Chapter 5

Lisa

We take Kurt’s pickup to the restaurant, and I can’t stop looking at him. He keeps looking over at me with this sexy grin that I’d love to kiss off him. The way he carries himself is such a turn-on. A typical cowboy, but with an edge of non-bullshit. The reason I know that is because he didn’t jump my bones given the chance this afternoon. Had he been just any other guy, I’d be showering his scent off me right now, having revelled in it all afternoon.

Instead, we’re on our way to a restaurant, on a date. That’s where I’ll give my seduction scene another try. Kurt may be the hottest man I’ve ever met. With his short, curly brown hair and big, blue eyes. He’s got an ass that looks like two scoops of butter pecan ice cream, too. Can’t wait to grab it.

“What’s with the smile?” he asks with a chuckle.

“Just…looking at you. Have you seen you?” I point out as if he should know just how goddamn gorgeous he is. Ranch work suits him well. He’s got natural muscles, not the forced kind like you see on guys that live at the gym. No, his build is from years of working on a ranch. His biceps bulge with the slightest natural movement, and it makes me nuts. He’s so much like Grayson, it’s almost uncanny, and I wanted to eat that man alive the moment I met him. But Kurt, he’s different than Grayson. They may look alike, but Kurt has a different air to him, an even sexier one. One that, up until now, I couldn’t handle.

“You ever been to this restaurant?” he asks.

“Yes. It’s not too fancy, so you’ll be fine with what you’re wearing.” He has a pair of black jeans on, relatively new, black leather boots and a white golf shirt, that is practically ripping in the shoulder with his girth. He’s chosen to leave his Stetson off, so his freshly washed hair is all curled in the right places. I’ve also got on black pants, but I’m wearing a plaid, semi-transparent blouse, with a black camisole underneath.

He gives me a once over. “Black is your color.”

“It’s the hair.” I say, lifting one of my raven ringlets.

“You kinda look like that there…Courteney Cox.”

She’s flipping gorgeous. I take that as a compliment. “Thank you. If I were to compare you to a celebrity, I’d say that you look like Jamey Dornan.”

Kurt looks at me. “Who’s he?”

“Fifty Shades?”

His eyes bulge, but he smiles. “Really. You think I look like him?”

“Kind of.”

He shakes his head, grinning, good-naturedly, as we turn into the parking lot at the restaurant. “Whatever works for ya.”

As we reach the spot, he turns off the engine. “Hang on a second there.”

I give him a puzzled look. And I watch as he exits the truck, walks over to my side, and opens the door, offering me his hand. “Thought I’d be gallant-like.”

Taking his hand, I accept his offer to help me down out of the truck. “Thank you.”

“It’s also because I don’t have running boards on this monster. I saw you struggling to hop into it when we left. Didn’t want you to fall on your way out.” He admits, but the look on his face says that he would have done it anyway. “Not a great way to start a date.”

His hand stays in mine as we walk into the restaurant. Man, am I in trouble. I want to remove my hand, but I also don’t want him to be offended. At least he’s holding it the way that my daddy used to hold my hand when I was a little girl. The hold isn’t sexual or the way that lovers hold each other’s hands, with their fingers interlaced. Kurt’s hand is simply covering mine and holding it gently.

The chosen restaurant is chain-style. It doesn’t have napkin dispensers on the tables, but it also doesn’t list the prices rounded to the nearest dollar on the menu, either. It’s kind of in-between. No reservations are required, either, so there’s a bit of a wait by the hostess podium. Kurt has released my hand as we enter the restaurant. He sees the lineup. “You sure you want to eat here?”

“It’s a great place. Worth the wait.” I touch his arm. “Besides, it’s still early.”

He shrugs, speaking with an air of uncertainty. “Alright.”

“You like wings?” I ask.

He looks at me, letting his gaze linger down to my lips, which gives me a thrill. “Sure, I like wings.”

“They have the best here.”

His neck cranes back. “You’re telling me you like wings?” his voice is flat, like he doesn’t believe it.

“I eat them here all the time.”

The hostess takes our name and instructs us to go sit on the leather bench by the wall with the others in line. “Alright then. Wings it is.”

“They have great beer here, too.”

He looks at me again, shaking his head. “She likes beer and wings.” He says, as if convincing himself. “You like football, too?”

“Baseball.” I correct. “I also kick ass at pool.”

