"Maybe you will." I grinned back. I could definitely go for another date with him. I liked the way he smiled at me and the way it made my whole body react. He was like sunshine for my soul.
"Then I'll need to give you my phone number," he said. He grinned and held out his hand. "I'll put it in your phone."
I pulled up the contacts screen and handed it to him. He quickly added his name and number, making sure to keep my phone screen where I could see what he was doing. He hit save, and handed it back to me.
I took my phone back and pulled up the text message screen. I wrote my own name and texted it to him.
"And now you have mine," I told him, putting my phone back in my purse. He grinned and reached for another tater tot.
His knee bumped mine under the table, though he seemed not to notice it. The heat from his leg sizzled across my brain and I nearly lost the ability to speak. He certainly had an effect on me.
I was used to flirting. I was used to going out on dates, yet somehow, Henry had me feeling like a high school girl out with the quarterback of the team.
I reached over and took a tater tot as well, more to distract myself than hunger. It was crunchy and salty in my mouth. "Are you in DC for a game?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm out this season."
"I'm sorry," I told him. "Did you have an injury?"
He shrugged and shook his head. "Work and duty come first," he told me.
"What kind of work do you do?" I asked.
"It's a family business." He waved his hand through the air. "It's not very interesting to be honest. Lots of travel. Politics. International trade."
"International trade can be interesting," I responded, trying not to think of the reams of paper waiting for me back at the office. "Sometimes."
"If you say so." He picked up another tater tot and chewed it carefully. "And what about you? What do you do at the Trade Representative Office?"
"Nothing important." The words tasted bitter coming out.
"Do you want to do something important?" he asked, his blue eyes going to mine. When he looked at me like that, the world held still.
"I do," I said softly. "I always have. I want to make the world a better place."
Henry nodded and then frowned slightly. "You said your last name is Ritter? Like the Ritter Child Safety Law that's posted in the back of all the taxi cabs?"
I smiled at my father's legacy and nodded. "Yup. That was my dad. The success of it turned him into a senator."
Henry looked impressed. "So you're a senator's daughter?"
"I was," I told him. I looked down and fiddled with a crumb on my plate. Somehow I'd devoured the entire sandwich. "He died a while ago. A heart attack."
"I'm so sorry." Henry reached across the table and took my hand. It warmed me straight to the core.
"Thanks." I tried to shrug away the empty ache that always filled me talking about my dad's death. "Anyway, he's probably the reason I want to become a senator myself."
"So, you have political aspirations," Henry said, releasing my hand.
"I guess. But, it's more that I want to follow in his footsteps. I want to live up to the Ritter name and continue on his good work. He wanted to make the world a better place, and so do I."
Henry appraised me for a moment, leaning back in his chair. The sunlight dappled on his across his face. He must have shaved that morning because he didn't have stubble yet, but my fingers itched to touch him and find out. It took some willpower not to stare.
"What about you? What do you want to do with your life?" I asked, wanting to take the attention off of me and learn more about him.
"Me? I'm following the family business," he replied. "Just like you."
I smiled. "Is your dad a senator too?"
He chuckled. "Not quite." His eyes went distant. "He died last year. We're all still adjusting. My older brother has most of the responsibilities, but I'm doing my best to help."
"I'm sorry," I said, echoing his words to me. I reached out and took his hand this time.
"Something we have in common," he said softly. He looked down at my hand, rubbing his thumb over my fingers.
"You said you have an older brother," I said, wanting to change the subject. Death wasn't a great first date topic. "Any other siblings?"
"A younger brother, too," he said, a smile replacing the sadness in his eyes. "Liam is the oldest, I'm the middle, and Freddy is the youngest."
I tried to imagine two more men that looked like Henry. If they were as attractive as he was, they could all go into Hollywood and make millions. The idea of three blue-eyed handsome men was rather breathtaking.
"What about you?" he asked. "Any siblings?"
I thought about Anastasia. She could barely remember my name half the time. "I have a stepsister, but we aren't close. I don't really have any other family. My mom died when I was little and my dad remarried when I was sixteen. After Dad died, we didn't really have much in common anymore so I rarely see them."
And I was talking about death again. And my terrible stepmother. Good job me. Time to change the subject.
"Have you been in DC long?" I asked, choosing something that hopefully had nothing to do with dead parents.
"I just got here last week," Henry replied. "It's a beautiful city."
I smiled. "Have you seen the sights yet?"
He shook his head. "Not really. I saw the Washington Monument the other day, though."
He grinned at me and I chuckled. "I'm not sure you actually saw it. You were kind of busy running into me."
"Then I've already seen the best part of the city," he informed me with a knowing smile.
My cheeks heated and glanced down at my hands. The compliment warmed my chest. How was it that a simple compliment like that could make me so damn happy?
"You want to get out of here?" I asked. "I still have some time. I can give you a quick tour."
"Sure," he said, a thrill filling my chest. I wasn't sure if it was at his words or his touch that had my heart doing a happy tap dance.
He grinned and squeezed my hand as he stood up. We carefully deposited our empty plates at the designated spot and stepped out to see the sights.
Chapter 6
I led the way to the famous monuments, walking along the streets of Washington DC, hand in hand. I tried not to focus on how his very touch heated my entire being. I kept sneaking glances over at him as we walked, unsure if this was really happening.
"Where are we going?" he asked as we skirted around a group of tourists. He smiled as he said it, his steps confident and matching mine. I got the feeling he didn't care where we were actually going, as long as it was with me.
I definitely felt the same way.
"I thought I'd show you the Reflecting Pool," I replied. It wasn't far from the restaurant, and it was always beautiful. We just had to walk south in almost in a straight line and we'd hit a lot of the famous tourist sights along the way.
"That sounds wonderful," he replied, squeezing my hand. I liked that he hadn't let go of it, even though it was making my heart beat in funny patterns. I never wanted him to let go.
We walked along, making comfortable small talk. I played tour guide, telling him all about the local attractions and what made some of the monuments special. I told him about the museums and the best times to come see them. He listened and nodded as we walked, keeping the conversation flowing. It was comfortable and easy. I felt like we'd known each other for years.
"Here is the White House. The president lives and works here, and it is a favorite to destroy in sci-fi films," I announced, motioning to the white building to our left. It stood out proud against the pale blue sky. "If you get a chance, the tour is pretty cool. It's definitely worth the wait."
"I've actually already done the tour," he admitted. "It's a lovely place. There's a lot of history of this country there."
I stopped dead in my tracks and frowned at him.
"Wait, I thought you said you've only seen the Washington Monument?" I asked, confused as to how he could have already had a tour at the White House.
"I've been to DC before," he explained. He shrugged and smiled, as if it were his fault and not mine that I didn't know this wasn't his first time here. I felt like an idiot.
"Oh, god. I didn't ask if you've been here before. I asked what you'd seen this trip and..." I grimaced and dropped his hand, turning away from him. "You probably don't want to see all this stuff again. I'm sorry."
He turned and caught me, his hands going to my shoulders. They held me in front of him with a strong warmth. "Yes, I do. You obviously love your city. I want to see it through your eyes."