Page 39 of Forever Only Once

“Right? Who would’ve thought that this would feel more nerve-wracking than the blind date to begin with?”

“Maybe it’s because we’ve actually met each other, and now we have to see if what we remember is something that we like.”

“You’re really not as bad at this as you think you are,” she said softly. I swallowed hard. This was getting interesting.

“How about we order a big plate of sushi, as much as we can handle, a couple of soups, maybe a thing of spring rolls, and then a bulgogi and a yakisoba. We can share as much as we’re able, and then split the takeout.”

“Sold. But we have to eat all the sushi here because leftover sushi is gross and probably a health hazard.”

I grinned. “That sounds amazing.”

As the waiter goggled when we ordered everything, I laughed and leaned in, wanting to know more about Hazel.

Because I liked this woman. I liked the way she made me smile.

And while I knew I had other things to worry about, things that were important, I wanted to know what made her tick. I wanted to know her.

I wanted to know exactly why she hadn’t been on a date before that blind date of hers that I’d crashed.

But right then, we were too busy smiling and gorging ourselves on sushi, so I didn’t ask.

But I did lean in, because I wanted to know more. I wanted to know her.

This wasn’t a blind date, and it wasn’t an accidental one either. And I already knew I didn’t want it to be the last one.

That surprised me more than anything.

By the end of the date, I had to hold my breath. Not only because of the temptation in front of me, but because of the sheer amount of food we’d eaten.

I leaned against the light pole near Hazel’s car, one hand full of leftovers, the other on my stomach. “I think I ate too much.”

Hazel leaned against her car, her pose mimicking mine. “I know I did.” She grinned. “I know I’m supposed to be all cute and sexy or whatever for a date, but diving headfirst into bulgogi and sushi was so much better than trying to be something I wasn’t just then.”

I straightened, my gut tightening even though I was full. “You’re still sexy, Hazel. It’s in the way you laugh, the way your eyes brighten when you talk about your work. The fact that you did dive headfirst, right alongside me. I would have asked you out again because of the way you made me laugh, but you should know that I’ll beg if I have to on top of that because you’re damn sexy.”

I probably shouldn’t have said that, but there was no taking it back now.

She blinked wide eyes at me, her mouth parting. “Oh.”

“Oh.” I moved closer. She didn’t flinch, but she did stiffen. “Can I kiss you?”

“You’re asking?” Surprise was evident in her tone.

“Always. I’ll never kiss you, touch you, or do anything without asking you first.” I didn’t know the whole story, but the way she moved around strangers, including me, told me that I needed to tread carefully. “Just a kiss. Nothing more.” Tonight.

“Okay.” She paused. “A kiss.” She paused again. “Not that I might not want more in the future, but for now, let’s go slow.” She said the last part so quickly and blushed so red that I couldn’t help but smile.

“I can do that.” And then I leaned in, my lips so close to hers I could feel the heat of her. And then I waited.

She moved forward a fraction of an inch, and I let myself go. I swallowed up the distance between us. Her lips were soft, her mouth parted, and I leaned in a bit, wanting more, but knowing this wasn’t the place for that.

It wasn’t long enough, a bare moment of tranquility and heat and need, but when I moved back, her eyes were wide, just like mine, and then she smiled. A small one, but an expression I knew I’d never forget.

“Well, then,” I whispered, then cleared my throat. “I’m glad we finally did that.”

“After two dates?” She swallowed hard. “Yes, I’m glad we did, as well.”

So proper.