Book Boyfriends Wanted 15: His Curvy Muse

Sofia

What was I thinking? The door closed behind him, and I stood there, staring at it and wondering what in the world was wrong with me. A hot guy bats his eyelashes at me, and I’m done. I fold without a second thought.

Shit.

I didn’t know what it was about him that had me acting like such a fool. It wasn’t like he was the first good-looking guy who’d ever paid me any attention. Not that it happened all that often, but once in a while it did. I never fell for it before. So what was it about Daniel?

I shook my head and decided it didn’t matter. If nothing else, I owed him dinner. After the stupid argument with my dad, it was nice to get away for a few hours. That was why I went flying out the door in the first place. I needed a break.

Deep breaths. In. Out.

My dad’s open-ended plans might kill me. I liked structure and routine. I liked knowing what was going to happen. And I liked my life how I liked it.

Living with my dad was miles different from living with Piper. Or any of my previous roommates. My dad was inconsiderate and messy. And he’d only been there a few days! My apartment was already overflowing with his stuff. I didn’t even realize he had so much stuff. And I carried it all inside.

Ugh. I needed to find a way to talk to him. I still hadn’t figured out why he was there, so I was tiptoeing around him, trying not to start a fight. He was like a petulant child when he was called out, so I let things go. All the time. And he pushed. Because he knew he could.

The front door opened quickly, startling me out of my thoughts. Daniel looked around like he actually did expect me to leave him there. When his gaze landed on me, a smile lit his eyes and lifted his lips and made me feel like I wasn’t just a pity date or making shit up.

He was happy I was still there. I couldn’t remember the last time a man was happy to see me.

“Thanks for waiting,” he said, like I did him a favor.

“It was the least I could do since I’m the reason you aren’t inside enjoying your food right now.”

He grinned wider, then turned toward Gino’s. I fell into step beside him, the silence between us not entirely comfortable, but not uncomfortable either.

“So, your dad’s a pain in the ass, huh?” he asked after a few minutes.

I chuckled, finding myself unable to hold back when a stranger was passing judgment on my relationship. “We’ve never been close. I don’t know what to say to him most of the time, and he’s never understood me.”

“But he’s here for a few days to change that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think it’s only a few days. He brought enough luggage to last a few months. Although he’s not a light packer, so it could just be a week.”

“Some people are like that. My buddy, Seth, he’s horrible. Always packs more shit than he needs, then gets pissed when he can’t fit it all back in his suitcase after a trip.”

I laughed. “I always end up packing too light. I’ve had to buy things on vacation that I could have brought from home but told myself I didn’t need.”

“Underwear, right? You ran out of underwear?”

I snorted and nodded. “Yep. Twice. Now, it’s the only thing I overpack. I’d rather bring clean underwear home than have to buy new.”

“Absolutely.” Daniel stopped in front of the restaurant and opened the door for me. He smiled as I walked ahead of him.

I may have added a little sway to my hips as I walked past him. Maybe.

“Hey, Sofia!” Lucy was the owner and usually worked as hostess for the restaurant. Her husband, John, was the chef. Their kids, Amy and Tina, helped run the place. It was a true family restaurant, and they made everyone in town feel like they were part of the extended family.

“Hey, Lucy.” I gave the older woman a hug, inhaling the scent of tomato sauce that always seemed to cling to her.

“Your to-go order is ready, and we have your food at a table for you, so you didn’t have to wait.” Lucy looked past me to where Daniel hadn’t spoken. “But we can plate up one of those to-go orders so the two of you can enjoy your meal together.”

“Thank you,” Daniel said, stepping closer. His hand rested on my back, possessive like he and I were together. Like he had a right to touch me.

I didn’t hate it.

Lucy smirked at me, her eyes wide and her smile even wider. I shook my head, but it was useless. Lucy had already decided we were together.

She led us to a table where a steaming plate of ravioli was waiting, with a glass of red wine and a water. The to-go bag wasn’t there, but I knew it would be back shortly, with one less meal in it.

“Here you are,” Lucy said, waving her hand at the table. “I hope this is okay for you two tonight.”

“It’s fine, Lucy. Really.”

“Perfect,” Daniel said. “Thank you so much. Sofia says the food here is amazing. Is that thanks to you?”

Lucy blushed, and holy shit, I realized I wasn’t the only woman falling under his spell. What was it about Daniel that had women feeling like they were special?

