Chapter 2

TYLER

CHAPTER TWO

I'm almost certain Ariana won't show when she steps inside Billy's Mill Tap Room. Her eyes shift from one end of the bar to the other.

The guy behind the bar calls her Ari and waves. He's not the regular bartender.

A few other people smile at her with surprised expressions.

Ariana says hello but continues scanning until she finds me at a small table at the far side of the room.

I picked this spot because it's not too close to the noisy bar or the people playing pool. Music will start in about an hour, and that gives me time to get to know her. Standing, I hold out the chair.

She sits, pushing her short hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

When I'm across from her, it's hard to stop staring into her wide blue eyes. She's like one of those mythical creatures who lure men into the woods. "You look very beautiful, Ariana."

"Do I? Oh, thank you." She says it as if someone once told her that's the appropriate response to a compliment. As awkward as it is, I find her adorable.

"You know a lot of people here." I nod toward the bartender.

She looks over her shoulder. "Denver is my cousin. I have a big family. I noticed five or six cousins here tonight."

"So, you grew up in Roseville."

"No. Well. It was always home." She folds her napkin several times until it looks like a swan. She unfolds the swan and begins folding again.

I'm torn between watching whatever creation she's going to make next and knowing about her childhood. "Where did you grow up?"

Blinking, she looks at me and then at the hat she made from her napkin.

Denver steps to the table. "What are you drinking, Ari?"

"Do you have lemonade, Denver?" She crushes the hat.

"I do. Half strength?" He smiles at her the way an older brother who's proud might.

I'm still trying to figure it out when she nods and he turns to me. "What can I get you?"

Holding out my hand, I say, "Tyler Strand. Just a beer. Whatever you have on tap is fine."

He hesitates before shaking. "Denver Lane."

Once her cousin walks back to the bar, she says, "My dad was in the military. We lived in Italy for a while. Germany too. But when I was eight, I had to come back to the US."

The way she says it sounds as if only she came back. "Why was that?"

"The schools didn't have the program I needed." She fists the napkin, then puts it in her lap.

"Where did you go to school?"

"I went to a school for gifted children in Vermont." She wrinkles her nose. "Where did you go to school?"

I have no idea why her asking makes me happy. "I went to public school on Long Island. I grew up there and moved to Manhattan while getting my education and then my apprenticeship."

She nods. "Public education is sufficient most of the time. My siblings all went to public school wherever we lived."

Our drinks arrive and Ariana orders a cheeseburger with fries.

I order the same, but my attention is always on her. When we're alone again, I take a breath and ask the question that's been gnawing at me. "How smart are you exactly?"

She stares as if I've asked her something terrible. "I'm not sure if that's a rude question or not."

"I didn't mean to be rude. It's only that I can see you thinking all the time. Well, at least all the time we've been together. I just wondered because it seems relevant." The last thing I want is to offend her.

"If I tell you, you might not want to stay for dinner. Men get uncomfortable when women are smarter than them." She brings the napkin back up but then drops it and sips her drink.

Something about her draws me in. How do I put her at ease? "I suppose that might be true of some men. Were you smarter than your last boyfriend?"

She gets that thinking look where she focuses on something over my shoulder, but I can tell she's inside her pretty head. "Brock was smart. He solved a lot of problems. However, he can't see outside of what already exists. His vision is limited by the known. I suppose I'm smarter in that way."

"Where did you meet Brock?"

"The Space Agency. He's still there. I needed a break, and I missed my family. Now I do forensic accounting. It pays well and isn't difficult. Maybe someday I'll do something else." Again, her focus is distant before she locks her gaze on me. "You didn't ask all of that. Should I apologize?"

Reaching across the table, I take her hand. "No. I'm happy to learn more about you, and I don't mind you being ten times smarter than me."

She smiles for the first time and I love it more than is reasonable. She's a beautiful woman, but when she smiles, artists would want to paint her. "I'm glad you don't mind. I can't change it."

As if I would want her to change. "No. You can't, and you shouldn't have to. Not for me or anyone."

The burgers come and before we finish, the band sets up and starts to play. Ariana stares at the dancers and the lights while I pay the bill.

"Do you want to dance, Ariana?" I'm not going to lie, the idea of holding this woman in my arms is more than a little arousing. She's so far out of my league, and I knew it the moment I saw her in her bare feet with her temper boiling over. She was beautiful then, and she's even more so now that I know her a little.

I took a bunch of shit from my coworkers when I asked for a date. They placed bets as to whether or not she'd show up. I don't blame them. I doubted it too.

Cocking her head, she studies the dancers. "I think I would."

Holding my breath in case she changes her mind, I take her hand and lead her to the floor. The music is slow and I place a hand on her waist. "Is this okay?"

She nods and takes my other hand. "We didn't have a prom or anything at my school and then I went to Princeton. Not much time for dancing. Brock didn't dance."

"I'm not very good, but if you're okay with rocking to the music, I've got you covered on the floor." I hold her slightly tighter.

She curls her hand around my neck and eases closer.

