“I’m glad we met, too, then.” I slid my hands into my pockets but stayed close to her side. Not because she was in danger or anything but simply because being there felt nice. “Where is home? Where would you have had to go back to?”
“Portland, Oregon.” A nostalgic smile curved her lips. “I suppose it wouldn’t have been that bad. It’s not that I don’t like it there. I’m just in love with being here.”
“Portland. That’s the foodie capital, right?” A group of school children rushed past us and bumped into Addy’s side. She stumbled but caught herself at the same time that I reached out to steady her.
We ended up in this weird, her-side-to-my-front situation that had our faces only inches apart. Try as I might to stop it from happening, my gaze dropped to her parted lips.
Her tongue came out to swipe across them, and my breath caught in my lungs. There was a moment where I could practically taste her on my tongue, a moment when I could have sworn she wanted me to as her eyes bored into mine.
All too soon, she righted herself and stepped away. With that moment between us broken, I inhaled deeply before moving my gaze to hers. Her eyes were round and big, her irises darker than usual from the dilation of her pupils.
Her chest was heaving just slightly, too. Logically, I knew it was impossible, but it sure as hell looked like she was fighting off thoughts of kissing me just like I was trying to do about kissing her.
Again, though, the moment disappeared when the smooth voice of a street musician was joined by the strumming of his guitar. Addy let out a little giggle, then swung around to face the end of the street again.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she started walking again. “And yes, Portland is known for being a destination for foodies. Where did you want to go to have that drink?”
“There’s a nice cafe just around the next corner. It’s right on the water and it’s a beautiful place to watch the sunset from.”
“You watch sunsets?” She frowned, but I didn’t miss the smile she tried to hide. “That’s pretty neat.”
“Why? Don’t you like sunsets?”
Laughing, she shook her head. “No, I love them. It’s just not often that you hear a big bad alpha male admit to watching them.”
“You think I’m a big bad alpha male?” Good to know. Although, it was sad that she’d never know just how bad I could be.
Addy arched an eyebrow at me as we turned the corner. “Well, you certainly come across as being alpha and you’re at least a head taller than me, which makes you big. It’s the bad part I’m not entirely sure about.”
What I wasn’t entirely sure about was why her teasing tone and the way her eyelashes fluttered made me feel like she was flirting with me.
“I can assure you I’m very good at being bad.” I slowed when we neared the cafe and gestured to an open table. “Let’s have a seat here.”
When I turned to her to see if she’d even heard me, she had a slightly glazed look in her eyes again. She blinked it away quickly, but it was too late. I had seen it, and now I was wondering what had put it there.
Once we were seated and our drinks had been served, I lifted my glass to hers. “Cheers. Thanks for agreeing to come out with me tonight.”
“Yeah, uh, sure.” She still seemed flustered, but she looked me in the eyes when she raised her glass to mine and took a long sip of wine. “You don’t have to thank me, though. Elena and I have been here before. They have the most amazing antipasto platters. Talk about foodie dreams come true.”
“Elena?” I questioned, seeing an opening to pry without being too obvious about it. “Will she be mad at you for having drinks with me tonight?”
Addy pulled her head back. “No, why? She’s working anyway.”
“I see. She’s not the jealous type then, huh?” I flicked a hand at our surroundings, which were undoubtedly romantic. The tables were small rectangles that were so intimate our knees were touching.
Bulbs of oil candles sat in the center of the table. The orange glow of the antique streetlights coming on was soft, and the setting sun reflected on the still water of the river. Music drifted through the air from all sides.
If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have liked them being in a setting like this with someone else. On the other hand, I supposed possessiveness and jealousy were traits of an alpha male, as she had so rightly called me. Maybe women were more level-headed about that kind of thing.
Addy’s head fell back as she laughed, gesturing wildly with one of her hands. “Oh, no. She’s going to be jealous as fuck when I tell her I came back here without her. It serves her right, though. She took some guy she met the other night to another favorite place of ours just because he mentioned he liked Caipirinhas. They make the best Caipirinha in the city, so I get why she took him, but still.”
I took in her relaxed posture and the genuine smile. Something wasn’t adding up here. “It seems you two have a very trusting relationship. It must be nice to have a partner like you.”
Her laughter cut off abruptly and her eyes narrowed. She stayed that way for a second. Then she burst out laughing so hard I was afraid she wasn’t getting any air.
“Elena’s my roommate, not my girlfriend,” she managed to sputter between peals of melodic laughter. “Oh, my god. You still think I’m a lesbian?”
“Yes,” I said slowly. “You told me you were the first night I met you.”
“Yeah, but I only said that because I didn’t want you to hit on me.”
