Page 41 of Unexpected

When we got home, I fixed dinner, and we played some games before she went to bed. All evening, I’d been watching the clock, waiting until the moment Alexis would come home. She didn’t return until a little after nine.

“Hey.” She dropped her keys on the counter, setting her purse next to them.

“Hey.” I grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

She kicked off her shoes and gave me a smile, but I could see she was tired.

“How was work?” I led her toward the sliding glass doors that opened to the pool.

“Good. Busy. Two of my agents double-ended a deal, so that was pretty fantastic.”

“Double-ended?” I asked, raising my brow. “Is that some crazy sexual position?”

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “No. It’s when two agents from the same brokerage represent the buyer and the seller, meaning we get both commissions.”

“Wow,” I said. “That’s awesome.”

We rounded the corner to the backyard, and I tapped on my phone to cue the music. The candles—well, fake candles—were flickering along the edge of the pool, lighting the path to a table for two.

Alexis turned to me with a smile. “What is all this?”

“This—” I gestured widely “—is dinner.”

“Wow. This is…” She held her hand to her mouth. “Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me.”

“Seriously?”

How had this woman not been wined and dined? On the one hand, I was grateful. Because it meant it was something special I got to do for her. But shame on the men she’d dated in the past. A woman like Alexis deserved to be wooed. And I was going to woo the fuck out of her. She thought this was a fling, but I wanted more. So much more.

I pulled out a chair for her and poured her a glass of wine before pouring one for myself.

“I’ll be right back.” I leaned down to peck her cheek, my hands lingering on her shoulders. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Oh, I’m certainly hungry,” she said with a seductive lilt to her tone.

“Don’t tempt me.” I tsked. “I could easily be persuaded to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.”

I’d left the food in the pool house so it would stay fresh. And I returned a moment later with a large charcuterie platter as well as a caprese salad.

“This looks amazing,” she said, taking a little bit of everything and putting it on her plate.

“I’m glad.” It was a relief to know she liked what I’d chosen.

“How was Sophia today?” she asked, nibbling at her cheese. “I hate it when I’m not home in time to wish her goodnight.”

“She was good. Funny. She wanted me to buy hot-pink glitter candles for our dinner.”

She laughed but then stilled. “Wait. You told her about our dinner?”

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “I just told her I was planning a romantic dinner for a girl I liked.”

She arched an eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other as she took a sip of her wine. “So, you like me, huh?”

I took her hand in mine. “You haven’t figured that out yet?”

“Mm.” She took another sip and then set her glass on the table. “No, I think you made that abundantly clear last night.”

“And this morning,” I added. “But if you need further proof of just how much I like you,” I teased, “I’d be more than happy to oblige.”