Ignite On Contact (Brotherhood by Fire #2) -Jaci Burton Page 0,18
tonight, when likely all he wanted to do was thank her with a nice dinner and a handshake by the door at the end?
She laughed and went to the fridge to pour herself a glass of wine.
CHAPTER 9
RAFE COULDN’T REMEMBER OBSESSING SO MUCH OVER what to wear for a dinner date. He finally settled on dark jeans and a blue-and-white thin-striped button-down shirt. Who knew this was going to be such a big deal?
But he had to remember to make this as laid-back and casual as possible, so he wouldn’t spook Carmen into bolting from the restaurant. After talking to her grandfather, he decided to take things easy. She was obviously skittish about dating and men in general since her marriage broke up. He didn’t know the details, and it wasn’t his business to know. All he wanted to do was show her that he was one of the good guys.
He backed his truck down the driveway and pulled into Carmen’s. He could have walked over, but he figured since this was a date he’d pick up Carmen the right way rather than having her walk across the lawn to his house. Plus he’d seen the lightning, and he didn’t want Carmen to get wet if it started to rain.
He rang the doorbell and waited. No one answered, so he frowned and rang the bell again.
He heard footsteps, and Carmen opened the door, knocking him back on his heels.
She had on a sundress that clung to her gorgeous curves. Her hair was down, she had makeup on, her lips were painted some dark color that drew his attention to her mouth and suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss her. And maybe run his fingertips over all her exposed skin to see if it was as soft as it looked.
Slow. The. Fuck. Down.
Good reminder. So he smiled and said, “You look amazing.”
She gave him a hesitant smile. “Thanks. So do you. Also, you didn’t mention where we were going, so if this outfit is too much, or not enough, I can change.”
“You’re perfect for where we’re going.”
“Oh, good.”
“Is your grandpa here? Do you need to do anything for him before we go?”
“No. He’s out tonight with friends, and they’ll settle him in when they bring him home.”
“Great. Then we can go.”
“Okay. Let me grab my wrap and my purse.”
He watched her as she walked down the hall toward the living room, then leaned over to fetch her purse from the sofa. He tried not to ogle the way the sundress caressed her butt, making him itch to explore her globes with his hands.
Dude. Get your head in the game.
He cleared his throat and turned his back on her, forcing himself to think of anything other than Carmen’s hot body.
When she pulled the door shut and brushed by him, she offered up a smile. “I’m ready.”
So was he. So, so ready.
He went out to his truck and opened the passenger door. She gave him a curious look as she stepped up.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
He closed the door, then walked around to the driver’s side and got in. He pulled out of the driveway and down the street, making his way toward the highway.
After he pulled into a lane on the highway, he said, “You gave me a look.”
She shifted to face him. “I did?”
“Yeah. When you got into the truck.”
“Oh.” She let out a soft laugh. “It’s been a long time, like, a very long time, since someone has opened and closed the door for me when I got into a car.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So you don’t date much.”
“Honey, I don’t date at all.”
He slanted a quick look at her. “Then I’ll do my best to make this one good for you.”
She gave him that look again, the one that told him she didn’t believe that what was happening to her was real.
Who the hell had she been out with before? And what kind of an asshole was her ex?
Don’t worry, Cinderella. I’ll make you feel special.
He had thought to go low-key tonight, to approach this as a friendly dinner. But now he saw that Carmen needed to be treated like a princess, that it had been far too long since someone had put her needs first.
He was just the guy to do that.
They made small talk about their workday during the twenty-minute car ride, which reminded him how well they got along, how easy it was to be with her. Usually, first dates were full of tension, not knowing the person, trying to