of me feels rather sorry for the man. His request took me off guard. In retrospect though, I’m not surprised. He was clearly on the edge of the cliff…
Lauren placed her napkin over her lap while she waited for Aries to return from the restroom. He’d pulled up at her house five minutes early, walked up to her door, and handed her a bouquet of fragrant pink ombre roses.
Honestly, she didn’t know what to make of that. She didn’t consider this a date – he had questions and perhaps, she had answers. Nevertheless, she’d done her due diligence. A quick public search of his name unearthed that he was divorced. She’d learned that from an inactive Facebook profile. There hadn’t been any public updates on it for years. He seemed to live in a very nice part of town and when she looked at his LinkedIn profile, it was mentioned that he was a member of some large, popular motorcycle club.
So he’d walked her to his truck, and that was when things changed.
Before she knew it, the broad-shouldered man with beautiful amber eyes had his hand draped loosely around her waist, helping her into his enormous black truck. He’d turned on some music, a country song she didn’t recognize, and then they headed to the Canoe, a scenic eatery nestled along the Chattanooga River. It was an upscale restaurant with a laid back feel. She’d never been before but had heard so much about it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” His deep voice startled her. He pressed his black tie against his crisp white shirt and took his seat.
“Oh, you’re fine. No problem.” She sipped on her water. The light hum of dinner time chatter filled the area – cutlery tinkling on plates and hushed laughter. Their view of the surrounding garden was lovely. Such a perfect place.
The man placed his linen napkin across his lap and looked about the restaurant before turning his attention back to her. It was then that she smelled it again, his musky, masculine cologne blended with a touch of earthiness and pure male. That scent was becoming familiar to her, having now seen him three times. She curbed her desire to smile, but it proved hard to fight. He cleaned up well in his business casual attire, down to his nice dress pants and shiny dark shoes. No more oil and soot, dirt and grime.
“So, how’s business? I saw when you handed me your card the other day that you’re the owner of a motorcycle repair shop.”
“Yeah, business is good. I sell bikes, too.” She nodded. “Do you know how to ride?”
“What? Me?” She pointed to herself and chuckled.
“Yeah, you. Only the two of us sitting here,” he said with a grin. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“You take that right. No, I have never ridden a motorcycle. I’d probably be scared to death. I like the idea of it, don’t get me wrong. I think women who ride bikes come across as daring and sexy.” Why in the hell did I just say that?! “I mean, they seem to like to have fun. You know what I mean! It’s just not something I have put much thought into.”
“All right, well, everything isn’t for everybody.” She nodded in agreement. “But sometimes, we don’t know what we wanna do until presented with the opportunity.” He paused before adding, “Not even on the back of one?” She shook her head. “That’s a shame. Maybe one day I can change that for you.”
Warmth crept over her skin as he regarded her with an intense gaze. His eyes hooded and her gut clenched.
“So, you said you had to call your son. How old is he?”
“Just turned thirteen. He’s home right now, so I just wanted to remind him I’d be back in a couple of hours.”
“Happy belated birthday to him.” He nodded, a big smile on his face. “I see that proud papa grin of yours. That’s definitely the smile of a delighted father.”
“I am! Even though he really tests my patience some days, that boy’s my world.”
There was something magical and soothing about hearing a man speak of his child in that manner. She could see the sincerity in his eyes.
“Is he your only child?”
The man nodded, then picked up his menu and opened it.
“Yup. Just the one. What about you? Any children?”
“No, I don’t have any.”
Silence stretched between them then. She found herself pulled to him, curious. Aries had an alluring magnetism. It was a multitude of