His Kind of Perfect (Sugar Bay #1) (6 page)

A tall, tawny haired man dressed in a pale blue shirt and
cream-colored slacks stood at the sight of her. She was glad she wore three-inch
heels yet still he towered over her by six inches making her level with his
classic red bow tie.

“Anabelle, is it?” At her nod, her date pushed black-rimmed
glasses up his nose and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Heath.”

“Hello Heath.” She looked into his aquamarine colored eyes and
tried to smile, pretending like it was a client meeting rather than a first
date because otherwise, she’d never survive. His grip was strong. She felt
calluses and wondered how he got them when his profile listed him as an
architect. Not many architects did manual labor that resulted in calluses.

“How are you tonight?” Heath had an English accent similar to
those on the BBC shows she watched on Netflix. She wondered why he was so far
from home.

“A bit nervous to tell you the truth.” Her smile felt more like
a grimace rather than anything genuine. How had she let Charlie talk her into
this tonight? She’d just opened the account his morning, for goodness sakes. It
was all too fast, too fast.

“Is this your first match up then?” Heath’s smile crinkled at
the corners and he pushed back a lock of sandy colored hair that had fallen
over his eyes.

“Yes. Could you tell? Am I awful?” She kept her shaky hands on
her lap and clutched her purse as if it were an anchor. She focused on deep
breathing exercises because it wouldn’t do to hyperventilate on her first date
in over eleven years.

“Not at all. You’re quite lovely.”

His warm smile reassured her and she grinned in return. “Thanks
for lying,” she said and forced herself to release her death grip and placed
the purse on the seat next to her.

“Have you been here before?” He looked around the quaint
restaurant.

“Yes. This is one of my favorite sushi places. It’s popular with
the locals and the sushi is always fresh. I’ve watched the Tomoka’s only child
grow up here. He used to sit at the back table doing his homework and answering
the phone for take out orders, now he’s at Yale studying economics. They’re
proud of him.”

“The American dream.
Very nice.
I
normally eat at Seito’s, it’s closer to my office.”

“That’s nice as well. Great design there. Modern yet intimate
but it’s pricey.”

He shrugged and they settled into a comfortable conversation,
mostly about design. Heath proved to be quietly assured, an overall nice guy, basically
a male version of Anabelle. As if he’d sensed her nervousness, he spent the
next forty-five minutes calming her nerves. By the end, she recognized as far
as first date’s went, it hadn’t been terrible so maybe her pushy pal was safe
for the night.

The problem was, she couldn’t imagine Heath naked, and she
definitely couldn’t imagine hot, dirty sex with this bow tie wearing architect.
Passionate, design debates, yes, but sweaty sex, no. Poor guy. Everyone
relegated her to the “nice” territory and she hated it, yet here she was, doing
the same thing to this guy.

Maybe she was being too quick to judge. Maybe underneath the bow
tie and crisp, blue shirt, lay the heart of a sexual animal? It was possible.
He looked fit, she hadn’t detected a paunch and he was attractive. She cocked
her head and smiled at Heath, maybe chemistry would build between them.

“Heath, would you like to help judge a student design
competition our network is sponsoring?”

“I’d love to. When is it?”

“It’s in two weeks at the Convention Center.”

“Let me check my calendar but I think it’ll work, I’m not in
town for the next few days but I’ll put that on my calendar.”

“Excellent.” This time her smile felt natural and Heath answered
with a smile of his own. Deep dimples bracketed his mouth and she wondered why
she didn’t feel an answering heat like when Derek smiled at her. She frowned at
the thought.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” There was no point in thinking about Derek. He didn’t
need a cougar lusting after him. And she didn’t want to be pitied.

Heath was a fine looking man, perfect for the next stage of her
life but a thought occurred to her. “Are you gay?”

He looked surprised but shook his head. “No.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with it…I needed to be sure…you
never know anymore…” she rambled on and he let her. It was an awkward
conversation for the first date and her face felt hot but she needed to know.

“It’s ok, Anabelle.” His hand covered
hers,
his warmth and quiet understanding reassured her that maybe coming out tonight hadn’t
been a mistake after all.

It wasn’t everyday a man turned into a stalker.

