all.
“This is a beautiful car.” Ally’s sweet and sultry voice banished thoughts of bare drywall and open rooms from his mind. “Are you sure you build roofs for a living?”
Her question prompted an automatic smile. He should’ve expected her to ask – she was no sheltered society bimbo like most of the girls he’d known back in New York, who’d had about as firm an understanding of finances and how money was made as they’d had of rocket science. It had been a long time since he’d thought of those sorts of females, and the memory of them only made Ally seem that much more glorious in comparison.
He ran one hand over the dash, letting his fingers glide over the familiar, gleaming surface. “It’s my one indulgence. I’m glad you like it – you have good taste.”
She didn’t question his reply, though he’d half expected her to. That was fine – if she wasn’t going to pry, he certainly wasn’t going to volunteer information. Not on a first date, anyway. He was holding on hard to the memory of the look she’d given him from the audience on Friday and didn’t want to dredge up anything that would smother the spark of her admiration.
“I’ve never seen this car around the gym.”
“It was in the shop for a week. I walked almost everywhere while it was being repaired. Just got it back.” His stomach lurched as his mind presented him with the memory of crunching metal and a hard jolt that had jarred him from head to toe. In comparison to confessing how he’d gotten into the fender-bender that had put the Mustang in the shop with body damage, talking about how he’d grown up seemed downright appealing.
But she didn’t press him about that, either. “That’s lucky. Not about your car being damaged – that you were walking. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been there to help Melissa.”
He nodded, his mind awash with a strange combination of relief and remembered fear. “It was worth all the walking. I hate to think what might’ve happened if no one had been there. Plus, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have agreed to this date if I hadn’t helped your friend.”
“I like to know I can trust someone before I go out with them.” Her voice was steady, but even his peripheral vision allowed him to see the extra color that had crept into her cheeks.
“You trust me?”
Enough to go to dinner and a movie with you.”
“That’s a start.” He pulled the car into a parking lot in front of a red brick building, killing the engine. “Here we are.”
Chapter 4
The building managed to be both modest and attractively styled, but the scents that drifted across the lot were what really drew Ryan toward the glass double-doors. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since lunch. That seemed ages ago as he held the door open for Ally and the scent of Italian cooking hit him like a ton of bricks.
Tomato, basil and parmesan were the most prominent notes in an onslaught of aromas that made his stomach cramp in anticipation. The scents reminded him of New York, but he was so hungry he didn’t care. As a hostess led them to a table, he was reduced to an entity of two senses – sight and smell. It would’ve been just as impossible to tear his gaze away from Ally as it would’ve been to stop his mouth from watering. Sex and food – he couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted either so badly.
“Have you ever been here before?” Ally asked as she settled into the seat across from him, picking up a menu from the red and white checkered tablecloth.
“No. A co-worker of mine told me about this place. ” He hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to familiarize himself with a new city’s dining and entertainment options. Since arriving in Baltimore, he’d mostly limited his eating out to diners and small, casual American-fare restaurants. That hadn’t bothered him at all, either, until now. It seemed like his old tastes
“This is a beautiful car.” Ally’s sweet and sultry voice banished thoughts of bare drywall and open rooms from his mind. “Are you sure you build roofs for a living?”
Her question prompted an automatic smile. He should’ve expected her to ask – she was no sheltered society bimbo like most of the girls he’d known back in New York, who’d had about as firm an understanding of finances and how money was made as they’d had of rocket science. It had been a long time since he’d thought of those sorts of females, and the memory of them only made Ally seem that much more glorious in comparison.
He ran one hand over the dash, letting his fingers glide over the familiar, gleaming surface. “It’s my one indulgence. I’m glad you like it – you have good taste.”
She didn’t question his reply, though he’d half expected her to. That was fine – if she wasn’t going to pry, he certainly wasn’t going to volunteer information. Not on a first date, anyway. He was holding on hard to the memory of the look she’d given him from the audience on Friday and didn’t want to dredge up anything that would smother the spark of her admiration.
“I’ve never seen this car around the gym.”
“It was in the shop for a week. I walked almost everywhere while it was being repaired. Just got it back.” His stomach lurched as his mind presented him with the memory of crunching metal and a hard jolt that had jarred him from head to toe. In comparison to confessing how he’d gotten into the fender-bender that had put the Mustang in the shop with body damage, talking about how he’d grown up seemed downright appealing.
But she didn’t press him about that, either. “That’s lucky. Not about your car being damaged – that you were walking. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been there to help Melissa.”
He nodded, his mind awash with a strange combination of relief and remembered fear. “It was worth all the walking. I hate to think what might’ve happened if no one had been there. Plus, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have agreed to this date if I hadn’t helped your friend.”
“I like to know I can trust someone before I go out with them.” Her voice was steady, but even his peripheral vision allowed him to see the extra color that had crept into her cheeks.
“You trust me?”
Enough to go to dinner and a movie with you.”
“That’s a start.” He pulled the car into a parking lot in front of a red brick building, killing the engine. “Here we are.”
Chapter 4
The building managed to be both modest and attractively styled, but the scents that drifted across the lot were what really drew Ryan toward the glass double-doors. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since lunch. That seemed ages ago as he held the door open for Ally and the scent of Italian cooking hit him like a ton of bricks.
Tomato, basil and parmesan were the most prominent notes in an onslaught of aromas that made his stomach cramp in anticipation. The scents reminded him of New York, but he was so hungry he didn’t care. As a hostess led them to a table, he was reduced to an entity of two senses – sight and smell. It would’ve been just as impossible to tear his gaze away from Ally as it would’ve been to stop his mouth from watering. Sex and food – he couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted either so badly.
“Have you ever been here before?” Ally asked as she settled into the seat across from him, picking up a menu from the red and white checkered tablecloth.
“No. A co-worker of mine told me about this place. ” He hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to familiarize himself with a new city’s dining and entertainment options. Since arriving in Baltimore, he’d mostly limited his eating out to diners and small, casual American-fare restaurants. That hadn’t bothered him at all, either, until now. It seemed like his old tastes
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