Fort Defiance and let her stew until they tucked into their meal. He cut a piece of steak and watched her toy with her Dutch pancake and stab a strawberry. “So, tell me about you and Dave.”
“There is no me and Dave. I told you, it was a blind date.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing I don’t get. You’re beautiful, intelligent, funny, and sexy as hell. Why would you need a blind date?” He leaned in close. “And how the hell did you keep your virginity until last night.”
A horrified look crossed her face.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m glad. I just don’t get it.”
Fitz closed her eyes and blushed furiously, either from embarrassment or anger. He hoped it was embarrassment. “I’ve dated some, but it was never right. I’m twenty-four years old. It was well past time to well . . . you know. Anyway, I decided this weekend would be it.”
Simon dropped his fork, his meal forgotten. His mouth had dropped open, so he closed it, clenching his teeth so tight, his jaw ached, and he suddenly felt a little sick.
“This would be the weekend I’d lose my virginity, and Ronna had heard Dave was amazing in bed, so I went out with him.”
“You were going to let that guy—” He couldn’t even say it. He curled the cloth napkin in his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, wishing he could pound something. Just the thought of Dave and Fitz together had him seeing red.
“No.” Fitz waved her hand as if she were swatting away something as meaningless as a fly. “The second I met him I knew I couldn’t go through with it. I figured this weekend would be an abysmal failure—until I ran into you.”
“So I was your second choice? That’s why you came home with me?” So he meant nothing more to her than a good lay? She’d used him?
“No, I went home with you because I wanted you. No one else. I guess that’s been my problem all along. I’ve never found anyone I wanted to be with. Only you.”
He stared into Fitz’s eyes and saw nothing but honesty. Okay, so she went looking for something—he’d known that the second he laid eyes on her. He just didn’t know what that something was. Still, he was relieved she’d chosen him.
“I understand you’re angry. I just thought that if you knew, you wouldn’t have . . .” She hid her face in her hands. “God, this is so embarrassing.”
“I’m not angry. I’m honored.” He just never wanted to think of her with anyone else but him.
She slid her hands down to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. “Really?”
“Really. So do you have work tomorrow? You mentioned you were doing an internship.”
She took a sip of her coffee and cut off a piece of her pancake. “Yes, I do. I’m also working on my thesis. It’s just about done so I need to meet with my advisor too.”
“Are you free for dinner? There are a few new places I’ve wanted to check out in your neck of the city.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, it’s my night off. I’m working the rest of the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come by the bar.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Fitz, I meant what I said. Last night was just the beginning.”
“Oh.” She stared at her plate as if she’d never seen it before and then looked anywhere but at him.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Or third thoughts . . .
“No. I just . . .” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it back on her lap and leaned forward. “I know you, Simon—or at least I did. You’ve always had a never-ending stream of temporary girlfriends. They might last a few weeks, or even a month, and they all seem really happy until you dump them. I’m trying to figure out what this is the beginning of. Your typical one-month fling?”
Shit. His father had always told him his past would come back to bite him in the ass. “No. There’s nothing typical about you and me—us. This is all new territory for me. This thing between us is special. I want to see where it goes.”
“So
“There is no me and Dave. I told you, it was a blind date.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing I don’t get. You’re beautiful, intelligent, funny, and sexy as hell. Why would you need a blind date?” He leaned in close. “And how the hell did you keep your virginity until last night.”
A horrified look crossed her face.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m glad. I just don’t get it.”
Fitz closed her eyes and blushed furiously, either from embarrassment or anger. He hoped it was embarrassment. “I’ve dated some, but it was never right. I’m twenty-four years old. It was well past time to well . . . you know. Anyway, I decided this weekend would be it.”
Simon dropped his fork, his meal forgotten. His mouth had dropped open, so he closed it, clenching his teeth so tight, his jaw ached, and he suddenly felt a little sick.
“This would be the weekend I’d lose my virginity, and Ronna had heard Dave was amazing in bed, so I went out with him.”
“You were going to let that guy—” He couldn’t even say it. He curled the cloth napkin in his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, wishing he could pound something. Just the thought of Dave and Fitz together had him seeing red.
“No.” Fitz waved her hand as if she were swatting away something as meaningless as a fly. “The second I met him I knew I couldn’t go through with it. I figured this weekend would be an abysmal failure—until I ran into you.”
“So I was your second choice? That’s why you came home with me?” So he meant nothing more to her than a good lay? She’d used him?
“No, I went home with you because I wanted you. No one else. I guess that’s been my problem all along. I’ve never found anyone I wanted to be with. Only you.”
He stared into Fitz’s eyes and saw nothing but honesty. Okay, so she went looking for something—he’d known that the second he laid eyes on her. He just didn’t know what that something was. Still, he was relieved she’d chosen him.
“I understand you’re angry. I just thought that if you knew, you wouldn’t have . . .” She hid her face in her hands. “God, this is so embarrassing.”
“I’m not angry. I’m honored.” He just never wanted to think of her with anyone else but him.
She slid her hands down to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. “Really?”
“Really. So do you have work tomorrow? You mentioned you were doing an internship.”
She took a sip of her coffee and cut off a piece of her pancake. “Yes, I do. I’m also working on my thesis. It’s just about done so I need to meet with my advisor too.”
“Are you free for dinner? There are a few new places I’ve wanted to check out in your neck of the city.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, it’s my night off. I’m working the rest of the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come by the bar.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Fitz, I meant what I said. Last night was just the beginning.”
“Oh.” She stared at her plate as if she’d never seen it before and then looked anywhere but at him.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Or third thoughts . . .
“No. I just . . .” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it back on her lap and leaned forward. “I know you, Simon—or at least I did. You’ve always had a never-ending stream of temporary girlfriends. They might last a few weeks, or even a month, and they all seem really happy until you dump them. I’m trying to figure out what this is the beginning of. Your typical one-month fling?”
Shit. His father had always told him his past would come back to bite him in the ass. “No. There’s nothing typical about you and me—us. This is all new territory for me. This thing between us is special. I want to see where it goes.”
“So
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