Not his finest moment by any stretch and he wasn’t proud. The
initial plan had been to disrupt the date by any means necessary. But on the
way over, he’d changed his mind thinking that maybe it was good Anabelle was
gaining dating experience. The last few years had been hard and he didn't want
her thinking she wasn't desirable. If he wasn't her choice and she wanted to
date a complete stranger, then he would watch over her and ensure her safety.

If Dani were here, she'd laugh in his face and call him out on
his bullshit.

Pure and simple, he was on a reconnaissance mission.

He’d done it for Uncle Sam, been paid for it so he was fairly
good. Dani, the little troublemaker, was well aware of his protective instincts
when she'd planted the seed. She'd known he’d go crazy at the thought of
Anabelle on a date with a potential psycho.

He sat in the corner and waited for his order to arrive. By
habit and so he'd have a full view of the restaurant, he'd chosen the seat
against the wall. Within minutes, he'd spotted his target nestled in a romantic
alcove with his competition.

 
Anabelle’s date
looked to be in his mid-thirties with sandy colored hair. The guy looked
more white
collar than blue collar with his old fashioned
bow tie and shiny shoes, like a model for Brooks Brothers, right down to his
Clark Kent glasses. If that was her ideal man, he was in trouble since on the
surface,
they didn't have much in common.

He had money in the bank, but he wasn’t old money by any stretch
and it didn't bother him. He had what he needed. He hadn't thought it mattered
to Anabelle either. She drove a Prius, wore vintage clothes and shopped at
Target. There was no evidence of weekly purse rotations.

Hard luck stories made her cry and she was always spearheading
some committee. The latest event was the student design competition she'd roped
him into judging although he didn't mind. As long as she was nearby and not
hurrying away as fast as she could, he considered it a bonus. He didn't delude
himself into thinking she wanted the pleasure of his company. But since the
competition focused on sustainable design and he was somewhat of an expert, she
was stuck with him.

He grinned.

Somehow he didn't think she was as happy about it as he was. He
kept waiting for her to make an excuse and back out but she was committed to
the cause.

A plate of sushi arrived and he dug in, still watching his
target. Bow tie must have said something funny because Anabelle laughed and the
throaty sound made him groan. Bow tie grinned as if surprised at Anabelle's
laugh and Derek knew just what the guy was thinking.

Derek's grip on the chopsticks tightened. Despite her conservative
appearance and sweet manners, between the hooker shoes she was partial too and
that husky laugh of hers, it made a man think of rumpled sheets and sweaty sex.
And if bow tie began to look the least bit lecherous, Derek would have no
qualms about taking him down.

He dunked his sushi roll a little too hard in the soy sauce and
spilled some on the table. He thought Charlie was his pal. She'd witnessed his
pathetic drooling in Anabelle's presence for almost a year now. You'd think
she'd steer Anabelle his direction, but no. He shook his head. Where was the
loyalty?

Everything in him wanted to rush the guy and break up the
intimate party of two but he forced himself to unclench his muscles and relax. Chest
beating was foreign to him as was being a player.

He was a modern man with two sisters and three nieces he adored.
And because he held firm to his philosophy that every woman was someone's sister,
daughter or family, women loved him. He was honest, never promised more than he
was willing to give and they loved him for it.

Attracting female attention had never been a problem for him, so
it bothered him that Anabelle treated him like a pariah. It bothered him even
more that Anabelle was stuck on the fact that he was younger. Age was a number.
He was responsible, paid his bills on time and was kind to women and children,
yet because he wasn't the correct age, somehow it made him unappealing.

There had to be a way to change her mind. He wondered about the
checklist Charlie had mentioned.

The duo got up and headed his way. He finished the last sushi
piece, crossed his arms over his chest and waited. The sexy little black dress
Anabelle wore had a deep neckline that showcased her killer cleavage. The fact
that bow tie hadn’t once looked served as a warning to Derek. What if bow tie
was like Anabelle’s ex?

Derek frowned, his eyes narrowed and his body primed to attack.
No one would take advantage of Anabelle’s sweet nature again.

A few feet from his table, Anabelle glanced
up and caught sight of him. Her surprise made her stumble and in a flash, he
was up and steadied her, ignoring her gasp at their electric contact. He caught
a brief hint of her scent before she pulled
away,
steady once more on those heels of hers.

