“The way you keep it real is so refreshing, Sienna. I can’t imagine ever getting bored with you. So, what do you like here?”
Trying to keep from blushing, she said, “The salad with the creamy house dressing. It has all kinds of crunchies and goodies in it, the stuff that falls to the bottom. I usually get that and one of the pasta dishes.”
He nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’m thinking of chicken marsala.”
“Oh, that’s good, too,” Sienna said, and gave him a big, genuine smile. She was turning into a cheese ball, but she decided she liked that. She was starting to enjoy dating. A lot. Maybe a bit too much.
Carson ordered a glass of wine for himself and Sienna opted for club soda. She was working later that night, and needed to be on her game.
The conversation flowed, but stayed pretty neutral after their chat on her deal with Asher. She steered the conversation toward him, and relaxed as he told her more about himself.
Carson couldn’t discuss much of what he used to do at the FBI, and now he was basically for hire, mostly on hard-to-crack missing persons cases. He liked to travel and blow off steam in between assignments due to the volatile nature of what he did, and apparently Vegas was his go-to place only when he was in the middle of a job. He saved the Caribbean for when he put a case to rest.
Lucky for her, Carson revealed he didn’t have much family. Sienna followed suit and said her parents were gone, fibbing that she was an only child. This made Asher and the girls being her only family much more plausible.
Sienna found herself relaxing and enjoying herself. The fact that she was out in public, surrounded by people, and without a hat to hide her very recognizable face faded into the background with everything else. Carson seemed genuinely interested in her owning part of the club, while resolved to the idea that she was a dancer.
She wasn’t going to change. Dancing was her salvation, although he didn’t know it.
Carson set her at ease. For the first time in forever, she felt like she wasn’t being watched. From being a small girl under constant scrutiny for modest behavior, to her chaperoned dates with Elon where an elder took in her every move, to feeling like she needed to have eyes behind her back, this was the “first” that hit home the most. A feeling of being completely at ease.
Not that it mattered too much. She was only having fun, making a memory, and that was it. After today, Sienna was going back to erecting the walls that were solidly placed around her heart, body, and soul, protecting her from anyone who might destroy her safety net. But God help her, Carson became more and more irresistible as the awkwardness of their date wore off.
A small touch brought Sienna out of her fog. Sadly, they were finished with their food and the bill sat looming on the table.
Her hand tingled when Carson placed his big one over it. “Do you have time to get a coffee next door before you go back?” he asked, while his touch continued to burn through her palm. His eyes twinkled, inviting her to dive in, but she couldn’t right now. It was all too much.
She couldn’t deny there was a sexual fuse between the two, but she was inexperienced with how to handle that other than the overt sexual flirting she used while performing. In a one-on-one situation, she was at a loss. Carson must be so frustrated with me.
He probably thought he was going out with a sex goddess, a woman on the frontier of sexual experimentation, and most likely a slut. Unfortunately for him, she was none of the above.
As much as she wanted the date to go on, she felt it was a good idea for her to go home now. Mostly because her hand twitched to grasp Carson’s and never, ever let go.
Her traitorous heart was willing her to do just that, but her brain won.
“I think I’m just going to grab a tea to go,” she told him. “I have a quick errand before I go back and prep for my night.”
Carson looked disappointed, even though he had to know this was only lunch. She’d warned him she wasn’t fast. Oh, but she wanted to be, which was why taking a tea to go was the smart move. After all, he had said earlier she was smart.
“Sure. I get it. It must be hard working opposite hours as everyone else,” he said as they stood from the table.
“I guess for some, but not for me. I told you, I don’t have much of a life outside the club, and my friends are all there. I guess it’s easier that way.”
“Well, I hope you make room for someone not from the club,” Carson whispered in her ear as he helped her up from her seat. Once standing, she found herself face-to-face with him, and before she could move, he leaned in and left a trail of feather-light kisses from her ear down her neck.
He was marking her right in broad daylight in front of anyone to bear witness. His actions told her he wanted her, and he was going to make sure everyone knew it. Including her.