“I wish I could have met them,” Carter said in a low voice.
Eliza shook her head and smiled. “They would’ve like you. And forgiven the fact that you’re a republican.”
“Ahh,” He laughed. “Democrats.”
“Optimistic. For all the good it did us.”
“They raised a smart girl.”
She pointed her putter toward the forgotten ball. “You can distract me with compliments, but I know you’re one over PAR already.”
Carter hit the ball again, missed, and endured Eliza’s laughter. “You really suck at this.”
“Do you always gloat when you win?” He was smiling along with her and knew her competitive nature wasn’t mean spirited.
“Yep.”
Carter moaned.
Later they found a casual restaurant with an outside patio overlooking the ocean. “I hope this is okay.”
Eliza lifted her hands in the air. “It’s a crab shack, what’s not to love?”
The noise from inside the restaurant drifted to the outside. There was a playoff game playing inside with plenty of people watching in the bar. “I needed a break from fine dining.”
“I’ll bet.” She picked up a menu and peered at him over it. “You do know that women are told never to pick crab to eat on a date, right?”
“They are?”
“It’s messy and usually expensive. Nothing says class like eating with your fingers.”
Carter found himself worrying if he’d picked the wrong restaurant. He’d enjoyed playing golf and listening to Eliza talk about her parents, and he’d hoped to keep the night moving in the same easy-going direction.
“So what are you going to order?”
“King crab legs with extra butter.” Her answer was quick.
He tossed his head back and laughed. “What about first date impressions? Aren’t you worried about setting your gender back a notch or two?”
She placed her menu back on the table. “I like crab.”
“Even if it’s messy?”
Eliza nodded over to a couple at another table. “I’ll wear a bib.”
He folded his hands and leaned forward. The confidence and ease she had in her own skin excited him. She’d tucked her rich dark hair into a small clip but a strand had fallen loose. He brushed it behind her ear and let his finger linger on her skin. He could get used to touching her. There wasn’t a time in recent memory where they’d managed to get alone for as many hours as they had on this date.
He liked it.
They talked about the first time she’d eaten crab and discussed the uselessness of the tiny fork provided by the restaurant. When dinner arrived and hot butter escaped the crab and dribbled down Eliza’s chin, Carter leaned over and wiped her face clean.
Her eyes caught his and, for a minute, the conversation stopped. All he could do was stare.
She was beautiful. If she were sitting a little closer, he would have taken advantage of the pause in conversation to kiss her. As it was, he sat across the table. He had to settle for capturing her hand and stroking the inside of her wrist.
“Eating crab is a two handed game, Hollywood.”
He glanced down at her small hand in his. She wasn’t pulling away, and that left him hopeful. He lifted it to his lips, watching her observe his movements as he kissed the back of it. Her smile fell and desire sparked in the back of her eyes. He probably looked like a sap kissing the back of her hand, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
On a sigh, he reluctantly released her hand and continued with dinner.
Later, as he drove up the narrow street on the way to her home, they were both laughing at the latest YouTube video that aired where the Princess of Denmark caught some old guy staring at her cle**age.
“I wonder how he explained that to his wife,” Eliza said, giggling.
“I’m sure he lied and said he was checking out her jeweled necklace.”
“You have to love social media. There’s more to watch online than there is on TV.”
Carter pulled into her driveway and moved quickly to help her out of the car. Instead of walking her up to the door, he took her hand in his and kept her next to the car. “I had fun,” he told her. Politics escaped his mind all night, and he nearly forgot that he’d turned off his phone before picking her up. God only knew what awaited him when he turned the damn thing back on.
“Not a bad first date.”
“So, did I pass for a second date?”
“Maybe.”
Oh, he passed, but she wanted to see him squirm.
The curtains moved beyond the front window of the house. Not only did Eliza have a police dog waiting for her, Gwen was probably awake as well.
“What if I bribe you with lobster and Dom Perignon?”
“Maybe I don’t like champagne.”
Carter inched closer, until her body was edged between his and the car. “I’ve been in two weddings with you. Not only do you like champagne, you love the good stuff.”
Her eyes fixated on his lips. “I could eat lobster,” she uttered.
He bent down and captured her lips. Like heated butter, she melted in his arms and moaned into his kiss. Her soft lips opened, and he explored her offering. The length of her body met his as he eased his weight closer and pinned her to the car. The last time he’d kissed a woman thoroughly outside a door, or over a car, had to have been in high school. Their kiss would be only that, passionate and steamy, but it would begin and end with a kiss. For some odd reason knowing they wouldn’t go farther excited him even more.
His arousal pressed against her stomach. Eliza had to know the affect she had on him. It was more than a physical attraction. All night they’d talked, laughed, and were enamored with each other’s company. When Eliza snarled at something he’d said, he delivered a like response. Instead of their banter escalating into something ugly, they laughed off their differences in a playful manner.
As he kissed her now and felt her pulling him close, it wasn’t a question of if he would make love to her, but a matter of when. The thought thrilled him as much as the anticipation might kill him.
He ended the kiss with a soft whimper. “I should walk you to the door before Gwen releases the dog.”
Eliza leaned her forehead against his chest. “If you told me a month ago that I would have a roommate and a dog, I’d have laughed you out of town.”
“You have both.”
“I do. And you should get home to rest anyway. Don’t you have to fly out tomorrow?”