“I’m free tomorrow night.” There’s no hesitation because, even if I was busy, I’d drop plans to see him again.
“Can I pick you up at six?”
“Yes.”
He gives me a genuine smile, his face lighting up. He leads us to the door, holding me to him. “I had a great time tonight, but don’t think I didn’t notice your trick.”
“Trick?”
“I fell into talking about me again. But tomorrow night, it’s all about you.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to speak but leans in and runs his lips across mine. My knees go weak as I suck in a breath.
“Sweet Grace, I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he tells me, stepping back and opening the door.
“Okay, Nick,” is all I can force out.
He gives me one last smile and leaves, waving from the bottom of the stairs.
I wave back and cringe at the goofy motion. After a full minute, I close the door and skip back to my couch, plopping down with a giddy squeal.
My fingers move to my mouth and skim over the spot where his lips just were. Excited energy buzzes through my body as I think about the events of the night.
The instant I opened the door to see him standing there, leaning against my doorframe with his all-American smile, I almost melted in a puddle of girly goo.
It was all I could do to remain standing and form a coherent thought, which is completely unlike me.
But with Nick Bennett, I’m lost in a haze. Tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t come close to describing him.
Without seeing him fully, I’d bet my life’s savings his body is chiseled, just from the way his muscles bulge and stretch in his t-shirts. His hair is dark and wavy, cut short on the sides, and has the ‘just jumped out of bed’ thing going on. His look is boyish and manly at the same time, something unexplainable.
The clincher is his eyes. They are the clearest, deepest shade of blue topaz I’ve ever seen. They have a constant gleam, making them shine brightly.
Sexy… Erotic… Claiming… In all my life, I’ve never seen anything so captivating as the capturing look from those eyes.
“Stop being such a girl, Grace! He’s only a guy,” I tell myself unconvincingly.
“Only a guy? You can’t be serious? When in your life have you ever been affected this way? When??? Oh, that’s right! Never!”
Great! Now I’m totally freaking out and having full arguments with myself.
There’s a muffled buzz coming from my purse, and I remember my phone is on vibrate. My heart lurches. Is he calling me on his way home?
Is it normal to get excited over the thought of a phone call from a guy you’ve only known a few days? The same guy picking you up for another date in less than twenty hours?
Am I a lost cause?
Hell yes!
I rush to dig my phone out of my purse right as it stops. Immediately, it starts again, and Mom’s name flashes across the screen.
“Hey, Mama.” I frown, realizing she’s calling really late.
“Grace.” Her voice is shaky and broken as she openly weeps into the phone.
“Mama? What’s going on?”
“Grace, I’m sending a car for you tonight. You have to come home. There’s been an accident.”