Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Later, as I lay in bed, replaying every second of what happened in my SUV, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Ivy
You’re hard to read, Powell.
I stared at the screen for a long second, thumb hovering before replying.
Me
Nah, I’m simple.
There was a pause.
Ivy
Simple doesn’t usually come with smoldering silence and eyes that could melt metal.
The corner of my mouth twitched.
Me
Are you saying you think I’m sexy, sunshine?
Another beat passed.
Ivy
Don’t pretend you don’t know that women think you’re hot.
Me
I only care what you think.
A moment passed before her next message came through. It was two emoji—the melting face and the upside-down smiling face. Playful, funny, and a little flustered. Exactly her.
I huffed a quiet laugh, the first real one all night, and made a decision. We’d been in this holding pattern long enough. It was time to move forward.
Me
I’m taking you to dinner tomorrow night.
A full minute of silence. Then the three dots appeared. Just as quickly, they were gone. Then back again before a message popped up.
Ivy
Okay.
I set the phone down, smiling to myself, already picturing her across a table instead of through a windshield. The memory of her breath on my skin replayed once more, slow and vivid, and I knew that this was a pivotal moment. The next step to making her mine completely.
9
IVY
Before I got wrapped up in helping Lorna open The Color Loft, I’d been a social butterfly. I went out often—dinners with friends, family nights, and even to a few clubs after turning twenty-one—but this felt different. Probably because Saxon made my pulse race in a way I’d never experienced before.
“It’s just a date,” I whispered to myself when he knocked on the door.
Smoothing my hands down my skirt, I padded across my living room to open it.
His gaze swept over me, lingering just long enough to make my stomach flutter. “Damn, you’re gorgeous.”
In black slacks and a dark gray button-down only partially covered by his black wool coat, he was dressier than I’d ever seen him. “You clean up quite nicely yourself.”
He shook his head with a chuckle while I grabbed my purse and locked the door. “It’s the hair, right? The stylist who cut it did a kick-ass job.”
I flashed him a teasing smile. “You should keep her around. A great stylist is worth her weight in gold.”
“This one definitely is.” He settled his palm on my lower back, the heat of his touch practically burning through the coat I’d shrugged on over my outfit. “And I sure as fuck plan to keep you close.”
A shiver of awareness raced up my spine at the determination in his tone. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good.”
When we made it down to his SUV, Saxon opened the passenger door for me.
“Where are we headed?” I asked as I slid into the seat.
I tried not to think about everything we’d done in the driver’s seat last night, or I’d be red as a tomato.
He waited until he had snapped his belt on and started the engine to answer. “You’ll see.”
“A surprise, huh?” I asked, sneaking a glance at him.
“That depends…do you like them?”
I laughed softly and teased, “Only the good ones.”
He more than met the challenge when he pulled up in front of an intimate restaurant tucked on a quiet street with brick walls, low lighting, and the soft hum of jazz.
I tilted my head back to smile up at Saxon as he pushed my chair in. “You chose well.”
He sat down next to me instead of across the table, his knee brushing against mine. “Raiden recommended the place. He said they have the best pork chops in the city, and you mentioned the other day how that’s your mom’s best dish. Figured you could see how they measure up.”
I was touched by how he not only remembered something small I’d shared with him but also factored it into where to take me for our first date. “I’m impressed.”
That earned me another rare grin that I added to the growing tally that was stacking up during our time together. “You might want to save the compliments until we see if Raiden was right about the food.”
“Probably the right call,” I agreed.
“I make a lot of them.” His smile widened. “Like driving you home from work instead of letting you take the train.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Cocky much?”
“Confident,” he corrected, his hazel eyes glinting with amusement.
After the server took our order—the pork chops for me and a steak for Saxon—I leaned my chin on my hand and studied him. “You know, I used to go out a lot more before we opened the salon. Now I barely see daylight. Cole talked me into helping Lorna, and I swear I work more hours than I ever did before.”
He looked intrigued. “You regret it?”
“Not even a little,” I admitted with a soft laugh. “It’s exhausting, but I love it. The vibe is different from the salon we used to work at, more relaxed. We can take our time with our clients, and they walk out feeling like their best selves. Reminds me more of how my mom let me brush and style her hair when I was little. It’s worth every sore muscle.”