"Shabby! I might look ordinary, but shabby's taking it a bit far."
He grinned and chucked her under the chin. "Teasing you is like taking candy from a baby." He pushed past her and held out the bag. "Try it on."
"What if it doesn't fit?"
He held out his hands and shrugged his shoulders in a gesture typical of his Italian heritage. "I spent an entire day shopping with you, I think I know your size."
She still didn't move so he took her by the shoulders and steered her toward the bedroom door. "Promise I won't walk in on you naked." He handed her the bag, gently shoved her through and closed the door before she could protest.
But that wasn't going to stop her. She opened the door and poked her head round. "This could take a while. I have to put makeup on and do something with this hair."
"I know. The booking's for eight. Snoopy will keep me company until you're ready."
"I doubt it. He's in the kitchen licking my floor clean of chocolate fudge. He's in doggy Heaven."
Zack put one arm against the door frame and leaned towards her. He smelled edible. He looked cheeky. "So that's why you were late? Stopped off for ice cream, eh? That a comfort thing?"
Annie had the great satisfaction of slamming the door in his smiling face.
***
Zack felt like a teenager as he waited for Annie to finish dressing. He paced the cleanly licked floor of her small kitchen, then stopped mid-stride as Snoopy cocked his head to one side and looked up at him.
"You're right. I'm behaving like an idiot." He helped himself to the tub of ice cream. "This isn't a date. It's two friends having a nice dinner."
Half an hour later, he'd flipped on the TV but not even sport could soothe his anxiety. Last night had been an embarrassment, a blow to his ego. He thought he'd ruined everything with his smartass comment about the kiss being part of her training. He regretted saying it and he wanted to make it up to her. But he'd been worried all day about how she'd react. It had been an enormous relief to hear her voice on his answering machine that afternoon. Now all he had to do was explain why he'd kissed her in the first place. That wouldn't be easy.
Finally, the bedroom door opened and Annie made her entrance. Zack released his breath and stood.
Her strapless black dress, flecked with gold, shimmered in the waning light. It hugged her petite frame, enhancing the nip of her tiny waist and the gentle roundness of her hips. Her br**sts swelled over the top of the dress and he wished he could place his lips on the exposed flesh. She wore her hair up with sexy tendrils falling from her temples down her cheeks. Her makeup was subtle yet perfect for her naturally pretty features.
She was, by far, the most stunning woman he'd ever seen.
"You look incredible," he said quietly, his voice sounding unnatural to his ears.
"Thanks to the dress," she said in that self-deprecating way of hers. Why did she do that? What made her think she wasn't good enough?
"No. The dress is just a piece of material. But you..." He took her jacket and placed it around her shoulders. He caught a whiff of her perfume and had to hold himself back from burying his face in the hollow of her throat.
"Ready?" His voice caught. He coughed to hide it, but she'd noticed.
A small smile crept across her lips and he was damned if he didn't feel himself blushing. He must be, because her intense blue eyes sparkled with laughter.
"The bike's parked outside," he said.
The sparkle disappeared. "The bike! You don't expect me to-"
He grinned. "No, I've brought the Aston Martin."
"I didn't know you owned a Aston Martin."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."
"I'm beginning to realize that."
Annie told Snoopy not to wait up then closed the door behind them. Zack opened the car door for her then got into the driver's seat.
"So where are we going?" she asked.
"Jacques. It's a nice little restaurant-"
"I know where it is."
"You've been there?"
"Not recently." Like never. She couldn't even afford the hors d'oeuvres. "So what's the big occasion? Is this part of the curriculum?"
He shrugged. "Sort of. Our kiss last night got me thinking. I suppose it was part of your training. All eighteen-year-old guys love it when an older woman comes onto them."
"But I don't want to come onto him! He's a kid and he's annoying." And she didn't like Zack encouraging her to kiss other men...er, boys. Besides, there'd been more to that kiss than he'd let on. She was sure of it.
"Don't do anything with him, Annie! He's a kid. Just flirt with him a little, nothing more than that."