“Oh, okay.” Stepping out of the house, she quickly locked the door. “And are we taking your car?”
“Yeah.” He offered his arm. “My chariot awaits, my lady.”
A pretty blush bloomed on her cheek as she looped her arm through his. This close, he finally got a whiff of her sweet, feminine scent, and it was enough to send a stab of desire through him. Control yourself, Russel. Despite his own needs, the last thing he wanted to do was act like a caveman around her.
He escorted her to his Jeep, opening the door for her and helping her up the step. Temperance was of normal height he supposed, though he still towered over her. Walking around, he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“How was your day?” he asked as he maneuvered the vehicle out of the mobile home park.
“Long, but good.” One light hazel eye peeked over at him.
“Mine too,” he said. “But I’m happy it’s done. My shift anyway.”
There was a short awkward silence, then she swallowed audibly. “So, you like being a ranger?”
“It’s a good job, I suppose,” he said. “What about you? Do you like working for Rosie?” He glanced over at her.
“Yeah, she’s nice.” Temperance fiddled with her fingers on her lap.
They drove the rest of the way in silence, but he wasn’t disappointed or annoyed; it was obvious they were both nervous. He himself felt so anxious about not making a mistake that he felt like a teen on his first date. Still, there was a simmering excitement bubbling underneath the surface, a nervous energy that had his lion pacing in anticipation. Soon, he slid into a parking spot inside the garage next to where the restaurant was located.
“Where did you hear about this place?” she asked as they walked to the entrance of the restaurant which had a red painted sign that said Brasserie Cannes.
“I actually live near here,” he said casually. “I walked by this place a couple weeks ago and saw they were opening soon.”
“You live here?” she glanced around nervously. “It’s, uh, a nice neighborhood.”
“I suppose,” he said with a shrug, then opened the door for her and followed in behind. “Good evening, I have a reservation,” he said to the young woman at the station. “Russel, table for two.”
“Let me check on that for you, sir,” she began, then peered down at the electronic tablet in front of her. “Russel … hmmm. Oh. Oh no.” She frowned, then looked up at him sheepishly. “I do remember taking your call, but I think we had a little glitch, because I can’t find it.” Panicked, she looked around. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Russel. Everything’s so new and I just started here a few days ago. I can arrange something for you, but would you mind waiting by the bar for a few minutes?”
“It’s all right,” he assured her. “We can wait, right, Temperance?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“Oh, thank you,” the hostess said, relieved. “This is my first time using this system and it’s still buggy. Come this way please.” She led them to the bar on the right side of the dining room. He ordered a beer for himself, and Temperance asked for a sparkling water.
“So,” he began. “You said you moved here from Chicago? How do you like Blackstone?”
She seemed to tense when he first mentioned Chicago, but quickly relaxed when he asked her about Blackstone. “I love it here, actually,” she said. “It’s different. But there’s so many things to love about this place.”
“Like what?”
As she began to talk, he half-listened because he was too distracted at how close they suddenly were standing next to each other. Thank God the hostess had lost his reservation, because he wouldn’t have had this chance to be so near her if they had been sitting on opposite ends of a table. This close, he could see the way the lights played in her eyes and watch her plump lips part when she spoke. That intoxicating scent of hers teased him as well, and he had to grip his beer glass tight to stop himself from acting on his need. God, I hope I can at least get a goodnight kiss. Being this near her and not touching her was driving him and his lion insane.
“… it’s also so quiet,” she continued. “Which I like. Back when I was working in the city, I heard car horns and sirens all day long.”
“I should take you hiking up in the mountains,” he said, taking a small sip of his beer. “It’s real quiet there.”
“I’m not very outdoorsy.”
“Neither am I.”
She giggled, her voice like bells. “Are you sure you’re really cut out to be a ranger?”
Everyone who knew him before the rangers would be surprised too. “Yeah, but I only joined—”
“Gabriel Russel. Is that you?”
His entire body froze at the sound of that low, sultry drawl. Motherfucker, not now. Clearing his throat, he turned his head toward the source of the voice and then cursed a blue streak in his head when he confirmed who it was. “Hello, Vicky.” What the hell was she doing here?
Vicky Woolworth stood inches behind him; her slick red lips turned up into a smile. “Gabe.” She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. His lion bristled, not wanting to even breathe the same air as the lioness. “It’s been a while. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” she asked with a fake pout.
Maybe because I blocked your number and your social media accounts, you psycho? However, he didn’t want to make a scene. “I’ve been busy.” He glanced over at the man beside her. “Hi.”
“Oh, excuse my rudeness.” She patted Gabriel on the shoulder. “This is my date, Tom Melnick. Tom, this is Gabriel Russel. We go way back.”
“Tom,” he nodded at the man as he took the offered hand. Melnick was tall, handsome, and by the look of his expensive suit and watch, very rich.
