Page 53 of Almost Perfect
I hadn’t been on a date with someone I was actually dating in years. Probably a decade. Definitely since Jackson Taylor, my first real boyfriend, and the only decent man I’d ever dated. That’d been just after I’d blown up and it hadn’t lasted. After that, I didn’t do any dating in public.
The thought of being out with Wyatt made my heart race. I couldn’t parse out whether it was with anticipation or anxiety, but the fact that I couldn’t tell told me I needed to put a stop to this.
He laughed quietly. “Let’s try to go out. If the weather picks up earlier than expected tomorrow, we’ll stay here. If not, I’ll take you to Basta, if that sounds good.”
“I’d love to try it sometime. I just… I’m not sure if I’m up for a dinner out.” I tried for an expression you might call anencouraging smile, but it felt sickly on my face. If we went out, and I got mobbed, or people made rude comments, he’d hate it. He was so private and lived tucked away, even from the small town. Yes, he went in, and his other dates had been there as far as I knew, but I didn’t want to watch his face fall as the reality of my life crashed in before we’d ever gotten to the appetizers.
He stepped toward me and drew one hand out of a pocket. He dipped his head and spoke in that low, unhurried way that made smoke curl in my belly. “You embarrassed to be seen with a cattle rancher, Ms. Rice?”
“Definitely not. I just don’t want my being here to get out. I’m enjoying being nameless and unremarkable.”
A wide, unfettered smile broke on his face, and my heart thumped.
“You will never be unremarkable.”
My chest rose and fell like he’d touched me. Like I wanted him to.
Youdowant him to.
“Well, I just—”
He did touch me then. A large, warm hand on my bare wrist. “Basta has a small back room for events. I was thinking we could eat in there. If you’re at all uncomfortable, then we’ll get it to go and eat back here.”
I swallowed, every nerve ending in my wrist burning with the heat of his touch. His hand on me made my thoughts thick and slow, but even then, I could tell I liked his consideration. I loved that he’d planned ahead. “Okay.”
“And if you change your mind at any point, we’ll eat here. You know I’m happy to cook for you.”
Whew, the man’s crystal-blue eyes skewered me from just inches away. His gaze lit mine on fire, and there was absolutely no good reason for what I said next, but it jumped right out of my mouth.
“So you’re saying you want to take me on a date?”
Someone turned up the thermostat of his expression, and he nodded.
“And you’re prepared for what that means if we’re seen? If you’re caught out in public with Miss Mayhem?”
He got that squinty look again. “I don’t know much about Mayhem, but I’m definitely ready to be out in public with Callaway Rice.”
That response made my stomach sink, though I thought I understood what he meant. Even so, my next words came out soft, almost a whisper. “We’re one and the same.”
Our eyes locked again, and that electric tension sizzled through the air between us. It felt like someone stood behind me and pushed at my shoulders, some unknown source forcing my body toward him. Only my confusion and that twinge of hurt from his earlier comment made me stand rigid instead of swaying forward.
He must’ve felt no such reserve, because he dipped his head further and spoke into my ear like we’d be overheard by someone. The side of his forehead brushed against mine, and his breath tickled my ear as he said, “You bring yourself, and I’ll be ready for you.”
TWENTY-TWO
Wyatt
The last twenty-four hours had crawled by. Calla ended up bowing out of our shopping trip, mentioning that my meddling little brother had asked her to send him a list and he’d deliver the goods later in the day. I couldn’t be too frustrated with him because he was doing the same for me, so it saved me a trip.
That said, I would’ve had that time with Calla in the car each way. I could’ve seen what she chose in the store. I’d know what brands she picked for herself and what items she lingered over before buying or if she just dumped everything in a hurry and escaped when someone noticed her.
But finally,finally, the time had come. I pulled up right to the door, relieved the weather hadn’t changed from the forecasted and literal calm before the storm. She’d also confirmed her interest in eating out when I’d texted her earlier, so we’d have a break from my house. Not that I didn’t like my place, because I did. But Warrick could barge in at any point. Privacy wasn’t all that elusive, but it was unpredictable. And for some reason, I wanted to be with her in a more official way.
I wanted to create the same kind of setup I would’ve had with a date from the app. In what might be a little messed up, I wanted to test this out and see how it felt to be out with her like I’d been with other failed dates. Granted, a private room had never been part of the deal before, but that was as close as I could get to direct mimicry of my other first dates.
This new perspective I had, thanks to my little lightning bolt in the barn a week ago, had shaken me. And what I’d realized after she’d said yes was exactly this—I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t felt what I did whenever I saw her. There was every reason to believe it might be the most cram-packed night of my life in terms of sheer desire.
Based on every interaction with her, it would feelnothinglike the other dates for about fifteen different reasons. Everything about preparing for this, anticipating it, felt more demanding and thrilling than the others. And even that small shift made me dangerously close to being giddy just to see her. Just to know I was finally doing something that felt like taking a chance and reallyliving. Whether it was Calla in particular or simply waking up from the fog I’d been living under—or maybe the nitrous oxide was a better image—I couldn’t say. And while I had my suspicions, the only way I’d ever know was to try. So here we were.
