Page 3

Chapter three

Silas

Here kitty, kitty, here.

“OH... DEAR... GOD...”

Yeah, that sounds about right, more like holy shit!

I mean, I was expecting her to be on the smaller side given her petite features and small hands, but this is just ridiculously funny. There must be well over a foot of difference between us.

She gapes at me with those hazel doe eyes, no further sound coming from her voluptuous lips. I can’t help it. A deep belly laugh takes over me as I practically bend in two, gaining the attention of the few individuals left in the restaurant.

When I come back up for air, I find her looking around as a pink hue begins to take over her cheeks. Once her gaze travels back to mine, her eyes narrow with clear irritation written on her face.

I swipe my hand over my mouth, trying to remove the grin plastered on my lips with failure. “Sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just... Jesus, what are you? Five feet?” Another laugh escapes me no matter how hard I try to hold it in, making her displeased expression deepen.

“And now you’re giving me this look that I know is meant to be annoyed or mad. But if I’m being honest, you just make me think of a tiny angry kitten.” I put my fist to my mouth, hoping to silence the laughter still spilling from me and once again failing miserably.

She gasps loudly, placing her tiny fists on her hips, pinning me with a glare. “No, I’m five foot two! And are you seriously making fun of me right now?”

“NO... I would never !” I fake a shocked expression.

“Clearly,” she deadpans. “And anyway, who says I’m not just average height, and you’re the one looking like a six-foot giant!” The defensive tone in her voice brings a smile to my face. Clearly, I hit a soft spot. Noted.

“Six foot four, actually; thank you very much,” I tell her, patting my chest with satisfaction, which is clearly not the right thing to do or say since she still seems mad .

Trying to ease the tension, I place one arm around her shoulder and pull her toward the exit. “Come on, kitten. Let’s get out of here.”

She huffs out with frustration but lets me drag her out easily.

Once we’ve made it outside in the cool September air, it suddenly dawns on me that not once did someone stop at our table for an autograph. I can’t remember the last time that happened. She must be one hell of a lucky charm. I think I’ll keep her.

“Is your car close by, or did you take a ride here?”

I still haven’t removed my arm from her shoulder, and she hasn’t made any attempt to remove it, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

Which is a good thing since I have no intention of taking it off any time soon.

Now all I need is to come up with a reason for her to stay by my side just a little while longer. I’m not ready to say goodnight.

The truth is, I haven’t been this attracted to a woman in a long time. I haven’t wanted to talk about mundane things and learn the little things that make someone tick. But Cecilia has managed to capture my attention.

My last serious relationship dates back to my early college days, and now it’s just been the occasional hookups. I’m not saying I’m a saint; I’ve had my fair share of puck bunnies throughout the early years of my career, but that all quickly lost its appeal the older I got.

I’ll be thirty in less than four months, and as my mother likes to remind me, it’s time I settle down and make her some grandbabies. I think my little kitten might be the perfect fit for me.

“Actually, I walked.” She looks around nervously as if she isn’t sure what to do now that our impromptu dinner is over. That makes two of us, sweetheart.

“Then how about we take a little walk? I know a nice place not far from here. Unless you need to head home?” I give her an out in case I’ve misread our time together while secretly hoping she doesn’t take it.

“No, a walk sounds lovely.” She keeps her vision focused on the passing cars in front of us while responding, but I don’t miss the way she bites down on her lower lip and the subtle smile she tries to conceal.

Removing my arm from her shoulder, I place my hand on her lower back, guiding her down the sidewalk. Even through all the layers of clothing, I can feel the heat radiating from her tiny body, but then a slight shiver runs through her, making me pause.

“Are you cold?”

Her eyes find mine swiftly as that blush of hers rises to her cheeks. “No, I’m okay.” She gives me a bashful smile before turning back to our destination.

We continue our walk into Central Park, conversation flowing effortlessly between us as we take turns asking questions about ourselves. We walk side by side, with my hands in my jean pockets and hers in her long coat.

