did. It was, by far, the best he’d ever had. Just thinking of it made his stomach knot and his toes curl in a way that had him wanting to jump in his car and drive to her apartment right now.
It was just that he felt like, somehow, she’d been slighted in this whole process.
And he wanted to make it right.
“Let me take you out tomorrow.”
“I just told you I have to work two parties tomorrow,” she said with a laugh.
“After that,” he said, his voice turning serious. “Tomorrow night. Go on a date with me.”
There was a slight pause before she spoke, a smile in her voice. “A date?”
“I know, it’s backward,” he said. “But let me do this the right way, even if it’s in the wrong order.”
“Chase McGuire, do you mean to tell me this whole time, you’ve been a closet romantic?”
“Would you just put me out of my misery already?” he laughed. “Let me take you out tomorrow.”
She laughed softly before she spoke, her voice whisper soft. “I would love to go on a date with you,” she said, and Chase smiled at those words on her lips.
One of the more beautiful things he’d ever heard.
Chase sat at the red light, his fingers drumming the steering wheel. He glanced in the rearview one more time, running his hand through his hair in an attempt to neaten it, and he froze, dropping his head back on the seat and exhaling a breathy laugh.
Did he seriously have first-date jitters right now?
“Get your shit together,” he said to himself, taking his foot off the brake as the light turned green, and he concentrated on stilling his fingers as he drove the last mile to her apartment.
He got out of the car, smoothing the front of his green button-down. He wore it un-tucked, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and his nicest pair of jeans.
Chase jogged up the steps to her door, knocking softly, and within seconds it swung open. “Hi,” she smiled. “Perfect timing.”
“This is our first date, you know. You aren’t supposed to be ready. You’re supposed to make me wait a little. Build a little mystery.”
She smirked at him, shaking her head, and he held out the bouquet of flowers he’d brought for her.
“Chase, what are you doing?” she sighed, taking them from him as she lowered her face to inhale their scent.
“Bringing you flowers.”
She looked at him over her shoulder as she turned to walk into the kitchen. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, her voice both appreciative and reprimanding.
“Of course I didn’t. But I wanted to. There are a lot of things I want to do for you tonight, and I’d appreciate it if you’d just let me.”
Andie lifted her brow slightly. “Fair enough,” she said with a smile, laying the bouquet on the island counter. “Let me just put these in water and we can get going,” she added, turning around and standing up on her toes as she reached above the cabinet for a vase.
As she extended her arm, her lower back arched slightly, giving him an amazing view of her from behind, and he groaned softly.
Andie cocked her head over her shoulder, catching the way he was looking at her. “Well now, that’s a little bit forward for a first date, don’t you think?”
He laughed quietly, looking away from her. “You’re making this hard, Andie.”
“Pun intended?”
Chase laughed again before he straightened his expression and turned toward her, pointing at her in a playful warning.
She smiled and held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay,” she said as she began arranging the flowers, and Chase watched her, her hands moving with precision, coming up every so often to tuck a strand of blonde silk behind her ear. Her brow was creased in concentration as she pursed her lips, fussing over the arrangement.
He’d seen her in an evening gown, he’d seen her in a T-shirt and jeans, he’d seen her in sweats, and he’d seen her in nothing at all; she never disappointed.
“Okay,” she exhaled, turning toward him. “I’m ready. At least, I think I’m ready. Is this okay? I wasn’t sure where we were going.” She gestured at the fitted sweater dress she wore over tight brown leggings.
“It’s better than okay,” he said. “And if this wasn’t our first date, I could find some other colorful adjectives to describe the way that sweater fits you.”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “I appreciate your gentlemanly restraint,” she said,