Page 50 of Blind Date with a #FORMERPLAYER
“Have fun,” she says, just as her eyes land on me. “Hi.”
Gabe waves to me as he passes, walking to his truck.
“Hi, Layla. Youlook beautiful.”
Her cheeks darken, and a smile lights up her face. “Thanks. Do you want to come in?”
“Sure.” I step closer, pausing in the doorway and handing her the fall bouquet and gift bag. “These are for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that. The other fall flowers and the sunflowers still look beautiful. I only have so many places to put flowers.” She laughs, the light sound squeezing my heart as she closes the door behind me.
“No, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”
“Well, thank you.” She sets the gift bag down, while she searches for another vase, filling it with water and placing the flowers, leaving them in the center of the small kitchen island.
“You’re welcome. Why don’t you open the present,” I suggest wanting to see her open it.
“Okay.” She walks over to the bag and rips out the tissue paper. “You’ve been spoiling me, Mr. Brennan.”
I give her a salacious grin, my thoughts turning wicked. Licking my lips, I arch my brow, but she only laughs in response.
She takes out three romance books in a new series, provoking a shocked gasp. Her mouth drops open and snaps closed. Lifting her gaze, she holds mine. “How did you know I wanted these?”
Running my hand through my hair, I take a deep breath and admit, “I heard you talking to Chloe about them at book club last week.”
Her eyes water, but the tears don’t flow. Setting them down, she lunges for me, throwing her arms around me and holding me tight. “Thank you. This was so thoughtful, I can’t even explain what this means to me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like them.”
“Hopefully, I like the story as much as I like getting the gift from you.” She laughs, releasing me and turning right back into me. Pushing up on her tiptoes, she presses her lips to mine, falling back almost immediately. “Just, thank you,” she reiterates, squeezing me again.
“If this is what I get when I buy you a few books, I just may be buying you your own library.”
She snorts, swiftly covering her mouth, but even her hand can’t hide her pure glee. My heart hammers, ecstatic to witness her genuine reaction. “These were sold out everywhere. How did you get them?”
“I can’t tell you all my secrets already.” She giggles, shaking her head in disbelief and kisses me again, this time hard, unyielding, leaving me breathless.
My arms wrap around her back, her hands resting gently on my forearms. She falls back on her heels and I drop my head further, holding her close, my head pressing to her forehead. Clearing my throat, I rasp, “We should go before I cancel tonight and take you to your bedroom.”
“Gabe will apparently be gone for a while.”
My head falls back as I burst out laughing. If she only knew her statement did the opposite of enticing me to abandon our plans, she wouldn’t be making the joke. “All right, you little vixen,” I tease, nipping at her lower lip. “Let’s go before we’re late.”
“Late for what?”
“I have reservations.”
“But I already ate.”
Chuckling, I reply, “I know. Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring her confusion, I advise, “Grab your purse and sweater if you want them.”
She does as I requested and rejoins me by the door. Reaching for her, I thread our fingers together and guide her out to my car. My smile remains glued to my face, treasuring my time with her and looking forward to the rest of the night.
“Where are we going?” she asks, nibbling on her lower lip.
