I slid into a booth at one of the better diners downtown, and Chase slid in next to me. He didn’t bother trying to leave the socially acceptable amount of space. He was close enough that his thigh touched mine. I had no room to scoot, so I tried to relax.
He put an arm around me after handing me a menu. “Do you know what you’re getting?”
I set aside the menu. “Just a cup of coffee.”
“Really? Coffee at eleven o’clock?”
“I can drink caffeine anytime. It never keeps me up.”
“Interesting. I’m the same way.” He ran his hands through my hair absently.
“What are you getting?”
“Pancakes.” He dropped my hair and picked up the menu.
“Just pancakes?”
“What do you mean? That’s better than coffee.”
“I mean what kind?”
“Oh. Is there a type you’d like me to order? Maybe so you can steal a bite or two?”
I glanced across the table, but Jade seemed completely fixated on what Len was saying. I was glad neither of us had anything to drink earlier. At least we didn’t need to worry about making drunken decisions—been there, done that.
I leaned into him slightly. “If you get chocolate chip, I might take a bite.”
“Chocolate? You have a sweet tooth then. I guess I’m ordering chocolate chip pancakes.”
“I never said you had to.”
He brushed his lips against my ear sending a thrill through me. “I want to make you happy tonight, Cara. If making you happy involves ordering chocolate chip pancakes, I’m doing it.”
“What if I wanted to make you happy?” Where was this flirtatious side coming from? It was like I couldn’t resist him.
He set aside the menu again. “You already made me happy by agreeing to come out after the show. The fact that your hand is on my leg also makes me happy.”
I glanced down. I hadn’t realized I was doing that. “Oh, sorry.” I went to pull my hand away but he stopped me.
“I just told you it made me happy and you’re going to stop?”
“Sorry. Impulse response. I assumed it was sarcasm or something.”
“Listen, I don’t know who you’ve dated before, but if I tell you I like something, I like it. And just to make it even easier, I like when you touch me. So, you really can’t go wrong as long as your hands, or other body parts, are on me.”
“Other body parts?” I raised an eyebrow.
Just then, a waitress came over. Chase ordered right away. “We’ll have two coffees and chocolate chip pancakes.”
“Do you want a second plate then?” The waitress looked at me.
“Nope. We’re great sharing from the same plate.” He squeezed my hand.
Jade and Len both ordered dessert. She grinned at me from across the table.
I turned back to Chase, leaving my hand on his leg. “I told you I was going to take a few bites, not share it.”
“I’ve never ordered for you. I thought I’d try it out.”
“And how was it?”
“Pretty good.” He settled his hand on my leg right where my skirt ended. “How did it feel to have me order?”
“Why do I sense some insinuation in those words?” I shifted, allowing his hand to slip under my skirt slightly. I closed my eyes. I wasn’t allowed to enjoy the feeling so much.
“Because it’s there. I’ve been thinking about you constantly since that night. I got kind of obsessive even. I found myself searching social media sites for girls named Cara.”
I laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. If you’d worn that shirt that night, it would have been a much easier process.” His hand brushed against my chest with his exaggerated motion. Then his face got serious. “Have you thought about me?”
“Yes. A lot.” If he was being honest, so could I. I mean, he was going to be leaving soon anyway.
A smile spread across his face. “Did you regret not giving me your number?”
“Yes. I thought I was being cool—doing the right thing. And I guess now that I know who you are, I did do the right thing.”
He scrunched up his forehead. “Wait. What? Why does who I am change anything?”