Page 12 of Ironside
“Any special requests?” he prompted. “Red? White? Rosé?”
“Whatever takes the edge off. I’m not picky.”
Ironside flagged down a waiter and ordered a bottle of red wine. All the while, he kept a firm grip on my hand and he never ceased those soothing circles on my inner wrist.
“Are you trying to hypnotize me?” I asked.
He chuckled.
“Is it working?”
“It’s very relaxing," I admitted.
Ironside regarded me with a gleam in his eye that made a tight knot of need coil in my lower belly.
I wasn’t used to this. First dates were usually so painfully stiff and awkward.
With Ironside, I felt…almost clingy. And needy, touch-starved. Most of all, I felt safe enough with him to feel that way and he wouldn’t bolt for the door.
“I’m curious what else you might enjoy,” Ironside mused.
He lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to my knuckles.Maintaining unwavering eye contact the whole time.
That need in my lower belly turned into an aching throb. I fidgeted in my seat, biting my lower lip.
“I—I like that, too,” I stammered.
Ironside brushed a lock of hair off my shoulder and cupped his palm to the back of my neck. His thumb settled at my fluttering pulse. My heart hammered wildly against my chest as I leaned into his touch.
“What about this?” he whispered.
Lowering his head, he skimmed his lips along the curve of my neck. He pinched my jawline between his teeth with a burn that made me gasp. I inched closer to him, gripping the front of his button-down shirt.
“Yes,” I panted. “Even better.”
I felt him smile against my skin. Then he threaded his hand up into my hair, angling my head to the side to press a hot, wet, open-mouthed kiss to my neck.
My eyes slid closed. A moan rose in my throat as I melted straight into his arms.
Then approaching footsteps signaled the waiter’s return with the wine.
Ironside and I broke apart, but he kept a firm, comforting grip on my hand. I was still trembling, but not because of first date jitters anymore.
After the waiter left, I took a sip of my wine and Ironside pressed his face into the crook of my neck again.
“Now, where were we?” he murmured in a husky voice.
He trailed his fingers along the waistband of my skirt, sneaking his thumb under the hem of my blouse. I arched into his touch, sweeping his knuckles in a slow caress back and forth just beneath my rib cage.
God, he was exquisite in every way. His voice, his presence, his touch, the way he kissed me.
I was usually the type to ease into things, preferring to take it slow. But being with Ironside was exhilarating, and I wanted to plunge in headfirst, basking in the attraction, the connection, the mind-altering, soul-searing, all-consuming chemistry that I’d been searching for my whole life.
This is exactly what I’d always wanted.
“What’s the problem, petal?” Ironside said, pulling back just far enough to look at me.
I blinked at him, pulled out of my thoughts and drawn into the present moment again. He searched my face with a glimmer of concern in his eyes.
