“Why? You're beautiful, smart, and unique. I feel like I won the gold prize just sitting here with you.”
Oh. Her stomach clenched to try to quell the butterflies dancing there. She polished off her plate and pushed it forward. Her jeans suddenly felt tight and she wanted to undo the top button. Just another reason why she hated normal clothes. Normal clothes never fit her right.
“You're nice too,” she said and instantly winced at the lameness of the statement.
He tossed his head back and laughed a low rumble of sound. His laugh was so infectious she joined in and just like that the tension in her shoulders eased. She wanted to ask him about what he'd said, if he really planned on kissing her, but that would just sound immature, stupid, or needy. She didn't know what to expect with him after he said that, but she felt excited for the first time in a long time at the thought of it. Anticipation settled deep in her to wait. Even as he brought her into a conversation on magic and spellcasting, she answered while her mind sorted through all the possibly ways he could kiss her, all the ways it could feel. Would he be a slow and sensual kisser? Or maybe rough and a little aggressive? Her thighs squeezed tight at the thought.
“You're thinking about it,” he said, his voice laced with an erotic edge.
The jarring statement gripped Rosa out of her reverie with hard hands. She bit her lip and debated shaking her head as if she hadn't been, or maybe nodding and being bold like Lily just to see what his reaction might be. Instead she just looked at him, her lip caught between her teeth. His eyes wondered slowly down to watch her mouth and she could see the transformation in him. The darkening of his yes, the deepening of his, and the lowering of his eyelids into a sexy mask.
Sucking in an unsteady breath, she looked around the room avoiding the need to fan herself. It got hot in here very quickly.
“Let's get out of here.” He stood and tossed a big bill on the table. Not a light tipper she noted with a smile.
He helped her back into the SUV and they took off down the road heading back to her shop. She bit back her disappointment that he hadn't kissed her by putting on a smile. Not that the smile was fake by any means, she felt really good and relaxed around the warrior who, at first glance, had terrified her. Really it wasn’t her fault. He was built with a powerful body covered with hard sinew. He twice as wide as the average man. Now that he didn’t terrify her, she actually enjoyed looking at him. While working, she’d catch herself imagining what it’d feel like to be in his strong arms.
A tingling sensation bloomed in her belly and spread outwards like a veining plant. She hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time—the kind between a man and a woman. She placed her hand over her belly to help calm her nerves.
“Have you ever been married?”
The sudden question had her eyes flying wide. “What?”
He shrugged. She couldn't help but notice how well he drove. Such a simple task, one millions of people undertook daily, though not one she preferred at all. She'd never owned a car in her life and she was damn proud of her old ways. He drove with one big hand curled around the wheel, the other resting on his big thigh. And big they were; the man was built like an ox. Another bloom of pleasure surged through her, making her hyperaware of how close she sat to him, of how strong he was. He could easily bench press her five hundred times and barely break a sweat, she’d bet. She'd never been into muscular men until now. His muscles made her wiggle in her seat.
“Just wondering if you've ever been in a relationship like that.”
“No, never married. Just a few long-term relationships in the past. I stopped after—” she paused as she almost said his name. “I stopped after the last one. Didn't need another after that.” Understatement of the year. The man had managed to squeeze every ounce of confidence she'd ever had until she was completely dependent on his rare positive moments to feel good about herself. And when that wasn't happening, she was dodging his fists.
“I understand that. I was married.”
An eyebrow flew up. It shouldn't surprise her, but it did. She didn’t analyze the spark of jealous that flared up. “What happened? I mean where is she?” She didn’t know him well but she didn't figure him for the kind of man to just end something easily. He was a fighter by heart; he'd deck it out until the end.
He sighed softly. “It was a long time ago. Her name was Moira. We were married for a long time, but that ended a long time ago.”
She shouldn't probe, but she was dying to know. “May I ask why you aren't with her anymore?” she asked in a quiet voice. She wanted to make sure he knew he could back out of this line of questioning if he wanted to.
“She was killed,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “She fought in The Great War. She was a great fighter. Got killed when we were outnumbered.”
Rosa processed that like a snail. A warrior? A female warrior fighting for the Atal Warriors. She'd never heard such a thing. Though her death happened a thousand years ago, she could still hear the pain in his voice. Her heart panged with guilt at having brought it up.
“I'm sorry.” The useless words sounded incredibly insufficient in the context of things.
His big shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It was a long time ago. I've moved on, Rosa.”
The way he said her name made her breath catch. He said it softly, like a man who really liked something. Rosa quickly diverted her gaze out the window to hide another stupid blush. If this kept up she'd end up with permanent pink cheeks. Ridiculous how she was acting. She was a grown woman; she could control herself better than this.
“We're here.”
Nodding, Rosa reached for the door handle. Warm fingers wrapped around her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Don't,” he said.
As he walked around the car, her heart started pounding faster and faster.
I'm going to kiss you today.
Why?
Because I really, really want to.
Her breathing couldn't stay even as he reached the door and opened it. Her lips, her body, everything tightened in anticipation. He took her hand and helped her out of the car. For a moment they were so close she could feel the blazing heat radiating off of him. She swayed a little on her feet and bravely met his gaze.
Strong, sure eyes met hers, glowing with barely-contained heat. His arm reached by her and she tensed, a small gasp left her, but he didn't wrap his arm around her as she thought he would. Instead, he closed the car door behind her and nodded toward the shop.
“Come on, let's get you inside.”
Rosa blinked several times to clear the foggy haze around her. It worked—somewhat. It took her two tries to get the key in the lock and turn it. The welcoming scents of coffee, incense, and fresh herbs greeted her making her smile. It felt good to be home. While she'd never admit it, she didn't really like leaving her shop. It was her home. She knew she was somewhere between mildly agoraphobic and reclusive, but luckily not quite that severe.
She made it halfway through the shop to the little sitting area before she turned back around. “Can I get you anything?” Like the kiss you promised me? She wanted it. Badly. She wanted to try it, to feel (hopefully) sensual excitement rush through her blood and make her heart race in the way that only a certain kind of man could do. She frowned as she saw he still stood at the doorway.
His head jerked to the side and she frowned with disappointment.
“I need to get back to Telal actually. I kind of left things when maybe I shouldn't have.” He sounded different, hesitant.
“Yes, of course.” Her chest suddenly felt hollow like several key pieces were missing.
He must have seen her disappointment because he cursed. “Ah, hell.”