I look down at the ground in front of me, kicking a pebble with my shoe out of the way. I’ve been trying to keep my focus on our surroundings instead of only on her, but considering how magnificent she is, the task seems futile.

“Tell me about your family,” I say.

She takes a moment to answer, looking onward and deep in thought. The sudden feeling of unease falls on me, thinking I may have breached a delicate subject. I’m about to try and change the trajectory of our discussion when she finally speaks up.

“I don’t really know my parents; they died when I was barely a year old,” she says in such a quiet voice that if I hadn’t been paying close attention, I would’ve missed it.

I reach out with my hand, delicately grabbing onto her elbow and stopping us both in our tracks. This late at night, there aren’t many people along the trails, so I don’t have to worry about us being in someone’s way as they go about their daily stroll.

The sudden movement makes her body turn into mine. I’m expecting to find her angelic face on the brink of tears, fully ready to console her. Yet I’m greeted with a wistful smile as if she was expecting my reaction to her words.

“Shit, I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be, it was a long time ago. And besides the stories I was told, I don’t have any real memories of them.

So, it’s not like I have anything to compare it to,” she says with a shrug.

“Of course, the context saddens me. Growing up and seeing all my friends rush off to their parents after school wasn’t always easy, but I had my grandmother, so I wasn’t entirely alone, and she always did her best to fill that void. ”

I’m not exactly sure what to say at this point—her story makes my heart ache for her.

I just want to pull her into my arms and hold her as close to me as possible.

To tell her that she’s not alone anymore, that I’ll be her family from now on.

But I do no such thing. It would probably freak her out since we literally just met.

She’s not ready yet, but we’ll work on that.

She turns back toward the trail and resumes her steps with me following alongside before she speaks again.

“Anyway, my grandmother was the one who raised me, and we had a good life together. She never made me feel as if I was missing out on anything. She would tell me stories about my parents and the love they shared, who they were, and what they did.”

She holds a nostalgic smile on her lips as she continues. “There were pictures hung up all over the walls in our home, some only of them and others with me as an infant. She made sure that even if I had no memories of them, I still knew them as if they had raised me themselves.”

“Does she live back home in Elora?”

She smiles ahead with a mournful look in her eyes. “No, she passed away a little over four years ago, a week before my twentieth birthday. Let’s just say that wasn’t how I had planned on spending my birthday week,” she ends her statement with a hollow laugh.

Jesus! This girl can’t catch a break…

I shove my hands into my pockets, the urge to have her in my arms getting stronger and stronger. “I’m really sorry for all your loss,” I say in a dejected voice. I wasn’t planning on us ending in such a depressing territory when I asked her on this walk.

Trying to come up with a new topic to lighten the mood, I look down at her.

We’re so close to one another that her shoulder and biceps brush up against my arm.

From up here, I can clearly see the top of her head, emphasizing our height difference.

And clearly having no restraint, I decide to bring that topic back up.

That will surely bring us out of this funky state.

“Okay, I have a serious question.” I give a suspended pause, making my question more dramatic. “Did your feet touch the floor beneath the table?”

Her audible gasp as she turns to face me has the serious look on my face break with a boisterous laugh. I know they did. I saw them from afar, but I knew that question would bring a smile back on her pretty face.

She smacks me in the chest with the back of her hand. “You asshole!” she says with no real venom to her voice before she starts giggling along with me.

My outburst ceases the second my ears register her laugh, like a beautiful melody falling from her lips. A carefree expression rests on her features.

Unable to help myself any longer, I reach out and take hold of her waist with both hands, bringing us chest to chest. Her laugh dies down with a soft sigh as we stare into each other, her golden hazels on my emerald greens.

My hand slowly comes up, pushing the strands of hair framing her face behind her ear before settling on the side of her neck. My thumb rubs tenderly back and forth on the soft skin along her jaw.

Her breath hitches, a pink tint taking over her cheekbones, lips slightly parted. I can see her chest rising and falling through her open coat. The smell of her vanilla and coconut perfume enters my nostrils with every movement. Fuck, does she smell delicious.

A stunning beauty.

I want to kiss her.