“Thanks.” She shot him a polite smile and tucked
a lock of hair behind her ear, peeking up from under her lashes. If she knew
what that habit of hers did to him, she would run hard in the opposite
direction. Instead of keeping him away, like she seemed to want, it only served
to bring out his cave man instincts. Even now, he had an overwhelming urge to toss
her over his shoulder and make off with her.

“Not a problem.” He widened his stance and
waited for an introduction.

“Hello Derek.”

“Anabelle.”

“What are you doing here?” She fiddled with
her purse strap. It looked like she was blocking his view of bow tie standing behind
her.

He lifted a brow, catching the guilty look
in her eyes. “I was in the mood for sushi.”

“Really?” She bit her lower lip, as if she didn’t
quite believe him. Smart girl.

“Yes, really.” He glanced behind her and
she sighed.

“Derek, this is Heath, my date.”

Bow tie extended a hand and he took it. “Hello
Derek. Good to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well.” Derek nodded and
crushed the guy’s hand, already hating the fancy boy accent he heard. Bow tie
had a good grip and smiled back as if he hadn’t noticed Derek’s bone crushing
grip.

He wondered if Anabelle was the type of
girl who went nuts over an English accent. Unfortunately, Dani was half in love
with Pierce Brosnan although Derek wasn’t a hundred percent certain the guy was
English. At one point, Dani had set Disney’s Ocean documentary as her sleep
mode, claiming the sound of Pierce’s narration gave her ultimate sweet dreams
or whatever the hell that meant. As he wasn’t comfortable with the thought of
his kid sister as a sexual being, still saw her as the kid who melted her
Barbie’s hair playing beauty salon in front of the furnace, he’d pretended he
hadn’t heard her dreamy eyed confession.

Women.

He loved them, was often surrounded by
them, but he didn’t necessarily understand them.

And if Dani heard his competitor’s accent,
he’d never hear the end of it. On that depressing thought, he pumped the guy’s hand
a little harder and blamed it on the MSG loaded soy sauce, he heard it made
people crazy.

Anabelle looked on with worry.

“Heading out?”

“Yes, we were-“

“Good. I’ll walk with you.” He avoided the
glare sent and threw down money to cover his bill. He motioned her forward and casually
stepped between the couple.

“How do you two know each other?” Heath
asked after the hostess bid them a good night.

“Derek and I work together,” she said as
they stepped out into a perfect October night. Shoppers milled about enjoying
the balmy weather in the upscale residential plaza. “He makes sustainable
furniture and custom wood work.”

“Yes, Wheaton Woodwork.”

“I’ve seen your work on Inhabitat.
Excellent stuff.”

He hated that bow tie knew of and liked his
work, made it a little hard to dislike him, especially as he had every intention
of stealing the guy’s date. “Thanks.”

“I’ve invited Heath to help with the
student competition judging.”

“You have, have you?” He understood her guilty
look from before. She had thrown up another roadblock.

“Yes, I’m quite looking forward to it,” Heath
said before the buzz of his phone caught his attention. He glanced at the
screen. “Excuse me. It’s my sister.”

“No worries. Take your time, I’ve got a
couple of those myself.”

Heath nodded and stepped away. Anabelle
stepped closer and before he could enjoy her proximity, she hissed, “What are
you doing?”

He lifted an eyebrow and she flushed.

“Just go away. It’s awkward enough.”

“No can do. Think of me as your fairy
godmother, but instead of keeping you in glass slippers and a poufy dress, I’m
here to keep you safe,” he drawled next to her ear.

She growled in frustration and he grinned.

By then, Heath stepped closer. “I’m very
sorry Anabelle, my sister has locked her keys in the car. I can’t let her wait
for the locksmith this late by herself when I can run by with the spare.”

“Of course not,” Anabelle said. “Go take
care of your sister.”

Heath gave her a grateful smile and Derek
felt a bit grateful himself for this stroke of fortune. Heath glanced toward
him. “You’ll see she gets home, won’t you?” He looked at Derek in question, as
if he hadn’t just handed Derek a golden ticket.

“I’ll see to it personally.” Derek knew he
should feel guilty for honing in on the guy’s date, but he couldn’t dredge up
even a hint. He was too busy stifling the urge to fist pump.

“I’ll be in touch, shall I?”

“Sure,” Anabelle said.

Not if
he could help it.