Both of our breaths were labored as we lingered in the truck and Dave Mathews sang softly about satellites.

Jayden spoke first with a “Yes.”

“Sorry?” I asked, completely confused.

“Yes, I’m going to kiss you before I buy you dinner.”

“I think ...” My voice squeaked, our eyes still connected. “I think you already answered that question. And Gerri’s a girl.”

He smiled and kissed me again briefly before he opened his door, pulling me out of it with him. This time when he held my hand to the restaurant, he slid his fingers between mine. More warmth spread through me as I stared down at our linked hands and then looked up at him as he pulled the door open for me. I was still dazed from our kiss and could barely manage the walk.

“Thank you,” I said, more relaxed than I thought possible on a first date, as the hostess led us to a small candlelit table. I’d been to the the restaurant during lunch a time or two with Gerri. They had fantastic, hot meatball subs but the atmosphere changed drastically by night. Sinatra was playing softly in the background and it was simply...romantic. Large baskets of ivy draped from the ceiling and soft globes of light throughout the space illuminated what the candles did not. There were lattice partitions throughout the room that were lit with thousands of tiny white lights. It all felt very old school and intimate.

“I won’t need another good line tonight with you taking me to this place,” I noted, leaving out the part where if he could kiss like that he could be mute.

“You’ve been?”

“Yes, but only during the day for lunch. It’s different in here now.”

He smiled as if he knew my words were meant for consolation.

“Good, different is good.” The waitress took our drink orders and I gave Jayden an odd look when he ordered hot coffee and told her to keep it coming.

“Afraid you’ll fall asleep on me again?” I said with humor. He gave me a stern eye.

“No, actually it’s an addiction of mine.”

“Might be why you crashed and burned,” I said, pun intended.

“Very funny. I have no hair on my nipples.”

I was suddenly all too interested in assessing that situation. “I could check those out for you. I mean, fair is fair.”

“Mine aren’t as pretty as yours.”

“Are we discussing nipples at dinner?” I asked, amused as he poured a ridiculous amount of sugar and cream in his coffee.

“You started it.” His eyes met mine as he stirred and it hit me like a thud to the chest. It was definitely an attraction I couldn’t mask and he seemed to feel the same as he continue to stir his coffee, checking me out without apology.

“So, Jayden, what do you do?”

“Woodwork with my Uncle Stephen. I’ve worked for him since I was around fifteen. We make custom cabinets, stuff like that, some furniture.”

“Oh,” I said, surprised.

“Not impressed?” he mused as our waitress approached.

“No, just not what I expected.” The waitress took our order and I dug right back in.

“So, you are in woodwork. I’m guessing you’re from here?

“Born and raised,” he said quickly.

“An hour outside of Columbia. I relocated here for school.”

“Do you like it here?”

“It’s okay, not where I want to be forever. But I love the long drives in the countryside and getting lost in the mountains.”

“We should do that sometime,” he remarked before sipping his coffee.

And to that I smiled as we dug into the freshly delivered bread. He tore a piece off and dipped it into the seasoned olive oil. “Try this,” he whispered as he moved it close enough to my mouth for me either to accept or refuse. I accepted with a moan.

“Damn,” I said appreciatively as I chewed.

“Your mouth is perfect,” he whispered as I licked my bottom lip.

“Is that another line?” I teased as I tore off another piece of bread. Looking up, I found his eyes hot on my mouth. He didn’t answer me, and I could only sit there, the bread halfway between the table and my mouth as he continued his silent assault on my newly licked lips. I got his message loud and clear. He wanted more of my mouth and I wanted to give it to him. Our food arrived during our wordless communication then Jayden finally broke our ocular contest as we dug in.

“You have two options,” Jay said as we began inhaling our pasta. The food was ridiculous and neither of us bothered to mask the fact that we were enjoying it immensely.

“Oh,” I said, twirling my fork to capture the noodles in the perfect creamy white sauce.

“Travel agent or personal assistant for an architect.” I dropped my fork.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, my buddy Owen is an architect and needs someone fulltime. You can start with him Monday if you want. He trusts me and I’ve never let him down. As long as you pass a background check, the job’s yours. Same thing with my friend Adam. He owns Leisure Travel agency downtown. He has a lady going on maternity leave in a few days when she delivers her fifth child.”

“And they will just hire me?” I said completely baffled.

“Yes. I mean, they want to interview you, or at least do a meet and greet, but yeah.”

As I stared at him, I felt the emotion choke me a second time. In all of my searching in the last week and a half, I hadn’t found anything remotely as interesting as a travel agent or working side by side with an architect. Those two options, though neither sounding like a permanent gig, seemed reasonable enough to live with, if not enjoy.

Enjoying a job, I didn’t think that existed.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Your pasta is getting cold,” he pointed out as I wringed my hands in my lap.

“Jayden, this is great. I mean really great. You don’t even know me.”

“I want to.”

“I’m pretty sure I want that, too.” Agreeing with him seemed pretty natural.

“I’ll give you both numbers and you can make your own decision.”

“Thank you. Like, thank you so much. Which would you take?”

“Do what makes you happy, Hilary.” I nodded. He’d made it so simple. Just by narrowing it down to two choices, he’d simplified my life and took a huge burden off me.

“What makes you happy?” I asked as the waitress refilled his coffee.

“Things you might think are strange, that maybe we should save for a later date.”

“Come on, try me,” I said, taking a sip of my wine. I was feeling the effect of its magic as my body settled further into my seat, the pasta growing heavy in my belly. I was already drunk on the view across from me and elated as the pressure of finding a job rolled off my shoulders. It was heaven.

“A clean house, walking my retriever, Trip, good food, finishing a piece of furniture and delivering it, The Beatles. And I added kissing you about an hour ago.”

And that was the moment I knew I was onto something.

“Jayden, God,” I rasped as he continued to kiss my neck just below my ear.

Our kiss goodnight had turned into some serious, heavy petting and by the tenderness of my swollen lips told me had started over an hour ago. It took every bit of strength I had not to invite him in. Even if I did, I didn’t think he would do it seeing as how he hadn’t suggested it in any way since we started our hands on exploration over our clothes. We were kissing now as we had at the restaurant before we went inside. I was on his side of the truck, my arms around his neck as he brushed up and down my sides, barely grazing my breasts.

“I don’t want to stop,” he said as I moaned into his next kiss. When we separated, he bit down on my shoulder with his teeth and I cried out.

“I love that sound,” he whispered in a voice filled with sex.

“Don’t stop,” I pleaded as my sex pulsed, begging for release.

“Fuck it,” he snapped, pulling me into his lap to straddle him right before he gripped the sides of my head as his mouth crashed into mine. I began rubbing myself over him, seeking the delicious friction I needed so badly.