Page 32 of Locking Down Qetesh

I shrugged. "It's something you might have to get used to."

"I hope so."

I went up on my toes and pressed my lips against his. It was only a fleeting kiss, but I hoped it would reassure him that I really did have to go, and I wasn't just trying to avoid him. "I'll see you at work?"

"That depends," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "On?"

"Whether you want to go on a date before then or not."

"I'm free tomorrow night," I said. "Message me?"

"I will."

I waved and walked away, feeling like something major had changed for me. And I supposed it had. I'd been on plenty of dates before, but it was different this time. I was going to go on one with someone who understood a part of me I'd never shared with anyone before. And maybe if I had done, I would have been in this position sooner, but that wasn't how my life had turned out. Ultimately, the past didn't matter. I couldn't change it. The only thing I could do was enjoy the moment I'd found myself in. And I had every intention of doing that.

Chapter 13

QETESH

There was a part of me that felt like I should be nervous about going on a first date. But then again, it turned out that there were a lot of things that I felt like I should feel that I actually shouldn't. And while this might technically be my first date with Jacob, it wasn't like we hadn't had date-like situations, at least when it came to the intimacy between us. It should have felt strange to wake up in bed with him, but he'd made it so comfortable that I hadn't had time to think about that.

My taxi pulled up outside the restaurant, and I paid the fare, getting out and finding him waiting for me wearing an open-necked shirt with a grey blazer over the top.

His face lit up when he saw me, reminding me of exactly why I'd said yes to this date, and why we were going on it so quickly after we'd first floated the idea.

I leaned in without even thinking about it, and gave him a kiss. It was fleeting, but it was also perfect in that. After saying goodbye yesterday, it would have felt stranger not to kiss him.

"A kiss before the first date is kind of impressive, all things considered," he said with a laugh.

"It doesn't really feel like a first date," I admitted.

"True. Now, I'm going to warn you that I've never been here before," he said as he turned towards the restaurant, placing a hand on the small of my back. It was a nice touch, reassuring. And even better because I knew his hand wasn't about to stray downwards. At least, not without asking and planning.

"I'm surprised you chose it if you don't know it." That didn't seem very like him.

"I asked a few people I knew for recommendations about the nicest vegetarian food in town," he said. "Apparently, that's what the chef who runs this place specialises in."

"Oh, I didn't know that." A warm feeling filled me at his thoughtfulness, especially because I wasn't vegetarian, it really was nothing more than a preference for what I ordered at restaurants, and nothing more than that.

"I hope it's good. But if it's not, then we can find something else."

"I'm sure it'll be great."

It was reasonably busy inside, but whoever had designed the layout of the restaurant had clearly thought about the dining experience, and the table is still intimate, without it feeling like we're just at one of our houses.

"You look beautiful," he said once we were alone. "I meant to say outside, but I forgot."

"You look good yourself," I responded. "The grey suits you."

"Thanks, I like to think so." He touched his blazer. "It's been a while since I dressed up for a date."

"But you didn't wear your ring," I said, nodding towards his right hand.

He shrugged. "I didn't need to wear it. You already know, and I have no doubt that you're not going to forget."

My heart constricted at the words, and at the certainty in his voice. This was a safe place for him to be. And that meant that it was a safe place for me to be. I liked that we could create that, even in the short amount of time that we'd known one another.

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