The smell of her floral shampoo and the curve of her spine would be enough to drive any man insane. Because the last thing I want is to scare her off, I keep myself together and will away my growing arousal.

Halfway through the song, she steps back. Her cheeks are bright red. "I need some air." She turns and heads for the front door.

I follow, unsure if I did something wrong or if it was just hot on the dance floor. It was hot, but it had nothing to do with the temperature in the bar.

As I'm crossing the last twenty feet to reach her at the door, a hand grabs my arm. Denver and Jacob Lane block my path. Denver says, "Ariana is not some chick you pick up at a bar."

"I know that. I didn't pick her up. I asked her out." I stare at them, wondering if I can take them both. Probably not. One maybe, but together, I'm asking for an ass-whooping.

"Why did she run out?" Jacob crosses his arms over his chest.

I do the same and stare him down. "I don't know because you two are blocking me from finding out. She probably thinks I'm some jerk who doesn't care that she left." The last part came out without me thinking about it. It's what I feel, but these two don't need to know that.

Denver smiles. He steps back. "We're just being protective. She's brilliant, but not always in touch with feelings."

Turning to my side, I squeeze through the small gap they left between them. I give a shove to get past. I'm out the door in a moment, searching the parking lot.

She's standing near the sidewalk with her arms wrapped around her waist, staring down the road.

When I reach her, I want to pull her in and hold her until whatever's bothering her goes away. I keep my hands to myself. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

"If it's because I got aroused, I'm sorry. I like you, and I'm only human." I figure it's best to get it all out there and take my chances with honesty. I can already sense that Ariana doesn't do subtlety.

She turns and stares at me. "I didn't mind. It's only that I was…hmm…something. I wanted to not be in a crowded room."

"You don't like crowds?" I'm trying to follow, but it's as if she's learning a new language. Maybe if I'm patient, she'll come around to it. For the first time in my life, I pray for patience.

"I have over thirty cousins. Any family gathering is a crush of people." The streetlamp gives enough light to show her mouth drawn down and a crease between her eyes.

I step close and brush back the strand of hair that separated itself from her bangs where they're pushed to one side. "I'm sorry if something made you uncomfortable."

She waves her finger at me. "That's it. I felt uncomfortable. My body was hot and my throat got tight. My vagina ached."

I step back, even though once what she said registers, I want to close the gap. "You're telling me you were uncomfortable because you wanted me and we were around too many people?"

Staring into my eyes, she nods. "That's it."

I want to raise my hands in victory. I keep them at my sides. "I'm flattered."

"That's good, right?"

"I think so. Maybe you would let me take you out again. I have to go see my parents this weekend, but if you want to go to the beach next Saturday, or the lake?"

She cocks her head. "You want to go out with me again?"

"Of course."

"But I'm so…different." She flies her hands to the side, then lets them drop.

I close the gap and run my thumb along her jaw. "You know, Ariana Lane, I think that's what I like best about you. I like the honesty and the differences. I like the way you look at me and that you ran out of your house without thinking to put shoes on. Even the fact that you had no fear when confronting three unfamiliar men makes me want to know everything that makes you tick."

"Are you going to kiss me now?" She looks from my mouth to my eyes and back again. Her tongue wets her bottom lip.

I thread my fingers through her soft hair. "I'd like to, but I don't want to scare you."

"I'm not scared." She lifts onto her toes and presses her soft, sweet lips to mine.

Gently cupping the back of her head, I wrap my other hand around her waist and deepen the kiss. I sweep my tongue inside her warm mouth.

On a low moan, she grips my neck and presses her body tight to mine. She tests her tongue against mine, then finds a rhythm with me that's pure and raw. Letting me take the lead, she follows until my cock is rock-hard between us.

Breaking the kiss, she draws hard breaths. "You're aroused again."

Knowing that what her cousins said was true and wanting more than a meaningless hookup, I gather my strength against how fucking adorable she is. "I will always be aroused when you touch me, Ariana."

"I suppose men get aroused by any woman." She pulls back until she's out of reach. "I should go home."

I walk with her to her little coupe car. "You are not any woman. And I don't have meaningless encounters with women. I haven't since I was twenty. I like you, Ariana. I like you more than is typical after meeting someone a few hours ago."

My attention shifts to her throat bobbing up and down and the way her pupils are wide, nearly eradicating the blue irises. She gets in the car and starts the engine.

My gut tightens because I'm sure I pushed too far and I'll never see her again. It shouldn't matter. We barely know each other, but it does.

Sitting, staring at the shrubs in front of her windshield, her shoulders slump. She turns and rolls down her window. "I'd like to go to the beach. I like the ones with boardwalks, either with or without games."

It's possibly the last thing I expected her to say. "I'll pick you up at nine a.m. next Saturday. We can drive down to Seaside Heights."

Her smile could ruin me. "What's your phone number?"

I rattle it off.

Without writing it down, she gives me another of her perfect smiles and pulls out of the parking lot.

I'm doomed, but I think I like it.