Page 48 of The Decadent Gift (The Gift 3)
“So,” he said, sounding pleased. “You’re finally taking that ‘me time’ you so generously encouraged me to take.”
I laughed. “Your ‘me time’ didn’t really last. Pretty sure it’s turned into you-and-Kate time.”
Jake grinned. “Can’t say I regret that in the least. And who’s to say that won’t happen with you and Daniel?”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. Then, Carson let out a whoop from the couch, and my heart flipped just a little.
“Are you sure he’s okay with this?” I asked, in a whisper, nerves kicking back up.
Jake’s expression softened. “Christine,” he said, squeezing my arm. “You saw him just now. He wants you to be happy.”
I took in a deep breath. He was right. And I hated that he was. Who gave my little brother permission to be the smart one?
“Besides,” Jake said, nudging me in the shoulder. “If I get to—what was it you said?—sparkle, then so should you.”
I pinched his cheek. “And you are very sparkly.”
In my pocket, my phone buzzed. Daniel. I’d asked him to text me when he was outside. I wasn’t ready for him to knock and meet Jake and Carson.
Not yet, anyway.
For now, I was doing this on my terms, just like everything else in my life.
“He’s here,” I said to Jake. “Now go back and be a good babysitter. And don’t let him play video games all night.”
My brother winked before returning to Carson and the low cross.
Leaving me to slip out the door.
Leaving me to my new chance in the city of opportunity.
* * *
For the briefest moment before I opened the door, I panicked and wondered if Daniel would have come on his motorcycle. I had no idea how I was supposed to ride a motorcycle in a tight dress.
But when I glanced down the driveway, I saw something better. A limo, long and sleek. He stood in front of it, a tailored suit jacket skimming his thick arms and broad shoulders. His dark hair was just the right amount of messy.
Even without the motorcycle, he’d arrived looking both put together and a little wild.
The thought made me imagine sitting behind him, my arms wrapped around him.
His muscles moving under my hands as I held on.
The wind zipping past us as we roared down the Vegas Strip.
I shook off the thought.
No motorcycle for tonight. And in my stilettos, that was probably for the best.
“I trust you’re Christine?” Daniel asked as I approached, holding out his hand. A polite gentleman. I guessed he would have to be to be good enough to work for Trish.
“You trust correctly.”
“Then this is already the best blind date I’ve ever been on,” he said, and I couldn’t help but smile.
He brought my hand to his lips, brushing a kiss against my knuckles as he met my gaze with his. Something dangerous and exciting glinted in his eyes.
Well. Maybe not such a gentleman after all.
And judging from the way my shoulders tingled, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Hello,” I said and glanced back at the limo. “You’re not driving, are you?”
He let out a deep, throaty laugh that made me shiver down to my toes. I had to get it together. Daniel was just a man. Just a first date.
So why did his simple laugh turn me on? Or maybe he did already.
“One of the perks of owning a limo company is getting to take them out occasionally,” he said with a warm smile. “We’ll be in the back. I have some champagne if you’d like. Or water. Soda. Or tea. I like to come prepared.”
I kind of loved that. His presentation of options.
“Champagne sounds fantastic.”
He smiled, and I smiled back, feeling as giddy and bubbly as what we were about to drink.
He opened the door for me, and I slipped inside. It smelled like clean leather and his cologne—musky and rich—and I shivered a little as he slid in next to me.
He reached for the bottle of champagne and poured me a glass. The whole time, I watched how sure and steady his movements were.
How he gripped the bottle with purpose.
It made it easy to imagine his hands on me.
Hmm. Maybe I was more ready for this date than I thought. Or maybe my body was saying I was ready for other things too.
That didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
“So, Christine,” he said, watching me with intense and knowing eyes. “Are you ready for tonight?”
I breathed. Was I?
“Yes,” I said, meeting his gaze “I absolutely am.”
He smiled, passing me the glass and clinking it against his.
“To new beginnings,” he toasted, and I repeated it before tipping it back.
* * *
On the way over, we traded questions back and forth, chatting about work and the city.
“Tell me about the life of a Las Vegas limo driver,” I said, finding talking with him surprisingly comfortable. He had a way about him of putting me at ease.
