Page 19 of After Midnight
I stepped out, still out of sight but wanting to see her reaction. The server walked over and set it down. I could see them talking—she was probably asking who sent it. The server smiled gently and explained. Her brows were raised in curiosity—maybe a little amusement. But she was smiling, so that was a good sign. I leaned against the wall, arms folded and continued to watch her.
Curious, she picked up the fork and cut into the layered cake. She stared at the forkful for a second before slowly bringing it to her mouth. As soon as the dessert hit her tongue,her eyes closed and her shoulders dropped. I smiled as I watched her savor it.
She shook her head in wonder, and I could see her mouth “Dammit.” Rubbing my beard, I chuckled to myself. She took a bigger forkful. “Dammit,” she mouthed again. She followed it with a slow sip of wine which heightened the flavor. Her head tilted back. That body language spoke more than words ever could.
She loved it.
My heart was beating a little too fast, but I pushed past my nerves to approach her. “So…we meet again,” I greeted playfully.
She looked up at me, blinking slowly before a slow smile spread across her face.
"Guy from the club," I filled in.
She smirked. "I remember."
Silence.
Shit. This was harder than I remembered. “Do you like it—the dessert?” I asked, hands tucked in my pocket. I was nervous but trying to hide it. But it looked like she saw everything, and those big brown eyes just took me in as she studied me without saying a word.
Finally, she tilted her head. "Mmhm."
Okay.She wasn't easily swayed. I cleared my throat. “I’m Remy.” I stretched out my hand.
She slowly placed hers in mine, the smirk still on her lips. "Gianna."
“Pleasure to meet you, Gianna." I held her soft hand longer than necessary before letting go. "I’m the owner and I—”
“Did you make this?” she cut in.
I cleared my throat again and nodded. “I did.”
She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. Still smirking, still eyeing me. "Why?” she asked.
“Excuse me?” I replied, taken aback and feeling slightly intimidated now. She was so beautiful. And although she looked gentle and approachable, there was an underlying boldness to her that I was picking up on. I was intrigued though. A ball of anticipation settled in my stomach.
“I saidwhy?” she repeated slowly, tone teasing.
She was fucking with me. Enjoying seeing me squirm. I licked my lips and smiled. “Well—I think you’re beautiful,” I answered honestly, tone soft. “And I just wanted to do something to get your attention.”
Gianna tilted her head at my earnest tone gauging if I was being genuine or not. “That was sweet.” She nodded swirling the wine around in her glass “Well you got it. But… let me ask you something, Remy.” She leaned forward slightly, eyes twinkling in amusement. “What if I was allergic to one of the ingredients?"
My mouth opened to speak and then closed promptly as I realized that she was right. “Damn,” I rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish expression on my face. “You’re right. I didn’t even consider that.”
She finally smiled. "You gotta be careful, handsome. Your kind gesture could've killed me."
“I'm sorry,” I apologized feeling careless and pissed at myself for my lack of forethought. “Can we start over? Please."
Her eyes held mine again. Those damn eyes were going to undue me.
“This is new to me,” I explained. “I’m really rusty,” I admitted with a hesitant smile. “I haven’t pursued a woman in so long…” My head dropped before coming back up. "I would love the opportunity to get to know you, Gianna. That's all."
She set down her glass. "This is your restaurant but have a seat." She gestured towards the chair across from her. "I don’t like you looking down at me."
I sat down quickly. "Thank you. And sorry for interrupting."
She nodded. "It's all good. You saw something you liked. And this was a cute gesture," she smiled with approval.
I returned it, shoulders dropping slightly. "Glad I could make you smile then."
