“Good idea.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her inside the restaurant.
It was already full of people in line from the dinner crowd and there were only a few tables available.
“How many, sir?” The young red-haired hostess reached for some menus.
“Two.”
“Right this way. You guys got the last table.” The hostess laid the menus on the table as they sat in the chairs.
“Is it always this busy?” Catty looked around the room at all the people.
“It is. We just opened and so we get a lot of business right now.” The hostess smiled. “Your waitress will be right with you.”
“Are you hungry?” Lucien picked up his menu.
“Starving.” She hadn’t eaten lunch and had missed breakfast. But she didn’t dare say anything. She didn’t want him to regret letting her go with him.
“Think I’ll get the burger.” He laid his menu down and let his gaze shift through the crowd.
The aroma of grilled chicken, burgers, and French fries had her tummy rumbling. She pressed her hand to her stomach.
“Sounds good. Order me the same.” She pushed back her chair to stand. Lucien rose with her. “I’ll be right back.” She headed for the bathroom.
She stood at the sink washing her hands and glanced up in the mirror.
Lucien was so different from any other male she’d encountered. He was kind and gentle and he had manners. He also had a deadly edge about him. From the way he dressed to the way he could shoot holes through someone with just one glare.
She dried her hands and sucked in a deep breath. She needed to be focused on what they had to do tonight. She needed to focus on helping Lucien get the information he needed so he could complete his mission.
The sooner he was finished with his business, the sooner they could be together.
She walked out of the restroom and made a beeline for their table. Their drinks had arrived and Lucien was giving the waitress their order.
His gaze met hers, and he stood as she approached. Her heart nearly stopped in her throat as he pulled out her chair for her. Such a gentleman.
She looked around the room and was met with jealous looks from more than a few females. She didn’t blame them. She’d be jealous too.
“Thank you.” It had been a while since she’d been around someone like him. Her father and Zane had set the bar high when it came to the male species. She’d given up hope of finding a guy with those qualities. Until Lucien.
“So what’s the plan?” She took a sip of her beer. She pressed the cold bottle against the inside of her wrist to help cool her down.
“We get to the cemetery before midnight. I’ll give the witch the ingredients she needs and she’ll make the spell. Tonight she’ll tell me everything I need to know.”
“How can you be so sure she will cooperate? Or if she is even telling you the truth?”
“I’ll know.”
“You that sure of yourself?” She smirked.
“I am.” He leaned across the table and took her hand in his. “And once this is over, we can talk about us.”
She bit the corner of her lip.
“What’s wrong?” His brows furrowed and he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I know there is something on your mind.”
“Just thinking about tonight.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I am not.” She pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest.
He laughed. “Yes, you are.”
“Remind me never to play poker with you.” She snorted.
“Believe me. Honesty is sexy in a woman. Every male wants that. Complete honesty with their female.”
Her heart leaped in her chest. Their female? Was Lucien claiming her as his? She didn’t want to press the issue right now, not with everything at stake, so she locked it away for a later date.
“I think this is our order.” He sat back. The waitress approached and set their plates in front of them.
“Dig in. You’re going to need your strength for tonight.” He settled his gaze on her before picking up his burger.
“Think I’m going to get into it with the witch?” She arched her brow.
“Nope. I think you’re going to need your strength for what I have planned after. And it involves you naked in my bed.”
***
After dinner, he led her to the bar down the street to kill some time. The cigarette smoke and loud music was too much to handle so Catty talked him into driving to the library near the center of town.
It was closed but that wasn’t why she wanted to go. She wanted to sit underneath the large oak trees and stare up at the sky. They spent their time talking and laughing and kissing.