"Daddy!" CJ flew at him, and Cord braced for his son's leap into his arms. His ribs only pulled a little.
"Hey, bubba!"
"Mommy'll be down in a minute. She's gettin' pretty. Where you gonna take her? How come I can't go? When will you-?"
"Whoa, CJ. One question at a time. I'm taking your mom out to dinner at a really fancy restaurant. You can't go because this is a grown-up date and you don't like escargot."
"Easy car go? What's that?"
"Escargot is the French word for snails."
"Eww. You're gonna eat snails?"
"Nope. Not me, but your mom likes the little suckers."
"I do like them." Jolie had crept up behind them, and she gave CJ a teasing pinch on his side, making the little boy giggle as he arched away from her.
"Wow. You look...beautiful."
"Gee, thanks, Cord. Don't sound so surprised."
He couldn't tell from Jolie's wry expression if she was upset, which would be weird because she did look beautiful. Something about her tone of voice finally clicked the lightbulb on. "Oh. Oh! No, no. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not surprised, I'm... Wow." He winked at CJ. "Bubba, you have the most beautiful mom in the entire world and I'm the lucky man who gets to take her out to dinner tonight." He set the boy down and turned to Mrs. Corcoran. "We won't be out too late."
"CJ and I will be just fine. Go have a good time."
* * *
The restaurant atop the Founders Tower had been known by many different names during its years of operation. Like the famous Space Needle in Seattle, the outer rim of the restaurant slowly spun around the central tower, offering up the full vista of Oklahoma City. The center held the reception area, elevators, bar, dance floor and kitchens.
As they headed to the top floor, people in the crowded elevator remained silent. Canned music filtered through a tinny speaker as everyone stared straight ahead. Jolie hated elevators, not that she was claustrophobic or anything. She leaned closer to Cord, and when he took her hand, she cut her eyes to gauge his expression. He, too, was staring straight ahead, but the dimple on his right cheek was peeking out at her.
His profile-heck, his whole face-never failed to make her heart skip a beat. All the Barron boys had been blessed, and they each bore the distinctive stamp of their DNA, as evidenced by Cassie Barron's immediately recognizing CJ as being one of the clan. They were handsome, but Cord had something more. Laugh lines feathered around golden-brown eyes that glinted with mischief. Sculpted cheekbones, jaw and nose. The man could pose for a Greek statue.
While his features would make any girl look twice, it had always been his personality that kept Jolie's interest. He was funny, wise and ornery-often at the same time.
He squeezed her hand and pulled it up to his mouth. After placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand, he glanced down and winked.
If she didn't stay on guard, Cord could steamroll right over her emotions. And what's wrong with that? She wanted to swat the annoying inner voice whispering in her ear every time the subject of Cord came up.
The elevator doors slid open and the passengers surged forward. Cord held back until the crowd cleared out, and then escorted Jolie off. The maître d's gaze landed on them almost immediately.
"Mr. Barron. Good evening, sir. Right this way. Your table is ready."
Those waiting to be seated parted like the Red Sea, but as the crowd closed back in behind her, Jolie heard the whispers start. While some of those murmurs were from diners upset that she and Cord were seated immediately, others were about Cord. Stories on the Barrons often appeared in the media.
The maître d' paused on the edge of the dance floor, waiting as tables slowly passed by. A moment later, their table arrived, and he cautioned them to be careful as they stepped onto the revolving section.
Once they were seated, Cord ordered champagne before opening his menu and commenting, "They've completely renovated the restaurant and updated the mechanics so this part rotates again."
"I remember coming here with Dad when I was a little girl."
They reminisced over memories of their childhoods and how many near misses they'd had in meeting before that fateful day in high school. Jolie fought to smother her laughter as Cord inhaled his steak. She managed to get through her lobster without wearing it. The table they shared was narrow, and every time she shifted in her very comfortable chair, her foot or leg or knee grazed Cord's. He pretended to ignore the contact just as she did-pretend being the operative word. Each touch revved up her heart rate and reminded her of the feel of his body pressed against hers.
