We order our drinks, and she leaves us to look over the menu. “Do you know what you want?” Torin asks.
I shake my head, looking over the menu. “Everything looks so good… what are you getting?”
“Chicken parmesan. It’s always one of my favorites.”
“Hmm… I think I’m going to go with the chicken alfredo with sautéed mushrooms or the lasagna with cream sauce… both sound amazing.”
The waitress comes and takes our orders, and then we are alone again. For some reason, I feel so shy I’m only giving him stilted responses to his questions. I wonder if these are the first date jitters I’ve heard about. It seems silly to be shy around Torin since we’ve been intimate, but for some reason labeling the whole night as a “date,” I’m feeling less like me and more like a woman hoping a man likes her. Which is dumb because we’ve basically been living together for two and a half weeks now.
“Lani, sweetheart,” he takes my hand in his, “you can relax. It’s just you and me, just like when we are at home.”
Home. Another one of those words that keep getting thrown around that say “forever” not temporary.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s silly, I know. For some reason, this being an official date makes me way more nervous than I ever imagined. Almost like there’s a certain amount of pressure to impress you.”
Torin laughs. “Love, I’m already impressed with you. More than impressed. Infatuated. Enthralled… in-”
The waitress picks the absolute worst time to bring the check. I swear he was about to say, “in love.” My heart is pounding, hoping that he will finish his sentence, but instead, he finishes paying for our delicious meal and walks me back to his truck.
To say I’m disappointed would be a serious understatement. The little voice in my head tries to convince me to say it first, but it’s too soon—right? I mean, what if I say it and freak him out and send him running. Well, send me running back to the bookstore to sleep until my apartment is finished.
Yeah, I think I’m just going to enjoy these moments with Torin to the fullest for a while longer.
I’m confused as can be when instead of turning back towards home, he turns the opposite way. “Where are we going now?”
“You’ll see,” he says with a wink.
“Another surprise.” I sigh dramatically and throw my head against the headrest but turn to smirk at a worried Torin. “Kidding… I might, maybe have liked the first three surprises. I trust the next one will be great too.”
The wide smile I get in return is enough to have me self-combusting. I gasp when we pull up in front of the best hotel in not only the city but the whole state. It’s beyond glamorous and is another thing on my ‘want to do’ list. “Let me guess, Ana?”
He shakes his head. “Nope Prue.”
“You talked to Prue too?” I can’t hide my shock. “What about Margo?”
He just shrugs. I have no idea what Margo would have said… I hope it’s nothing embarrassing. Though, if one of my friends was going to embarrass me, it would be Prue. That’s definitely more her style.
The hotel is even better than I thought. The lobby has white marble, there is a modern chandelier that must’ve cost thousands. There is a recessed seating area with plush black couches and chairs with big white pillows. A glass and silver coffee table sits between them with an artful arrangement of flowers.
Even the check-in desk is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Ready?” Torin asks, amused at my gawking. Thank goodness he doesn’t seem embarrassed. I definitely look like a tourist, and in a way, I am because this isn’t anywhere I would’ve ever gone on my own.
“Yes. I can’t wait to see the room.”
He chuckles. “After you, love.”
Love.
I get goosebumps every time he calls me that.
The elevator is just as luxurious as the lobby. Torin pulls me into his arms and asks if I like my surprise. I tell him I more than like it, then press my body against his and reach up for a kiss. He obliges and deepens the kiss, taking control. My breath rushes out on a moan when my back hits the wall. Something about being pinned like this flips a switch inside me, and I find myself running my hands over his muscled chest, up his shoulders, then back between us. Before I can think it through, I’m unbuttoning his shirt and kissing him frantically. I want him so much it aches.
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. A throat clears, causing us to jump apart. I bury my face in Torin’s chest, and he has to practically carry me out of the elevator. We quickly make our way to the room. Once the embarrassment has subsided, we laugh at being busted. We’re still laughing when Torin presses me against the door after we are safely inside our room.
“Now, where were we?” he asks.
“Here,” I say breathlessly, rubbing against him and unbuttoning the rest of his shirt so I can trace the hard lines of his chest.
His lips on mine are maybe my favorite thing in the world. He kisses me like I’m a treasure, then he kisses me with such a possessive force that I feel like he won’t survive without his lips on
