Page 32 of His Secret Virgin
Relief washed over me. “Oh, I’m not trying to do that, Emma. Not at all. They won’t be home until late Sunday evening, or maybe even Monday sometime. It would just be you and I.” Then I got nervous that would scare her off.
She seemed to consider her answer as she looked up at the chandelier hovering over our table. “Well then, that sounds like fun.” Her eyes came to rest on mine. “But don’t be upset if I don’t like the steak, okay?”
I had another date with her; nothing would make me upset. “I promise not to get upset with you, Emma.”
Our waiter came to us with our drinks. “Good evening, Mr. Taylor. I’m Raphael, and I’ll be your server this evening.” He placed Emma’s drink in front her as he smiled at her. “And what may I call you this evening, miss?”
“Emma,” she said with a shy smile.
“Well, Emma, it’s a pleasure to serve you this evening.” He bowed, and I could see from the grin on his face that he liked the looks of my dinner companion. And he must’ve thought I was her father or something and not any kind of competition, because he slid my drink to me without so much as glancing my way. I had to admit, that bothered me a hell of a lot.
“We’d like to start things off with the artisanal cheese plate, followed by the New England clam chowder, then for the main course we’ll both have the seared scallops with smoked ham.” My words came out sharper than I meant.
He finally pulled his dark eyes off Emma to look at me. “I’ll put that order in right away.” He took the menus, leaving behind the dessert menu. “And I’ll leave that for you, sir.”
“Thank you.” I slid the menu to Emma. “I think you can decide on a desert.”
As the boy left us, I wondered if Emma thought he was as cute as he thought she was. But I didn’t say a word as she looked over the menu.
“These all looks so delicious.” She put the menu down. “But I hardly ever eat sweets. My parents don’t keep much sugar in the house, and it’s probably for the best.” She ran her fingertips over her cheek. “As you can see, I have trouble with my weight.”
“Are you kidding?” I had to ask. Then it just popped out, “You’re perfect. Round in all the right places.” Then I clamped my mouth shut tightly.
That’s not something you’re supposed to say on a first date, you idiot!
The way her eyes went soft made my entire body stiffen. “Do you really think that? Or are you just being nice, Christopher?”
I felt like my foot was caught in a bear trap, and I had no idea how to get it out. I probably shouldn’t have said anything about how great I thought she looked. But then again, the girl needed to know that she was a knockout. “I really think that.”
She made a crooked smile. “I’ve never thought of myself as round in all the right places. I’ve thought of myself as plump. And to be honest, no one has ever told me otherwise.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame, Emma.” I felt myself loosening up as I remembered the young lady sitting across the small table from me was still extremely innocent. She had been kept under her father’s wing for far too long, and she needed to know how beautiful she really was. “I happen to think that you’re remarkably beautiful.”
Her face went beet red, and she ducked her head. “Oh, stop it!”
The way she’d reacted did something to me. Testosterone flooded through me as I admired her shy blush. That wasn’t the kind of reaction a woman has when being told she was beautiful if she wasn’t attracted to the man. No, her reaction told me that she liked what I’d said. And that meant she might feel the attraction between us, too.
But I didn’t want to push things with her. I eased off on the charm. “Okay, I’ll stop, Emma. I can see you’re not used to being complimented. I don’t want to embarrass you—but for the record, you deserve to be showered with compliments.”
The waiter came back with the cheese plate, and he noticed that Emma hadn’t touched her drink. Nor had I for that matter, but he didn’t seem to see my full glass. “Would you like me to get you something else from the bar, Emma?”
She looked up at him, shaking her head, “No, thank you.”
He pointed at her glass. “It’s just that you haven’t touched your cocktail. The Forbidden Sour isn’t usually favored by our younger guests, and it’s not a problem to get you something more your style.”
My skin began to feel prickly as the guy leaned in too close to her. “Hey there, buddy.” The waiter looked at me for once. “If she wants something else, I’ll let you know. Back up a bit. She’s here with me, not you.”
His face fell a bit. “My apologies, sir. I didn’t realize, you were here…together?”
Emma took the lead as she answered, “Yes, we are. This drink is fine with me. He wanted me to try it, and I want to try it. Besides, I’m a bit of an old soul. I like the tried and true things.”
My cock jerked so hard I thought it might rip my slacks.
Does this mean she’s into me?
“Sorry,” he said, then walked away with his tail between his legs.
“So am I,” I said, looking back to Emma. “I’ve overstepped my bounds, Emma. I shouldn’t have said anything.” I had my fingers crossed under the table, hoping that she’d put my fears at ease.
