“I thought you weren’t supposed to talk about exes on the first date,” she said with a small teasing smile, attempting to ease the tension that had uncomfortably settled around them.
His lips quirked in response, “Regardless, I’d like to hear.” It was such a simple request, but she still felt hesitant breaching the subject.
Just then, their waiter appeared, bringing out their dinner. Olivia had been so caught up in her freak-out that she had completely forgotten about it altogether. She bit her lip, wondering if Alex even wanted to have dinner with her still. She imagined he probably wanted to run away, screaming. Maybe it would be better if she just paid for their dinner now and left. Escaping with at least a tiny bit of dignity sounded like the best plan to her.
But in the end, Alex made the decision for her. “Plain as day. Remember?” She glanced up at him, confused, only to find him watching her. Intently. It hit her like a bag of bricks before he could even open his mouth to speak. He saw everything. The simplicity, yet absolute truth, of that idea was staggering. “Stay, please,” he requested.
Alex reached across the table, closing the distance between them. Her eyes slid shut the moment his fingertips touched her skin. He gently traced over the crease that formed between her brows, smoothing it with the rough pad of his thumb. He felt warm and his touch felt heavenly against her skin. Then he slowly slid his hand down the smooth lines of her face until his fingers brushed against her lips. Only then did her eyes snap open.
“I want you,” he said, in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, his eyes burning into hers. Her heart leapt into her throat at his declaration. She had never seen a look so intense, so deeply sensual. Despite the lasting effects of her embarrassment, she felt warmth unfurl in her lower belly as she returned his gaze, unable to look away. Even if she had the power to break his gaze, she was unsure she even wanted to. She felt desirable—the way a woman should feel—when he leveled her with a look like that. “But right now, I want you to eat your dinner and tell me about your asshole of an ex.” His hand withdrew from her and she barely managed to catch herself before she followed its warmth.
“How do you know he was an asshole?” she asked, trying to stall for time. She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice came out breathless. Her mind was still focused on his smoldering look and the fact that she now had definitive confirmation that he wanted to sleep with her. She picked up her fork, but she was momentarily distracted by the way Alex’s jaw worked as he chewed his food.
“Because it’s obvious he cut you deep,” he said, once he swallowed. She couldn’t help it. The way he said those words with absolute certainty made her flinch. She hoped it was unnoticeable, but she should have figured she wouldn’t be so lucky. The man had eyes like a hawk. He picked up everything. “Ah, darling, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
She shook her head, “No, you’re right. He was an asshole.”
But what she didn’t say was that even though Miles had cut her deep, it was her own fault for letting him. Olivia realized that now and was angry enough at herself for letting him get away with backhanded compliments and cruel honesty, as Miles had liked to call it. She was ashamed now that she let him walk all over her. She had never wanted to be that woman, but she had discovered herself in that position less than a year ago. Yet, she’d still fallen for his illusion that marriage was quickly impending and that he loved her.
She felt like a complete idiot now. A complete, utterly humiliated idiot.
“Tell me about him.” Alex’s quiet words broke through the haze of memories that were slowly gathering.
“Do you always get your way?” she asked, her eyes flashing to his.
His sudden grin stole her breath. “I like it when you get feisty.” Her resulting flush broadened that grin even more. “And yes, most of the time I do.” There was that casual arrogance again…
Olivia watched as he slowly took another bite of his chicken, which reminded her that she had yet to start eating. As though on cue, her stomach rumbled, prompting her to pick up her fork and dig into her ravioli.
“Olivia…” Alex started.
She sighed, knowing he wouldn’t drop the subject until she relented. “There’s really nothing to say. After college, my cousin introduced us and we really hit it off. Fast forward about six years, he dumps me for another woman, with a smaller waist and bigger boobs. What more do you want me to say?” She stared at Alex, hoping that since he could read her so well he would figure out that she didn’t want to talk about Miles any longer. His expression was blank but at least he didn’t show pity, like Olivia’s own family had done. “I’m sorry, Alex. I just really don’t want to talk about him. Better yet, I want to forget that I ever met him and just move past that whole relationship.”