A Wonderful Kind of Love (Kinds of Love 2)

She stood up and put her phone in her pocket. “What?”

“Dinner,” he repeated. “I want to buy you dinner.”

“I can't.” She smiled politely, but it didn't touch her eyes. “I have obligations now. You’ve met them, and you know that they depend on me now. As much as I would like to, I can't.”

“You can't get a babysitter for one night?” Ethan asked.

“We've had a rough time. They need me,” she explained, picking up her purse. “What if something happens to them? I need to be there for them. I have to say no. But, thank you.”

He stood from the table and went to her side. He loved that her breath caught as he came close and took her hand. She didn't pull away. If anything she leaned in closer.

“Come to dinner with me,” he repeated. Her hand was so smooth in his. “We'll celebrate Mia and Carter's baby.”

“The kids...” she started to say.

“I will hire an entire security team and the best nannies this side of the Mississippi to watch your brother and sister for the few hours that we are eating,” he promised, still holding her hand. “They can't be your excuse.”

She pursed her lips as she thought. He could see the internal struggle. She had thought he hated her for the past year and a half. Despite the fact that he didn't deserve it, she was having a hard time trusting him. He couldn't blame her. He wouldn't trust him yet either. He needed to give her more.

So he kissed her.

I

t was just a simple kiss. He pulled her hand toward him and tipped his head to catch her lips. He meant to make it short and sweet, but she tasted so damn good it was hard to stop at “short.” It didn't help that she moaned and pressed into him.

He was the one to step back from the kiss. Her eyelashes fluttered as she recovered from the kiss. “Um, okay...” she whispered, a smile slowly filling her face.

“Good. Tomorrow night. Five o'clock,” he informed her. “I'll pick you up.”

“Tomorrow? Ethan, I can't-”

“And here's my number,” he said, cutting off her argument. He reached for a pen and quickly added ten more digits to the back of the card. “Now you have my work number, my cell, and my secretary's number.”

He handed her the card. She carefully took it between two fingers, looking it over before meeting his gaze.

“You sure you want to give me your secretary's number?” she asked.

“This time, she's not interested in me. She really will make sure I get your calls,” he replied. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to do their entire first night together again. “But, call the private number first anyway.”

She hid her smile as she looked over the card one more time. She carefully tucked it into her purse.

“You really aren't going to take no for an answer, are you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not again. Never again.”

Her smile twitched upward before she hid it again with a sigh. “Okay. My number is 555-1978. You might want to memorize it this time. Text me, and I'll give you my address.”

He grinned, whipping out his phone and putting in the numbers so quickly he was sure his fingers blurred. His chest had this amazing feeling like he might burst with happiness that he hadn't felt in almost a year and a half.

She slung her purse over her shoulder. “And don't forget about the nannies,” she told him, taking a step toward the exit. “I'm going to expect Mary Freaking Poppins.”

“I'll get you two Mary Freaking Poppinses,” he promised. He quickly hit send on a short message.

Dinner at 5. Don't forget.

-Ethan

He watched as she walked to the door of the restaurant, shaking her head, but smiling, as she went. She looked back in time to see him watching her, and she couldn't help but grin even wider at him.