When he finally pulled into a sandy beach lot, my mouth dropped open as my eyes fell on the same restaurant where we shared that first lunch when I barely knew anything about him.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
He killed the engine and turned to face me. “We’re making new memories.”
“What do you–”
“I don’t want you to be reminded of my lies whenever you look at certain places.”
“I’m not…”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “I know how it is, Mackenzie. I do it, too. I want you to have better memories of us. I need those, too. Every time I drive by this restaurant, I don’t want to be reminded of the reason I took you here in the first place. I want to be reminded of new memories that we’ll make tonight. Okay?”
Nodding, I smiled. “I’d like that.”
Opening the door, he ran around to the passenger side of his car and helped me out. Before I could react, he pulled my body to his, taking me by surprise. “You look amazing, Serafina,” he growled, his tongue exploring my neck.
My eyes fluttered closed as I lost myself in the moment, not caring that we were out in public. I wanted nothing more than to go back to my place and finally experience Tyler once more. It had been so long since I had felt his body move in perfect harmony with mine, and I was desperate to be consumed by that mind-blowing high only Tyler could give me.
“I love it when you call me that,” I murmured, whimpering as his hands began roaming my body, the silken material of my black dress against my skin only heightening my awareness of him.
“And I like calling you that,” he replied.
“Why don’t you call me that all the time?”
He exhaled, running his fingers through my hair, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I can’t. Not yet. Not until I know that no danger will come to you because of who you truly are. Until then, I only feel safe using your real name in private. Even then, I don’t want to use it too much. I don’t want to run the risk of getting used to it and slipping up. Okay?”
I remained entranced by his sincere green eyes, the sound of the crashing waves echoing in the distance.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Good. Hungry?”
I laughed. “Always.”
He wrapped his arm around me, keeping me close and steady on my impractical leopard-print stilettos, as we walked up the wooden steps to the restaurant.
We entered the building and I almost didn’t recognize the place. Where I expected to be faced with the sound of dishes and lively conversation, I was met with beautiful music being played by a live band… The same band I had hired to play opening night at my restaurant.
Noticing my bewilderment, he placed his hand on my lower back and led me through the empty dining room. “This way, mi cariño.”
We stepped onto the back deck and I saw that it had been cleared of all the tables except one…a cozy table set for two. I couldn’t help but grin at the amount of thought Tyler put into this evening. I didn’t want to even think what it cost him to convince the restaurant to close for the night just to accommodate us, but I was grateful he did. I needed this. I needed to be rid of the memory of our first lunch here. Instead, I wanted to look back at this place and this evening as the night we got our second chance.
After helping me into my chair, Tyler sat down opposite me, his eyes glued to mine. His gaze was the perfect combination of endearing and carnal, showing me that he revered me but also wanted me in such a way that he had never craved another human being.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he began, breaking the silence between us. “Not to sound selfish, but I kind of wanted it to be just us tonight. Is that okay?”
“It’s too bad. I was really looking forward to having to talk loud just so you could hear me,” I joked.
“I missed that smart mouth of yours,” Tyler retorted, winking.
“Is that all you missed?”
He slowly shook his head. “No. Certainly not.”
“Well, tell me. What else did you miss? Oh, I’m sorry,” I added quickly. “I’m breaking the rules.” Grinning, I bit my lower lip. “Truth or dare.”
Tyler’s expression grew wide before his face settled into a brilliant smile. He grabbed a bottle of sparkling water off the table and poured some for me and himself, then placed the bottle back on the table. “Are you sure you want to play this game, Mackenzie?”
“Tyler,” I began, grasping his hand, “I don’t want to forget all the memories I have of you. Do I want to start over? Of course, but I know I saw part of the real Tyler during those two weeks, particularly when you took me here for lunch and we started playing Truth or Dare. You’ve got a playful streak and that lunch was the first time I saw it. So I don’t ever want to stop playing Truth or Dare with you.”
He brushed his fingers across my knuckle just as a gentle breeze blew. There was a light humidity in the air, but it was unseasonably cool for the end of July, making it a pleasant evening to be sitting outside and enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner as we rediscovered us.
“So is that what you like about me? My playful side?”
Freeing my hands from his, I took a sip of water. “I like all the sides of you. I love those moments when I don’t see the brooding, mystery man who picked me up at a bar back in March. Don’t get me wrong. I love your dominance, even though I shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” he asked, rubbing his hands under his chin.
“I don’t know. I swore I would always be the one in charge, that I would keep control over everything in my life…”
“And you do, Mackenzie. Even when I act dominant, as you call it, you still have all the control. You always have. Now, I think you were about to ask me a question.” He winked as I considered his words.
He was right. It was the mystery and intrigue as to who Tyler was that first attracted me to him. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Then, it was his power and dominance which flamed my longing for him even more. But I held all the control from the beginning, even during our one night together. I had the power to walk away, but I couldn’t, no more than I could now.
“Truth or dare?” I raised my eyebrows at him. Placing an olive on my tongue in a seductive manner, I saw his breathing grow shallow, his eyes glancing to the somewhat voluptuous cleavage of my halter dress.
“Truth,” he replied, his gaze intense.
“What else did you miss about me while you were away?”
His expression turned light, clearing the intensity between us for a moment. “Your eyes. I missed peering into them, trying to unwrap all of your layers. There’s a depth to you I saw that first night at the bar. I saw all the pain you were trying to bury under the façade you’ve put on the past few years. The hurt you still feel from having to hide who you truly are is painted in your eyes. I missed staring into them, trying to reassure you with my own eyes that everything would be okay, even if just for a minute.”
“What else?” I asked, almost breathless from the unequivocal sincerity etched on his face.
“Your body.”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “Oh really?”
He grinned. “Yes, really, but not like you’re thinking. I missed the feeling of falling asleep next to you at night, knowing I was there to keep you safe from harm. I was halfway around the world and felt utterly helpless, regardless of all the assurances I had received that you were okay. I hated I wasn’t there myself to make sure no one harmed you. It drove me crazy to have to step aside and let someone else take my place. I vowed once I was able to come home, I would do everything I could to return to where I belonged…by your side.”
“What else?” I whispered, my throat heavy with the emotion I felt from his words.