Carson shook his head. “But that doesn’t make it bad. Yes, a little awkward, but not bad at all. Now that I see you outside the club, I want to know you better. You have a quiet beauty to you when you aren’t onstage. Sure, we both have our reservations, but I want to get to know you. I don’t know how long this West Coast case is going to take, but I’m not wrapping it up anytime soon. Can we get to know each other? That’s all I’m asking.”
“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve never done this, and like I said, I’m kind of inexperienced when it comes to dating.”
She was such a liar. Sienna wanted to get to know Carson in the worst way. She wanted to know all of him, even his little quirks, what he looked like in the morning, and whether he would like her running her hands through his thick black hair.
“And to be honest, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t live up to any of your expectations,” she said so softly she almost couldn’t hear herself. Why was she sabotaging herself?
He pitched his broad chest just an inch or two forward. “Seriously,” Carson said sincerely, “no expectations. Just dinner, a movie, a run, maybe see your gardening? No big deal. Can’t we just explore this?”
“I guess since I already put my foot in my mouth and was honest about being hungry earlier, I can go for a second time and eat. But I hope you’re not expecting me to be fast on a first date or anything. I’m not like that.” She lowered her gaze and bowed her head with the admission.
Or experienced, she added silently. At all.
At that, Carson burst out laughing, showing off a full, genuine smile and beautiful teeth. He reached one finger under her chin and tilted her face back up so they were eye to eye. “We’re drinking coffee in the middle of the day with you sitting there in a baseball cap, and I couldn’t want for anything more. Crazy as it seems, this is good for right now.”
Sienna was pretty certain her heart melted a little bit, fully warming for the first time since Asher took her under his wing. She sat there in silence with no clue what to say or how to respond.
What was Carson really looking for? He seemed nice and wasn’t looking for a happily-ever-after, and appeared to respect her limits. All winning him points.
Then there were his looks. He was a striking man. He didn’t look anything like her husband, a small-minded man who made up for his insecurities by physically hurting women. No, Sienna could see a passionate soul in the depths of Carson’s dreamy eyes and expression. He might act like a tough guy, but she was thinking he might not be so tough underneath it all.
Just because she wasn’t experienced in dating didn’t mean she couldn’t understand people. She had stared into the eyes of an evil man long enough to know a good one when she saw him.
Carson was good and she was lonely, which was why she said, “All right. I’m open to trying to get to know each other. I have no expectations and I live a pretty quiet life when I’m not at the Tunnel. So I’m not sure if I’ll be the good time you’re looking for right now, but I’ll try.”
He reached his hand over, bridging the gap between the two of them, and covered hers.
Sienna had never felt anything as intimate or sweet as that simple gesture in her whole life. With their hands entwined, she sat quietly, the lump in her throat not allowing her to say anything more. To cover up her silence, she smiled, even though she felt like crying. Crying over the promise of what could be one day in her life, or what she left behind; she didn’t know. Maybe both.
Carson broke the silence. “I’m sure you need to go relax before work tonight. I have to head out of town on Monday, first thing. Do you think we could have an early dinner on Sunday?”
“I work on Sunday nights. I dance once around eleven thirty, and then I go home to rest for twenty-four hours. Mondays are my day off. Since I don’t eat a big dinner before work, how about a late lunch around two tomorrow?” She stumbled over her own words, sat on her hands, and longed for another bite of scone to shove in her big mouth.
Sienna couldn’t believe she had just asked him to a late lunch. It was as if she had no control of herself.
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “Sounds good. Why don’t we go to the little Italian place right here in this shopping center? I assume you want to avoid the craziness of the Strip.”
“Definitely. That sounds good. I can meet you here then.” She retrieved her hand and shifted in her seat, preparing to stand up.
“Or I could pick you up? If you’re not ready, I get it.”
She shook her head and braced her hand on the arm rest to push off. “I’ll meet you.” Then, before she lost the courage, Sienna asked, “Are you coming tonight?” She sat on the edge of her seat, literally and figuratively.