Page 7 of Ready, Willing and Abel (Dog Tags #6)
chapter
seven
Abel
Technically, tonight is supposed to be fake. A show for the cameras. That’s the intention. At least Tish’s intention.
I have a different plan. Woo Esme so that she’ll realize she belongs with me. Just the thought of getting my hands on her, touching her, kissing her, gets my blood pumping. I already had to take myself in hand twice before driving out here to pick her up.
Now I’m standing on her porch waiting for her to answer the door. Tonight’s date is pretty low-key. Just a dinner at Gator’s, the local Cajun restaurant. I’m told sometimes they have live music on their back patio and they have a makeshift dance floor.
I don’t know what tonight all entails, but I want to learn everything there is to know about my girl.
Finally, she throws open the door, and that old song Lady in Red starts playing in my mind.
Her red dress wraps around highlighting every curve.
The deep V of the neckline shows her ample cleavage without being overly revealing.
The dress wraps around her waist and then flares out into a skirt that falls just below her knees.
“Wow, you look gorgeous,” I say. I’m still taking her all in. The thick waves of her chocolate-colored hair. The expert way she has done her make-up so it merely enhances her natural beauty rather than masks it.
“Are those for me?” she asks.
I look at her, confused for a moment.
She laughs. “The flowers. For me? Or a snack for my goats?”
I laugh then and hand over the bouquet. “For you.”
“Come on in while I put these in water,” she says.
I don’t even bother trying not to stare at her ass as she carries the flowers into her small kitchen. Her house is small, the kitchen is separated from the living room by a narrow wall. She runs the faucet, then carries the jar with the flowers in it and sets them on the two-seat table.
She clears her throat, catching me ogling her from my spot leaning my shoulder against the doorway.
“Just checking out my girlfriend,” I say. “She’s hot.”
She does a little twirl for me. “Glad you like the dress.”
“The dress is fine. But I like the woman.”
“Thank you for the flowers.” She walks towards me. “You look pretty hot yourself, though I suppose that’s standard for you.”
I lift a shoulder. “Truthfully, I don’t pay much attention to those sorts of things. If I have to attend a formal something; awards show or premiere, then I have a stylist. Otherwise, it’s just me.” I hold my arms open.
“So you picked out your clothes all on your own today?” That mischievous grin of hers is like my own personal catnip.
“I did.”
“Well, you did very well.” She steps even closer to me. “I was thinking that we might need to try something to get it out of the way. Make sure we’re comfortable with each other.”
“Sure.” This close I can see green and gold flecks in her brown eyes. They look like they hold an entire universe inside. “What did you have in mind?”
“This.” She puts her hand on my chest, then leans up and presses her lips to mine.
It only takes me a second to recognize that she’s kissing me and to take over. I’m not missing out on our first kiss. I straighten from the doorway, cupping her jaw in my hands, before turning us both so her back is against the sliver of wall I’d been leaning against.
My hands find her waist and I close the distance between our bodies.
Fuck she feels good. She tastes even better. I sweep my tongue into her mouth, pulling a sweet little moan from her. My hands slide around to the back, and I squeeze her ass. Goddamn, this woman is fucking magic.
She presses a little on my chest, and I break the kiss.
Her pupils are blown and her lips are swollen from my kiss.
“Well, at least we won’t have to fake the chemistry,” she says. Then she frowns. “Well, I won’t. I guess this is pretty standard for you, huh?” She gives a nervous laugh, running her hands down her sides. “You probably know all kinds of things about how to make a kiss look real.”
I shake my head. “None of this is standard. And there was nothing fake about that kiss.” I don’t hide the fact that I have to adjust myself so my dick isn’t pressed awkwardly against my zipper.
Her eyes drop to my cock, and then her cheeks pinken prettily. “I guess we should probably go.”
I nod. “I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t bring a limo or anything. I keep a car at my house in Crescent Bend, so I have that.”
“Oh, I actually prefer that. I don’t think small-town Esme Morales makes sense in a limo. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d look fabulous in one, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable. Ya know?”
“I get it. But for the record, I think Esme Morales belongs anywhere she wants to be. You’d class up any place. Especially a limousine.” I hold my arm out to her, and we step out onto her porch. “Did that sound as cheesy to you as it did to me?”
She laughs. “A little.”
“Fuck, I’m so bad at this.”
“At what?” I open her door to the car.
“Dating. Impressing a woman worth impressing.”
She smiles up at me. “Are you trying to charm me, Abel Cartwright?”
“Yes, I definitely am. Is it working?”
“Ask me again at the end of the date.”
I laugh. I jog around to my side of the car. “So what’s good at this restaurant, Gator’s?”
“Everything.”
“Should we get one of everything?” I ask.
“That might take a while.”
“I’m in no hurry.” I drive down her driveway and head back into town. “So tell me everything there is to know about Esme Morales.”