“No, not me,” Lucy said. “My husband is the master in the kitchen. And the bedroom, if I’m being honest.” Lucy clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide like she couldn’t believe she said that.

“Two most important rooms,” Daniel said without missing a beat.

“That’s what he says!” Lucy laughed, her embarrassment forgotten.

“Smart man.”

“And talented.”

Daniel chuckled with her, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Good for you.”

Lucy laughed again. “Yes, it really is.”

“Here’s your dinner,” Tina said, saving us from more stories about Lucy and John. “And the rest of the to-go order is in the back where we can keep it warm.”

“Thank you, Tina. How are you?” I asked her with a nod to her pregnant belly.

Tina rubbed a hand over the bump and smiled. “Really good. Still two months to go, but I’m feeling good. Thanks, Sofia. You two enjoy.” Tina guided her mother away, as though she knew there was a reason to get Lucy away from Daniel.

“Do you come here often?” Daniel asked.

I lifted one brow at him. “Is that a line?”

He barked a laugh and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it to be. They both knew you.”

I nodded. “Partly small town, and partly great food. I’m a big fan of Italian food, and theirs is exceptional.”

“Then I’m really looking forward to this.” He lifted a bite of his dinner, shrimp scampi, and held it up like a glass of wine for a toast.

I chuckled and speared a ravioli, tapping my fork to his. Our gazes locked as we both ate our food, the air sizzling between us.

His eyes slid closed, and he groaned. He lowered his fork, it clanging on the side of the plate. “Oh, my God, this is good. How did I wait so long to come here?”

“Well, I would have told you to come here first.”

“I wish you had instead of just running out of my place that first night.”

My cheeks warmed with the memory. “You were acting weird. It made me uncomfortable.”

He sat up straight. “It did? I didn’t realize.” He tilted his head. “What did I do?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter now. I was wrong, and I’m glad we were able to come here tonight.”

He held my gaze another minute, then nodded and let the question go.

We ate our food quickly, neither waiting for it to cool much before we were devouring dinner.

“Did you grow up here?” Daniel asked as he scraped the last bite from his plate.

“No. I sort of grew up all over.”

“Military?” he asked, looking up at me. His gaze strayed to the plate.

“Are you going to lick your plate?”

One side of his mouth quirked up. “I was trying to figure out how I could without grossing you out. Maybe you should turn away.”

“You want me to leave you alone with your dinner plate?”

He looked at me, then back down to the plate, then nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I think I do.”

I laughed, shaking my head and trying to remember the last time I enjoyed dinner with a virtual stranger as much. He made me laugh, and he didn’t just talk about himself. He asked questions about me. And seemed like he cared what the answers were.

He set his plate down on the table again and smiled at me. “Your laugh is like sunrise after a night of binge drinking.”

I started to say thank you until the rest of his sentence sank in. “Binge drinking?” I laughed. “Is that a compliment?”

He ducked his chin and shrugged, like he was embarrassed. “I just meant refreshing.”

I nodded, thinking it was poetic in a dark and twisted kind of way. “Then thank you.”

“It wasn’t very good. Sorry.”

I smiled. “It was unique.”

His smile was forced and strained. “We should probably head back.”

He raised his hand for the check, but I shook my head. “Are you telling me you don’t want dessert?”

“They have dessert?” His tone was excited and eager.

I grinned. “Best in town. Cannolis and tiramisu and cakes that’ll give you a sugar rush for days.”

“I’m not sure which is more dangerous, you or this place.”

“Me?” I wasn’t used to being offended and complimented in one sentence.

“You’re introducing me to all the delights Gino’s has to offer. I just ordered shrimp scampi pasta and lasagna. You teased me with ravioli all night and are now tempting me with dessert.”

“It’s only a temptation if you don’t enjoy it. Then it’s a pleasure.”

“I’ll show you pleasure.”

My body flushed hot as my mouth fell open.

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”

Daniel Ryan was a mystery. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his inappropriate comments and strange compliments. There was something about him that made me curious what would come out of his mouth next.

“Maybe we should start with dessert and go from there.”

He opened his mouth to say something. He closed it again and a smirk slowly spread over his lips. The kind of look that said he knew exactly what I was saying, and exactly what I was thinking, and he was in complete agreement with it.

“Dessert tonight?” Tina asked, refilling our waters and propping the pitcher on her belly.