She'd look up at odd moments to catch him watching her, something hot and sexy in his gaze, as if she was every bit as delicious as that steak as he was savoring. Jolie would get fascinated by his mouth, his lips, and she really wanted to taste them.
"Are you finished, Jolie?"
She jerked her gaze to his eyes-the ones twinkling even as his mouth curved up in that irritating grin of his. The waiter stood patiently, holding Cord's plate.
"Oh. Yes. I am. Thank you."
The man whisked her plate away and handed both sets of dishes off to a hovering busboy. "Will you be enjoying dessert tonight?"
Jolie knew what she'd like to have for dessert, and by the way Cord was looking at her, he was imagining her covered in chocolate and whipped cream. Just to tease him, she ordered cheesecake.
While they waited for dessert, Cord stood, took her hand and walked her onto the dance floor. A small combo was playing live music, and he took her into his arms for a slow dance. His cologne, something brisk and citrusy, caused her to inhale deeply. The music changed, and without missing a beat, Cord led her in a passable samba.
"I didn't know you could dance."
"Mmm. There's a lot of things you don't know about me. Personally, I'd rather be doing a two-step at Toby Keith's, but this'll do for now." His lips brushed across her forehead a moment before he stopped dancing and escorted her back to their table for dessert.
As she spooned the rich caramel cheesecake into her mouth, Jolie couldn't decide which was more decadent-the creamy treat or the man sitting across from her watching through hooded lids as she took each bite.
She resisted scraping the plate to get the last bit before she finished the ice wine Cord had ordered with dessert. He looked as if he wanted to lick her the same way she'd been licking her spoon. Blushing, she watched him from the relative safety of a tilted glance.
"So what's next on the menu?" she asked.
His dimple played peekaboo with the upturned corner of his mouth, and Jolie suddenly realized why heroines in romance novels swooned.
"What if I said you?"
She wanted to fan her face. And other places, warmer and damper. For a brief instant, Jolie considered knocking a glass of ice water into her lap. With her luck, steam would rise and Cord would know exactly what she was thinking. She knew better than to answer. Any reply would come out a squeak.
His gaze heated and focused on her mouth. Raking her teeth across her bottom lip, she was gratified to see his irises dilate. He was as turned on as she was. But this was their first official, grown-up date. Falling into bed with him-no matter how badly she wanted to do just that-would set a dangerous precedent for the rest of their relationship. However things worked out between them.
"C'mon." He pushed back from the table, stood and held out his hand to her.
Placing her hand in his was a leap of faith on her part. He pulled her to her feet, tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and guided her across the dance floor toward the exit. He said nothing in the elevator, nothing as they waited for the valet to return with Cord's car. He remained silent as he handed her into the passenger seat and settled behind the wheel. Then they were off. Problem was she had no clue where they were headed and Cord still wasn't talking.
He passed the exit that would take her home, which made sense once she thought it over. CJ was at home. And Mrs. Corcoran. She didn't want an audience. When he headed into the heart of Bricktown, she pressed her knees together. His condo. Except he passed the street where it was located. A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of the newest club in the downtown entertainment district.
A valet opened her door and she slid out, a question on her lips as Cord came around the back of the car to meet her.
"I hope you don't mind mixing a little business with our pleasure."
Jolie quirked a brow. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Live band. Chase asked me to give them a look."
"Oh. Is he still in Vegas?"
"No. He's in Nashville at the moment. He's expanding, taking Barron Entertainment into the music business. Chance is tone-deaf and only listens to country music. Cash is out of town. That means I drew the short straw."
Before she could question him further, two muscular men waved them past the waiting line and opened the front doors. A wave of sound crashed over her as she entered. She would have turned around and run if Cord's hand hadn't landed on the small of her back, urging her forward.