Love to Hate You (Hope Valley #9) - Jessica Prince Page 0,78

was dressed similarly to how he dressed for work, in a button-down and slacks, but he was also sporting a matching deep, charcoal gray jacket. His button-down was a sexy maroon color that looked amazing against his skin, the material fitted just enough to hint at the delicious rippled muscles beneath.

“Damn,” he grunted, his gaze sweeping from my feet to my hair.

“That’s a dollar!” Ivy proclaimed proudly. Over the past month, I’d given up trying to convince both of them that Micah didn’t have to contribute to the swear jar, and he’d given up all pretenses that he didn’t spoil my daughter to an almost embarrassing extent. Ivy didn’t even have to use The Look to get him to do her bidding. He was all too proud to do it on his own. Micah pulled out his wallet without fuss and passed my girl a dollar bill, his attention pinned on me the whole time. His rich, husky voice came out extra rumbly as he said, “Jesus, Red. You look incredible.”

My belly swooped and my cheeks heated. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” That was an understatement if there ever was one. I wanted so badly to say screw the date and lick him all over. “You ready to go?”

“Just a second.” He stepped past the threshold into the entryway and grabbed me by my hips, pulling me flush against him. His mouth came down on mine in a slow, savoring kiss, and when his tongue peeked out, giving my own a gentle sweep, I sighed and melted into him. “There,” he announced once he pulled back a second later. “Now I’m ready to go.”

I bent to give Ivy a kiss on the cheek, reminding her to be good, before moving to Sylvia and doing the same—including the reminder to be good.

Micah gave them the same attention, even hefting my girl up so he could squeeze her tight and press his lips to her forehead. And just like every time I saw them interact, a part of me swooned. After that, we were off.

I intentionally kept the conversation light on the way to the restaurant, deciding it would be better if I paced myself. When we pulled up in front of the rustic yet elegant cabin tucked back into the trees of the foothills, I pulled in a surprised breath.

I stared out my window as Micah came to a stop at the valet stand and put the truck in park. “Wow, this place is beautiful.”

“Wait until you try the food. It’s gonna blow your mind, baby.”

He hopped out and rounded the hood, taking my arm from the valet who’d opened my door and helped me out. With me tucked snuggly into his side, we headed inside. If I thought The Groves was beautiful from the outside, the inside took my breath away.

I took it all in as the hostess led us to our table beside a diamond-paned window with a stunning view of the trees outside draped with white fairy lights.

Once we were seated, our menus placed in front of us, I turned my attention from the window to the man sitting across from me. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Those grassy green eyes hit me as a smile pulled at his lips. “Thank you for tolerating me these past few weeks. I know things have been a little chaotic lately.”

The waitress stopped at our table to take our drink orders, offering me a brief moment to find my courage.

He’d just given me the perfect lead-in, and I wasn’t going to be fool enough to ignore it. “Speaking of that, how are things going at work?”

He lifted the menu and flipped it open as he casually replied, “Let’s not talk about my job tonight.”

I tried a different tactic, hoping it would soften him up. “It’s just that you don’t really talk to me about your cases or anything. I know whatever you’re working on right now is giving you trouble. I want to make sure you know you can always talk to me if you need to. I can’t imagine the pressures of being a police officer. I’m sure, sometimes, you just need to be able to vent.”

He glanced up from his menu, giving me a quick, non-committal grin. “Thanks, but I’m good. There’s not much to talk about.”

One of my eyebrows shot up. “Really?” I asked, unable to hide the skepticism in my voice. “So it’s just a normal, everyday thing to take off in the middle of