Page 29 of Seduction

He was only ten when she died from ovarian cancer. His father was so depressed, he drank himself into the ground. Literally. After a night of bingeing, he ran his pickup truck into a tree and was thrown through the windshield. Einstein stayed with us for a while before moving in with his grandparents. He was an only child, so he and Gage became even closer after losing both parents. I don’t remember much about Einstein’s parents, but they were obviously very much in love.

Not knowing what to say, I concentrate on my food. When the waiter comes to clear the table, he asks if we’d like dessert. Einstein looks to me expectantly.

“You wanna share something?” I ask.

“Sure.” He shrugs.

I quickly scan the dessert menu, but everything looks so good. “What about the chocolate and strawberry cake?”

“Sounds good.” He turns to the waiter. “We’ll have a slice of that.”

“Certainly, sir.”

I glance toward Einstein as I hand the menu back to the waiter. He’s watching me. There’s something in his eyes I can’t quite identify, but it sends my heart fluttering.

“What?”

“Just thinking.”

“About me?”

One side of his lips curls up. “And if I said yes?”

“I’d want details.”

His smile turns into a grin. I return it, waiting for him to reply. He doesn’t get a chance, though, as the waiter returns with our cake. I momentarily forget about our little back and forth because… chocolate. I grab my spoon, moving aside the strawberries on top to go straight for the dark piece of Heaven.

“Mmm….” I close my eyes. “That issogood.” When I open them, I find him watching me again. “What?”

“Just imagining you making that sound… that face… in a completely different situation.”

I force the piece of cake down my throat before I choke on it. Taking a sip of my wine, I observe him over the glass. One minute he can seem so aloof, and the next he’s thinking about my sex face.

“You don’t need to imagine, you know.”

“In due time, beautiful.”

“What about you? I wonder… Do you wear your glasses?”

“Only if you want me to.” He licks his lips, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

“I don’t mind. As long as they don’t get in the way.”

Pushing up his glasses—deliberately, I think—he gives me that gorgeous smile of his. This tension between us, I have to admit I like it. I can’t wait for him to kiss me, because I know it will be epic. All this heat between us will surely ignite when it finally happens, hopefully at the end of the night.

“Don’t worry,” he assures me. “I have extra pairs.”

Well, damn.

He asks for the check when the waiter reappears. After paying in cash, he extends his hand to me while getting to his feet. I take it, following him to the back of the restaurant. One step outside the building and I feel like we’ve been transported to another world. Looking around, I see where the name came from. There’s a narrow man-made brook circling the entire rear of the property, different walkways adjacent to it. Each one is illuminated by antique-styled lampposts. One path—the one Einstein takes me on—leads to an arched wooden bridge.

“You okay?” he asks, motioning to my heels.

I look ahead at the bridge and nod, not anticipating any problems. He walks next to me, carefully watching my every step. I smile to myself, loving the attention, the way he looks out for me. We stop in the middle of the bridge, and I lean forward, gazing down at the water flowing beneath us. The reflection of the moon catches my attention, and I turn my eyes upward, amazed at the sheer number of stars in the sky tonight. I can’t remember the last time I did anything like this.

Einstein presses against my back, sliding his palms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. I shiver in his arms. I didn’t realize just how much I missed being held.

“Are you cold?”