“Yeah? There a pool hall around here somewhere?”

“Sure. Just up the street there’s one.”

“Maybe we’ll go check that out when we’re done here.”

“Sure.”

His knees are parted, and he’s resting his elbows on them. “What else do you like to do for fun?”

“Mini-golf.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool. What about bowling?”

“Love it.”

He nudges me with the side of his knee. “And where do y’all take your dates?”

“Not very far.” I wink.

He chuckles, snuffling a laugh. “You are something else.” He pats his hand on mine. “I told you we weren’t sleeping together tonight. So, hold on there, killer.”

“What about tomorrow night?” I purr.

“Nope. Not tomorrow night, either.”

I guffaw. “How many dates do you take a girl out on before you put out?”

He looks around, and his smile slips a notch. “You want to keep your voice down there? The whole restaurant can hear you.”

“Sorry.” I say, feeling like I want to slide into the nearest hole. I am loud. Sometimes I don’t realize it until it’s too late. “I…get a little…carried away sometimes.”

His arm slides over my back. “It’s okay. We’re far enough out of town here. Nobody knows us. I’d just like to keep it that way.”

“Laura’s always telling me that I’ve got a big mouth. I suppose that she’s right. Maybe that pint of beer isn’t such a good idea.” I chuckle a nervous laugh. Why I want to impress this guy so much is beyond me. Normally I would have told a guy who suggested I keep it down, to blow it out his ass.

“Na, you can have one. Hell, I’ll split it with you.”

A couple that was here before us is invited to take a table. There are two other groups waiting ahead of us. Two minutes later, one group is taken, and then as a large group leaves, the last group is seated. Nobody has come in after us, so we are the only two waiting now. “So, you still drink…even though Grayson’s an alcoholic?” I probe. I’m careful to use a non-judgemental tone.

“I hardly ever drink.” Kurt answers honestly. “In fact, tonight will probably be the first time in months. Haven’t been out for dinner in as long.”

“You don’t date much?” A strong, good-looking guy like this, you’d think he would be out on dates every night.

“Na, hardly ever.” He waves. “I don’t get out much when I’m on the ranch. Went on a date about two months ago.”

“Did you sleep with her?” I ask, digging for juicy gossip, as is my usual practice.

“Now, that’s getting awfully personal, don’t you think?” Kurt asks, trying to act like he’s not offended and just being shy, but I can tell that he’s getting irritated. “Why don’t you try relaxing, huh? You seem to be worked up a bit.”

My shoulders are in knots, now that I think about it.

“You don’t have to act all…nervous around me. I am who I am, and I accept you for who you are. There’s no need to put so much pressure on yourself.”

Just as I’m digesting that suggestion, the hostess takes us to our seats. Kurt gestures for me to go ahead, displaying his gallantry once again. Clint was a bit like that. Most Texan men are pretty polite and healthy-mannered. There are the odd bozos, but usually I can weed those ones out pretty fast. Kurt pulls my chair out for me, and I smile my thanks as I sit. He picks up his menu, and I notice that as the hostess walks away, he doesn’t check her ass out, even though she’s hot. Hell, I’d even sleep with her. Kidding.

Picking his menu up, Kurt looks over at me. “What do you think…you want to order that pint or not?”

I shrug. “Up to you.”

The waitress comes around, just as attractive as the hostess, but Kurt keeps his eyes trained on hers, not on her cleavage, which is very obvious. “We’ll take a large order of wings and a pint of draught, please.” Kurt says to her.

“Certainly.” She all but curtseys.

As she walks away, I speak from behind my hand. “Wow, the chicks in this place are hot!”

He smiles at me. “Are you a male trapped in a woman’s body or something? You like wings, beer, pool, and women.”

“I have four brothers.” I say, as if that statement requires no further explanation.

“Ah,” he nods once. “I suppose if I had all sisters, I’d be very in touch with my feminine side at that rate.”

“I get along way better with men. Always have.” I add. “Laura is the only exception.”

“You known her a long time?”

“Since before high school. She was married to my brother, Quentin.”

His face changes. “Oh, so you’re technically her sister-in-law.”

“That’s right. We stayed close as ever, even after Quentin died.”

He gives me a soft look. “Yeah, sorry about that. That must have been rough. I can’t imagine losing any of my brothers.”

