He was wearing a navy blue suit, but this time without a tie and, in the twinkling glow of the restaurant, he looked relaxed and happy. I noticed his light brown hair was sun-streaked and the open collar of his shirt showed a muscular and tan chest. His eyes opened and I turned my attention to my own plate.
“You seem like the sporty type. What do you do for fun?” I asked, trying to get my mind off of those broad shoulders.
“Promise not to judge?”
I grinned. “Only if you give me the last samosa.”
“Deal.” He pushed the small plate across the table. “Polo.”
“You mean with the game thingy with the horses?”
“That’s the one.”
He sipped his wine and watched me, as if my reaction to his revelation was important. I liked that he cared what I thought, although I wasn’t sure why he was concerned about what I’d think of a game.
“Sounds like fun,” I said and he relaxed.
The main dishes arrived, steaming up the small window above our table, and Edward ordered another bottle of wine. We skipped separate plates and shared bites from each savory dish, rolling our eyes and moaning at each tantalizing taste. Our conversation veered off into favorite books we read in childhood and we laughed over our shared secret love of science fiction.
“I thought I was the only one that carried a towel around my backyard and waited to hitchhike on passing spaceships,” I said.
“Are you kidding? I got a telescope just to look for rides out into the galaxy.”
When we finished, we both tipped back in our chairs. I looked down at the table, startled by the sheer volume of food we’d consumed. It was probably a good thing I’d skipped the narrow pencil skirt.
“Do you want to take a walk?” Edward asked.
“I’d better or you’ll have to roll me home.” I smiled.
He paid the bill without letting me argue about splitting it and we strolled down the block where he signaled to his driver to move on. The car slowly drifted away and we turned the corner. I saw Washington Square a few blocks away and Edward slipped an arm around my waist as we walked towards it. His hand rested on my hip, a warm brand.
We’re together,
that touch said. I liked it.
We passed several wide gallery windows where New York’s socialites were fawning over new artists. I stopped in front of one white-walled gallery displaying black and white photographs. They reminded me of Flynn. I tried to swallow the ache that rose in my chest as I remembered the look in his eyes as he’d aimed the camera held such passion, so focused, so intent.
Stop it
.
I wanted to be there, leaning against Edward with his arm around my waist, but my mind suddenly fixed on Flynn, wondering where in the world he was at that moment.
Probably French-kissing some silly waitress in Paris or seducing a young senorita in Spain, I thought and tried to shake him from my head.
“Everything alright?” Edward asked, his tone concerned.
“I’m fine,” I said, dragging my thoughts away from the images. I put my head on his shoulder.
The farther we got from the gallery, the easier it was to put Flynn out of my head, the easier it was to focus on the man next to me. It was so easy being with him. Just walking in the warmth of the night—everything felt easy. “Maybe you should pinch me. Is it just me or is this date going really well?”
Edward stopped me at the edge of the park and turned me so we were facing each other. When I didn’t look up, too focused on trying to remember how to breathe, he reached out and tipped my chin up. His pale eyes studied me for a moment before he leaned close and softly grazed his lips across mine. The caress left me sighing and I raised myself up on tiptoe to return the light kiss. He slid his hands down to the small of my back and pulled me close. This time, when his mouth came down on mine, the pressure made my lips part so he could deepen the kiss. He cradled my head with one hand and used the other to arch my back, lifting me up deeper into the kiss.
It was intense, sweet and poignantly romantic. My heart began to race as his mouth took mine. I felt like someone from a movie and a shiver of pleasure ran down my spine.
When he slowly broke away, my head was spinning and his hands gripped my waist almost convulsively, as if he was fighting the urge to kiss me—and more.
His eyes locked on mine, brighter blue from the heat of the moment. Still holding me around the waist, he signaled for the nearby town car with one hand. I held my breath, not sure how to respond to the invitation I assumed was coming next. I’d wanted romance and not just sex, but I couldn’t deny how much I wanted him right now.
“I’d say it went very well, Gabriella.” He lifted a hand and caressed my cheek. “Paul will take you home. I’m a little warm so I think I’ll walk.”
“Goodnight?” I whispered and stared at him. Was he serious?
He pulled me tightly to him again and we both melted into another kiss. Then I felt his arms tense and press me back, as if he didn’t trust himself to kiss me any longer.
“Can I see you tomorrow night?” he asked, his voice a bit breathless. “I have tickets to the theater. Please?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Charming,” I said as I climbed into the car. This date was going to keep me for a while.
***
When Kendra came home late Sunday morning, she stumbled over a wide box in our narrow hallway. “Oh, hey now…just
what
do we have here, Gabs? You picked up a secret admirer or what?”
“You’re one to talk.” I scowled at her. “Where have you been, Ms. Thing?”
“Obviously out with a lower class of guy. Where’s
my
giant post first date present?” she asked with a grin.
Before I could reach for it, she tore open the card and read it out loud.
“Darling Gabriella. Last night was a dream. My fairy godmother saw this and thought of you. I can’t wait to see you in it tonight. In anticipation, Prince Charming.”
She handed over the card as she gushed, “Damn, Gabs, seems you’ve cast a spell with all your talk of love and romance.”
I pushed Kendra out of the way and shimmied open the box lid. Inside was a long dress in the deepest lapis lazuli blue. The plunging neckline touched a satin empire waist before the dress undulated in soft waves to the floor.
“Wow,” Kendra breathed. “Wait! I have the perfect shoes to match!”
