She glanced down to where he was looking at. “Sure.” When she handed him what he wanted, he tore off a sheet of paper and jotted his number down on it.” When he gave her everything back he noticed how her hands slightly shook as she took it out of his grasp.
“Hey.” He waited until she looked at him before he continued. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being pressured into anything. You are in control here, okay?” After a long moment of her staring at him, she visibly relaxed. At that moment he wanted to find the guy who had hurt her, that had her feeling like she wasn’t in control, and beat him until all his rage and all her pain were gone.
She glanced down at his number and he saw a touch of a smile cover her lips. She shoved it in her pocket and started writing something on a blank page. When she tore it off and handed it to him and he saw her number written on it he couldn’t help his smile or the way excitement coursed through him. Yup, he was becoming a damn teenager again.
“Thank you.” He was thankful for a lot of damn things, but right now, at this exact moment, he was so very thankful that she trusted him enough to give him those ten little digits.
* * * *
Since giving Adrian her number Brea had contemplated if that had been the best course of action. Since moving away she had done everything in her power to go unnoticed, and here she was, at the very first opportunity, giving away pieces of herself. One more look in the mirror confirmed she was ready for her date tonight. Was she that desperate for a man to notice her? Did she really want affection so badly that she would risk everything she had worked so hard for?
Adrian had offered to pick her up but she had declined, knowing it was a stupid move to allow him to know where she lived. They were to meet up at a little Italian restaurant on Hickory Ridge Street. Her nerves were shot to hell and she couldn’t stop her palms from sweating. Grabbing her keys and purse, she double-checked to make sure her pepper spray was safely stashed away in the inside pocket. Smoothing her hands down the front of her jeans, she headed out the door.
Primos was a renowned restaurant that specialized in homemade pasta and sauces. When she walked in, the smell of garlic and tomatoes wafted around her. Her stomach cramped in hunger and she looked around the small, almost intimate interior. The two-seater tables were situated in the center of the room with the booths pressed up against the walls. She didn’t see Adrian right away, but several of the booths faced away from her so it was possible he was seated in one of them.
“Do you have reservations?”
Brea drew her attention to the hostess booth to her right and the young, extremely attractive redhead behind it. “I, uh…I’m meeting someone here.”
The hostess raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her. “Name?” The way she said that one word was so condescending that Brea felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. Maybe this had been a horrible mistake.
“Brea?” Adrian’s deep and gravelly voice had her turning around and all thoughts of fleeing leaving her mind. Just one look at him had her common sense taking a vacation. The dark jeans and loafers he wore were casual but sophisticated. He wore a crisp, light-blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes. The sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, showing a few sharp lines from his tattoos, making him appear a little on the bad boy side. He came up beside her and smiled broadly down at her.
“I’m sorry I’m late. There was an accident off of Cedar and Broadview. I had to take a back way.” Now that he was closer to her she could hear him slightly out of breath.
“You didn’t walk here, did you?”
He chuckled. “No, but there wasn’t any close parking so I had to park two buildings down and run up here.” Her heart just melted a little more. He turned toward the hostess. “Two for Adrian Holden.” The waitress took a moment to drag her seemingly awestruck gaze from him and look down at the sheet in front of her.
“Uh, yes, of course, Mr. Holden. Right this way.” She cut Brea a rather nasty glance before she turned and led them toward one of the empty two-seater tables.
“Actually we’d like a booth, if you have one.” Brea knew if she had requested that from the hostess she might have gotten her eyes clawed out, but when Adrian had asked all he got was a dreamy-eyed look and a nod.
“Is there anything you and your sister would like before I leave?”
His sister? Really? Why, because he was so incredibly gorgeous that the only way he would be seen with her was if they were related? She didn’t expect Adrian to correct her, but his next words surprised her.
“No, thank you. My beautiful date and I will wait for our waiter.”