living with my parents for the time being.”
“No?” He hulks over to the gold and glass vintage bar cart near the fireplace.
“Well, maybe a little.” His shoulders bob up and down when he laughs, his massive back facing. “But that doesn’t take away from its charm.”
“Good to know.” He turns, holding two bottles. “Bourbon or Rye?”
“Rye.” I point to the bottle on his left. “And that’s my favorite.”
“Me too.” He crosses the room and ducks behind the kitchen island. I take in the surroundings and wonder what it would be like to live here. To be with a man like Holt. So tough and sexy, a bad boy to the core on the outside. But on the inside, he’s a total gentleman. The thought twists my stomach. I’ve never dated one of those before. What if I don’t end up liking him? What if the bad boy challenge is all I’m worthy of?
My thoughts are interrupted when Holt returns with two glasses, a whiskey cube in each one. “So you’re a connoisseur of both wineandwhiskey?”
Holt sits in the middle of the sofa. “Nah, a client bought me a nice bottle and an ice cube mold for the holidays this year.”
“Must be nice.” I will my legs to move toward the sofa, sitting as close to him as I can without feeling like I’m sitting on his lap.
“It’s definitely a nice perk. That and getting to know so many people in so many strange and intimate ways.” He pours two glasses, two fingers each, and hands me mine. “I don’t have any beer. I’m sorry.”
“After the wine we drank earlier, I don’t think I need to be double-fisting.”
“Cheers.” He raises his glass, and I follow suit. “To a fantastic first date.” His gorgeous brown eyes lock into mine. “If I can be so forward.”
My panties drench. Here on his sofa, drinking a nightcap, I think the evening’s ending is inevitable, and I’m absolutely jazzed for it. “You can.” I take a sip, savoring the smoky caramel sensation dancing on my tongue. “Thanks for asking me out.”
“Honestly.” Holt sets down his glass, then angles his knees to face me. “I couldn’t hold it in, and you have to believe me when I tell you I have never asked a client out before.”
“Really?” I cock my head to the side. Holt nods, his jaw clenched. You could cut the sexual tension between us with a feather. “Why me?”