I do as he says and understand immediately his reasoning. "We should go back to the truck and get my phone."
"Tell me what you like and I'll get some pictures."
For the next hour, we wind through streets, him taking pictures of everything I point out and explaining the pros and cons of maintenance required. We make a large circle, and I'm babbling non-stop with excitement about the possibilities. It's not until I stop to take a breath that I realize he's caged me in between his body and the passenger door of his truck.
His eyes glitter a blue so brilliant my skin heats under his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask low, my voice barely audible.
"Because you're beautiful." His hand moves to my face, his thumb skimming along my jawline. "And I love hearing you ramble."
My lips press together and my eyes focus on the familiar lamb emblem on the left side of his shirt. "I may have gotten carried away."
"If you get this jazzed about boxwoods and holly trees, the next stop will blow your mind." His fingers move to my chin and bring my face to his. "I look forward to it."
"Miller, I think—"
"Push it out of your head. It's time you stop living behind this façade you've built. Whatever that scum-sucking asshole did to you is over." It's not lost on me the way his voice clips or the blaze in his eyes as he uses my words from earlier. "You're here now, with me, and that time of your life is over."
"It's not that easy," I say bleakly.
"We'll see." He leans down, his lips brushing mine. "Give me a shot before you count me out. I think you may be surprised."
Any reasoning I have flies out of my mind when his lips are close and his scent fills the space between us. My hands betray me by gripping the sides of his shirt.
"Now, since you've made it clear you’re into getting a choice of things, you can decide. We can stand here longer, which means I'm going to kiss you."
"What is my other option?"
"You can climb your gorgeous ass in my truck so we can get on with our date."
"Is there an option three?"
"Yeah, I blow our reservation, take you back to my place, and you end up naked until Monday."
A thrill trickles down my spine as I fight to stay level. "I guess it's option two."
He leans back, studies my face, and grins arrogantly. "Not my choice, but I'll be a gentleman."
In a flash, an arm wraps around my waist and he has me in the air. The door opens, and he places me on the seat, situating himself between my thighs. In this position, we're eye-level, and I know I'm in trouble. He cups the back of my head, capturing my mouth and giving me a quick kiss, nibbling my bottom lip as he pulls away.
"I didn't choose kissing as an option!" I squeak, catching two older ladies standing at one of the fences, clearly entertained by us.
He shrugs, stepping back, swinging my legs around, and shutting the door. I watch in horror as he walks to the fence and hugs each woman. Their mouths move rapidly after him when he heads back to the truck.
I bite back a scream as he starts the truck and waves at them again.
•—•—•—•—•
"Careful, Princess, you'll make yourself sick."
I drain the last of my champagne, eyeing him over the crystal rim. "It'll be your fault."
"I warned you."
"Your warning was weak and subtle. I'd expect more from a man like you. Where is the bossy, authoritative Miller when I need him?"
He refills my glass and makes a move to slide the tray of desserts across the table, but I smack his hand. "Don't you dare."
His lip curves to one side as he picks up a small square of chocolate and places it against my mouth. I eagerly take a little bite, closing my eyes and moaning at the luscious mix of chocolate and toffee. The flavors explode on my tongue, and when I open my eyes to go for the rest, I'm met with a heated blaze staring back at me.
"Darlin', you are seriously playing with fire," he growls, popping the rest of the chocolate truffle in his mouth and keeping my gaze.
"Maybe you should take them away. I can't be trusted."
He pushes the half-empty tray to the edge of the table, never losing eye contact, and I jerk in surprise when his thumb sweeps the bottom of my lip.
"It would be a shame to let this go to waste." He licks the crumb of chocolate from his thumb and I'm lost in him.
The champagne makes it hard to deny my overwhelming attraction to this man. The afternoon and evening replay through my mind. I tried to find out who the women were that he spoke to when leaving earlier, but he didn't give much away. My attempts to appear irritated didn't last long when he drove to The Brasher Hotel. The poor valet couldn't get away fast enough when Miller barked at him for helping me out of the truck. I tried to apologize for his possessive behavior, but Miller wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided us through the lobby and straight to the gardens.
All annoyance vanished instantly. We walked and talked until it was too dark to see anything. Our dinner was waiting on a private veranda where we were treated like royalty. The conversation came easily, and if he noticed my skipping through the years in Chicago, he didn't mention it, letting me choose our topics.
When our desserts arrived, I knew they were handmade by Darby. He explained that she was slowly letting go of control over her recipes, but she still made every one of her truffles. The variety was too tempting to pass up.
All of it is perfect—too perfect. I can tell myself it's the mixture of romantic atmosphere, the beautiful night, and the
