"Drew, it's okay," he said. "Take all the time you want." He paused. "Well, not all the time," he amended. "I'm leaving Thursday morning so I'd need to know before that to make hotel room arrangements for you. So…you could take until Tuesday." He shrugged. "Besides, you should probably meet my family first, anyway. You might decide they're too crazy to hang out with." He half-smiled and was pleased when she chuckled.
"Okay," she said. "I'll let you know before Tuesday."
"Good," Heath said. He looked at his watch again and was surprised to see that a half an hour had flown by. "We should probably get going," he added, reaching for the small, black leather folder containing their check Sophie had left when she'd brought them their dessert and coffee. "The, uh, movie starts soon." The Benedum theater where the ballet was being performed was only a five minute walk from the restaurant, but Heath still needed to pick up the tickets at the front and he didn't want to hassle with the crowd on the way to their seats.
He left enough cash to cover the bill and a tip, then snapped the folder shut. Drew was looking at him hesitantly. He cocked his head. "What?"
"Do you –" Her hand hovered over her clutch. "I mean, I can help—I just don't want you to –"
He finally understood what she was getting at and shook his head. "No way. I got it. Let's go."
He rose from his seat and pulled her jacket from the back of her chair, waiting until she had risen to her feet before he helped her slip into it. They made their way outside into the cool evening, the spring sky now a bit darker than before, and Drew took his arm again. They reached the movie theater and she started to turn in toward it, but Heath kept moving.
"Heath," she said in confusion. "The theater's right here."
"Let's take a little walk," he replied calmly. "It's nice outside. We have a little time, I think."
"Doesn't the movie start soon?" she asked, although she let him lead her on. "Which movie are we seeing, by the way?" she went on. "You never said."
Heath glanced both ways before crossing the street. The Benedum was to their left and there were scores of people walking up and into it. Drew looked up at him like he'd lost his mind.
"What are we doing?" she asked in utter confusion.
Heath stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at the brightly lit marquee with "Giselle" on it in huge black letters. He turned and smiled down at Drew as understanding began to dawn in her eyes.
"Did I say a movie?" he asked casually. He shook his head. "Sorry. I meant a ballet."
Her mouth fell open in surprise and she turned her eyes up toward him, their warm chocolate brown depths filled with wonder and gratitude. She sighed before a slow, sweet smile spread across her face and shadows creased her cheeks deeply where her dimples were on full display.
He couldn't help himself. He leaned down and brushed one of them with his lips. "Showtime," he murmured against her skin. He pulled away, looking into her still smiling face. She was shaking her head slightly and seemed unable to come up with anything to say, but the look on her face said enough. He took her hand in his, feeling hers give his a tight squeeze, and led her inside the theater.
Chapter Twenty
Although Heath would rather have died than ever admit it, he actually ended up enjoying the performance of Giselle. Now that he knew what the story was about, he could follow the events and appreciate the interpretation by this particular ballet company. And since he appreciated Drew's dance ability, he could also appreciate the athleticism of the dancers, the fluidity of their movements, and their overall balance, coordination, and grace.
He groaned inwardly and had to laugh at himself as he thought about what Connor, Rex, Jameson, his father, even Joaquin or any of his Marines would say if they knew he'd gone to a ballet. He'd never hear the end of it, but screw it. He sort of liked it. He cast a sidelong glance at Drew.
He especially liked watching her enjoy it.
When they'd taken their seats, he'd realized that she still hadn't said anything, but she hadn't been able to stop smiling either. He'd turned to her to ask if everything was ok, and before he could get a word out, he felt her hand slide gently to the back of his neck as she brought her lips against his in a sweet little kiss. When she'd pulled away, she'd whispered, "Thank you." He couldn't do anything but sit still as she'd wrapped both of her hands around the arm that was nearest to her and leaned her head on his shoulder. He'd murmured back a "you're welcome" and accidentally ignored the first several minutes of the start of the performance as he'd inhaled her scent, enjoyed her body heat and lightly touched the locks of silky hair that fell across the front of his arm and chest.