“Thanks.” I give him a tight-lipped grin, the same one I use whenever anyone mentions my dearly parted brother. “I was closest with him, too. It hit me hard.”

“And you’re okay with Laura being with Grayson?”

My tone is matter-of-fact. “I’m the one who pushed her to make a move with him.”

“Really? How come.” His interest is piqued.

“Gosh, Kurt. It’s been ten years.”

“And you think your brother would approve of my brother?”

“Absolutely.” I say without a doubt.

The waitress brings us a large plate of wings, loaded with gooey sauce layered on top. She sets the pint, extra napkins and two frosted glasses beside the plate and bids us adieu.

“Smells great.” Kurt comments before placing a napkin on his lap.

I pour us each a glass of beer and we dig in. Before taking his first sip of beer, Kurt raises his glass. “Care for a toast?”

I raise my glass. “Sure.”

His look is expectant, and then he chuckles. “Did you have one in mind?”

I bark out a laugh, and his face turns pink. He’s so adorable. “Okay…hmm…here’s to first dates.”

“To first dates.” He says in agreement, clinking his glass to mine. We take a sip, and I note that I’m not the best beer pourer, because the froth on the top of both of our glasses is rather thick. He gets a moustache, as do I. “Got quite a head on that.” He comments, wiping his mouth.

I wipe mine. “I don’t have much experience pouring it as I do with drinking it.”

“Well, I don’t have either, sweetheart, so don’t sweat it.”

We nibble the wings in silence, wiping our hands and mouth intermittently. The waitress comes by and asks us if we would like to order anything further. I order a side salad, and Kurt orders a club sandwich.

When we finish eating, Kurt pours himself another glass of beer, and offer to pour me another, but I decline. “Sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t want to start running off at the mouth.”

He leaves the remaining beer in the jug on the table. The waitress comes and removes our plates, asking if we would like anything else. “No, we’re fine for now.” Kurt says, effectively asking her to leave us alone for a while.

“So.” He says, looking at me. He’s taken his napkin off his lap and placed it on the table.

My mouth turns up into a quirky smile. “So…what?”

“You feel like a round of pool?”

“Soon.” I say, and then I get an idea in my head. Part of my whole seduction routing. “You want to play a game first?”

He’s intrigued. “What kind of game?”

“Give me your hand.” I say, looking at his arm.

He sets his hand on the table, and I pull it towards me, palm up. The veins in his arms, I don’t know, they’re very sexy. His fingers are like sausages; strong and hard-working. Fingernails are freshly clipped. The warmth from his skin heats mine, but I motor on. “Close your eyes.” I tell him. He lifts a brow at first.

“What are you going to do? Take a blood sample?”

“No, silly.” I wave. “Just…close your eyes.”

With an errant sigh, he closes his eyes.

“I’m going to climb my fingers up your arm, but you have to tell me before I reach your elbow, to stop.”

“Before you get to my elbow.” He confirms.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He licks his lips, waiting.

Using my index and middle fingers, I walk my digits up his arm, softly grazing the skin along. I’ve had this trick done to me before by a guy, as part of his whole seduction plan, not like he needed one with me, and I’ve been using this trick ever since. Works every time. Kurt’s hand is close enough to touch me, as I walk my fingers slowly up the inside of his arm. The challenge is that it feels like your fingers are traveling quicker up the arm than they actually are, and the person being challenged usually calls out that you’ve reached the elbow, long before you actually have. It’s kind of neat.

His smile is telling. “I see what you’re trying to do there, girly.” He chuckles.

“Just…shut up and tell me when you think I’m about to hit the inside of your elbow.” My tone is playful.

“Alright.” He relents. With a tantalizing little chuckle, about ten seconds later, he says. “Okay, stop. You’re there.”

Without moving my fingers, I tell him to open his eyes. My fingers are at least two inches from his elbow. He looks at me, impressed. “Very cool.”

“You think so, huh.” I bite my lip, wondering how much progress I’ve made.

He sees the look on my face. “I’m still not sleeping with you tonight.” His tone is slightly chiding, like he’s a parent telling his child that they’re not getting that treat tonight, and it won’t matter how much begging is done.

“Damn.” I curse, snapping my fingers together in feigned disappointment, even though I am disappointed.

“But that was a cool game, I must admit.”

“Fine.” I say flatly. “Let’s get out of here. What do you prefer…pool or mini-golf?”

“You decide.”