***
With my own fairy godmother providing me with pale gold, sparkling shoes, I felt like Cinderella that night as I carefully swept down our front steps in my elegant gown. Edward was waiting, a broad smile stretching across his face as he escorted me to the town car where Paul was waiting with the door open. I smiled at the driver and he tipped his hat in return.
“So where are we off to?” I asked as we settled into the back seat.
“I have two tickets to see the most popular show on Broadway,” he said.
I studied him for a moment. “You have no idea what the show is called, do you?”
“No.” He laughed. “Do you know what show everyone’s been talking about?”
“Sorry. Unless it’s reality TV, my friends have nothing to say, and I tend to stick with what’s on the small screen for work.”
“Well, luckily the marquee should be big enough for us to figure it out before we walk in,” he said. “And if we don’t, it’ll be a pleasant surprise.”
When Paul, our driver, pulled up in front of the theater, I looked up at the marquee and couldn’t help myself. “Oooh, I always wanted to see that!”
His gaze followed mine and he smiled. We were in for a spectacular rendition of Cleopatra’s love story.
It was everything I could’ve dreamed it would be. Completely enchanted by the spellbinding production, we held hands through the entire show. Despite the electricity flowing between us, neither of us looked away from the stage.
During intermission, Edward kept seeing people he knew. I half expected him to deposit me in the corner with a drink while he greeted his friends. After all, I wasn’t one of them.
Instead, he kept my arm tucked in the crook of his elbow and introduced me to everyone we saw. I felt like I was walking in a dream.
“Edward, I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” A white-haired woman in an oversized ruby necklace looked down her nose at me. “I thought perhaps you were seeing Talia’s daughter.”
“Allison, this is Gabriella.”
Kendra often added phrases like “she’s a really talented writer” in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. She’d never really read anything I’d written so the white lie made me feel like I was not enough on my own.
Edward, on the other hand, simply introduced me as me and left it at that, like I was enough to be a singular name. He then steered me away with a confidence that said any other information was none of the obvious gossip’s business.
“People seem very interested in your dating life,” I said once we were out of earshot of his admirers.
“My mother is a patron here. These are actually tickets she gave me.”
I considered the question. “And were you supposed to bring Talia’s daughter?”
“Perhaps,” he said with a smile. “But then again I got lucky and you said yes.”
The house lights blinked and we returned to our seat. The rest of the show was romantic and tragic, just as I’d known it would be. We held hands again despite the obvious disapproval of Mrs. Allison Whitehair who was watching from her private box.
“Do you think she’s going to tattle on you?” I whispered, barely suppressing a laugh.
“Probably.” His breath tickled my ear.
“Will your mother be angry?” I asked, honestly curious.
“She could be.”
He turned to me with a mischievous smile. “If that’s the case, I should give her a reason to really be upset.” Then, without waiting another moment, he pulled me into a dramatic kiss. It started off theatrically and ended with a surprising amount of heat. When he set me back in my seat, an entire song had gone by and my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest. I was breathless, my heart was racing and I had to consciously uncurl my hands from his arms.
The white-haired gossip might not have enjoyed the extra performance, but I didn’t care. The moment his lips had parted mine, I hadn’t been aware of anything but him. Not the people, the play, the music. Only the feel of his mouth moving against mine, the heat of his hands...
When the show was over, Paul was waiting outside with the door already open, as if he’d known we’d want to leave quickly. Once inside the car, Edward gathered me in close and three blocks went by before we surfaced from an even more thorough and intense kiss. My entire body was throbbing, my nipples hard and tight, aching against the strapless bra.
The pulsing between my legs was profound and it took all of my self-control to keep from grinding against him.
“We have reservations,” he said.
“Delicious.” I ran my fingers through his hair, wanting to see what it looked like mussed rather than professionally styled.
“Or we could send Paul for take-out.”
Hell, yes. I nodded and with a quick rap on the partition, Edward took us away from the glitz and glamour of downtown. When I looked out the window a few minutes later, my jaw dropped.
Living in New York City, it was easy to forget that some neighborhoods had trees. Not just the skinny little trees that sat in open circles in the concrete, but big trees with wide spreading branches. Trees that arched up and over the street. Streets that were lined with private homes bigger than my entire apartment building.
When we drove through tall wrought-iron gates to a palatial limestone mansion, I started to feel like a fairytale character again. I actually lost a golden heel on his expansive front steps. Running back to grab it, I realized I had not hallucinated. His house had not one but two turrets. I felt myself quickly going from feeling like I was in a fairytale to feeling completely out of place.
“You live in a castle?” I asked as he came back down to my side.
“It’s only temporary,” he said, his tone almost dismissive. “It’s a family home. I stay here while my own place is being remodeled.”
Edward must have sensed my sudden hesitation as he gave my hand a slight squeeze. “Don’t worry. We are all alone. My family only uses this place as a vacation home in the summer.”
With that said, Edward pulled me through the echoing foyer and into the snug warmth of a side room. I didn’t see much of the house as we went, too caught up in the feel of his hands on me, but I didn’t care. If it was between the house and the man, I knew which one I was choosing.
“This is my favorite room in the house.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled the spot under my ear. “We can relax here unless you want a tour?”
I shook my head, reluctantly stepping away from him. I needed a brief moment to gather myself and I took it by settling down on the buttery tan leather couch. A small fire flickered on the stone hearth and I wondered if he’d had someone start it for him. While I was wondering, Edward poured two crystal cut glasses of whiskey and handed me one before stretching out on the Persian rug in front of me. I tousled his light brown hair and we watched the fire as we sipped.