“She talked me into it,” Daniel said. “What do you recommend because I kind of want one of each?”

“We do have a sampler dessert menu,” Tina said. “It comes with one cannoli, a small slice of chocolate mousse cake, a half size piece of tiramisu, and a small slice of lemon cake.”

“Done,” Daniel said. He looked over at me. “What are you going to have?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I think I’ll have the same.”

Tina tapped her screen to put both orders in, then walked away.

“I have a feeling I’m going to be here every week.”

“If I could afford it, I would be, too.”

“I have more money than skills, so I have to rely on others to cook for me.”

“I can cook for you sometime,” I offered before my brain had a chance to stop the words from exiting. “I mean, if you ever want to not go out to eat.”

He stared at me for so long I thought he was going to laugh and walk away. I wasn’t used to putting myself out there with men. I was the quiet one. The woman no one noticed. The one who worked on your apartment, then left. I wasn’t the bombshell every man in the place wanted to have dinner with. I was the best friend, at best.

But the way Daniel looked at me… I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t figure it out. There was something in his eyes. Something that said he wasn’t just being friendly because I’d be the one answering his calls if he had any issues. He wanted to talk to me.

It was exciting and unnerving and amazing.

“Maybe you should come to my place and cook so you get an escape from your dad.”

“Your place was supposed to be my escape,” I blurted, again, before thinking my words through. That wasn’t like me. I always thought through what I was going to say and do. But Daniel kept short-circuiting my brain.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Tina delivered our desserts before I had a chance to answer. Daniel moaned softly when he took in the plate of sweetness. “Holy shit. I’m going to gain so much weight being here all summer.”

I snorted. “I doubt that. You don’t look like anything sticks to you.”

He shook his head. “I was definitely blessed with a fast metabolism, but I indulge a little too much a little too often.”

“Sometimes we need to indulge. Makes life more pleasurable.”

He choked on his tiramisu, inhaling sharply and choking on the powdered chocolate sprinkled on top.

“I’m so sorry!”

He coughed the chocolate from his lungs as his eyes watered. “Totally worth it. Too good to waste.”

I stabbed a bite of mine. “It really is.” I brought the bite to my lips, pausing when I saw him watching me. “Are you going to try to make me choke?”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t think of it. Just wanted to watch you enjoy that.”

The words were innocent enough, but his tone was soaked in desire and temptation. Both had me squirming in my seat and wondering when we could get the check and get out of there.

Daniel enjoyed every one of the desserts, groaning and praising each one as he tasted it. He finished every bite, then lamented how full he was.

Tina brought the check, and Daniel insisted on paying for both of us, even though I was the one who ruined his first attempt at dinner.

“It’s worth it to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman,” Daniel said, making me blush.

When we left the restaurant, with Daniel’s to-go bag loaded down with a few extras, we walked back toward the apartment. The night air was calm and cool, just enough to remind me that I was essentially on a date with a man none of my friends had ever dated. A man no one I knew had dated. A man who wasn’t off-limits, or permanent.

Daniel was there for three months. I knew because I made it happen. He was temporary.

But just like my mouth spouting words without my brain processing and approving them, my mouth was ready to do other things without approval from my brain.

Daniel opened the door to the building, holding it for me to walk inside ahead of him. He spun his keys on his finger, like the end of a date when you’re stalling for time. We stood at the bottom of the stairs, him going up and me not.

“Thanks for having dinner with me,” he said. “And for taunting me with the desserts that I can’t get enough of.”

“Thank you for treating me, Daniel. Next time I pay.”

“We’ll see.”

He made a move toward me, and I went for it. I tilted my head up and puckered my lips. I closed my eyes just before my lips connected with his.

“Oh,” he said.

My lips landed on his jaw. Which he turned to the side when he saw me coming at him, poised and ready for a kiss.

A kiss he obviously didn’t want.

“I… Um…”

“Shit. I…” I drew a breath and took a huge step away from the man who was just being nice and not hitting on me. I couldn’t look at him. “Have a good night.”

“Sofia,” he started.

But I didn’t wait around to hear what he was going to say. I turned and hurried to my door, thanking God my key slid into the lock without any resistance.

I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, closing my eyes and pretending I didn’t just surprise kiss a man who did not want me kissing him.

“Where were you?” my dad barked.

Great fucking night.