Dani’d spent so much time thinking about seeing Ren alone, outside of work, she hadn’t thought to ask Ren where she might want to go for dinner. She was pretty much a grab a pizza or cheesesteak kind of person, and that probably wasn’t a great idea for a date. At least she’d dressed for a date, sorting through her closet, or rather the boxes in her closet that she hadn’t actually unpacked, and finally deciding that if she wasn’t going to wear scrubs, it was going to have to be jeans. She was happy with the choice now, especially having caught the look in Ren’s eyes when Ren’d first spied her waiting in the lobby. She was pretty certain, at least she really hoped she was right, that Ren’s slow scan of her body and the slight look of surprise meant appreciation. Hell, Ren got her pulse racing, and she at least wanted to return the favor.
Since they’d walked two blocks without any particular destination, she probably ought to get her head in the game.
“Is there something in particular you’d like for dinner?” Dani asked.
“Anything except Thai,” Ren said. “That seems to be the go-to takeout in the lab, and I think I’ve probably had it for eighty percent of my meals for the last three years.”
“Spend a lot of time there, do you?”
“Um. Guilty,” Ren said. “But I’m not completely weird. I do have my own apartment.”
“Roommates?”
“Oh no, just me.”
Dani hoped that wasn’t too obvious. Not that she was planning on them needing all-night privacy or anything. Just…considering contingencies. She’d never brought a woman home to the house when she’d lived with Syd and Jerry. Not subjecting her housemates or the woman she’d slept with to a potentially embarrassing encounter just seemed the considerate thing to do. Zoey wouldn’t mind someone staying over, but she’d be relentless about the details. Something else Dani’d prefer to avoid. And if she ever got that far with Ren… She dragged her wandering mind back from possibilities she’d sworn to Zoey she wasn’t contemplating.
“Okay, no Thai,” Dani said. “There’s a family-owned place just around the corner. It’s not very large, and it’s not fancy, but the food is really good.”
“Sure. Okay. Do they have margaritas?”
Dani laughed and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turning to grin at her. “I told you you’d like it.”
“I did.”
The serious expression on Ren’s face was damn cute. The swelling of tenderness in Dani’s chest was new. Nice. She had a lot of nice feelings around Ren. Some of them went beyond nice into breathless, aching territory. Those she was trying to tamp down. She was used to moving fast, but not this time. Not with Ren. “I’m not sure about the margaritas, but we can find something else that you’ll like.”
“Well, that probably won’t be hard, because I’m really not much of a drinker. I definitely don’t like beer. And I don’t like the way Scotch tastes. But I like the way it smells on you.”
“Come again?”
Ren blushed. “Okay, that’s not exactly what I meant. I was thinking earlier—when I first saw you—that you smelled kind of the way Scotch tasted.” She made a rueful face. “Boy, that sounds bad, doesn’t it.”
“Ren,” Dani said, “you’re pretty much killing me here.”
Ren’s eyes widened. “I am? I told you I was bad at it.”
“No. That’s not what I meant at all. What I meant was…oh, hell.” Dani leaned closer and kissed her very lightly on the mouth. “I meant you’re so not bad that I’m having a hard time sticking to the rules.”
“You mean there are some—because we said we’d make them up as needed.”
“I needed a couple.”
“Like what?”
“Like spending time getting to know you…for us to get to know each other…before, you know. Anything more serious.”
“Such as…?”
Dani sighed. “Well, kissing was on the list.”
“Oh. Does that count as a first kiss, then?”
“Let’s just say it’s a preview,” Dani said. “Because I can do better.”
“I don’t think better is the point,” Ren murmured. “But if there’s a repertoire, I’m open to you demonstrating.”
Dani groaned. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”
“You mean date?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of seduction.”
Ren laughed, a genuine happy laugh that lightened Dani’s heart. “Oh, absolutely not. I think I’ve had two almost-dates in my life, and they didn’t last very long. So really, untried ground.”
Dani tugged her hand and started walking again. “Well, I like covering new ground with you. I’m sorry if that kiss came out of nowhere. It’s just that you make me want to kiss you sometimes.”
“I think a kiss out in the open, in the middle of the sidewalk, that lasted about three seconds is pretty much okay, and if I hadn’t wanted a repeat, I would’ve said so.”
“You didn’t say so,” Dani said.
“No. I didn’t.”
Dani let out a long breath. “That’s…good. Very good.”
Ren laughed again. “Sometime we should talk about the other rules you thought you needed.”
“I might have trouble remembering them if you keep distracting me,” Dani muttered. Ren was driving her crazy. The way she looked, the way she laughed, the things she said. She believed every word Ren said about not having much practice dating, but Ren didn’t need practice. She was a natural. She was open and easy and said what she meant. No games. They were barely touching, but just the brush of their hands left Dani wanting. Wanting more. Funny, though, she was enjoying the buildup. Sex for her was usually the case of an urge first, then finding a willing partner second, and taking care of business third. Then done. This was totally different. The person…Ren…was the beginning and the end of what turned her on. Being with Ren was what was making her hot.
“Waiting will work too, then,” Ren said. “No point if we don’t need them. I guess we’ll find out.”
“Dinner first. This is the place.” Dani pointed to the pale blue Victorian with the wide front porch and ornate trim and hoped she could make it through a meal without some part of her imploding.
“Really?” Ren said. “This is a restaurant?”
“Oh,” Dani said, “I should’ve mentioned it’s on the first floor of a regular house, hardly altered at all to fit the restaurant. It’s really kind of like having dinner at home—if you lived in a cool house like this.”
“I love these Victorians,” Ren said. “They’re probably the same era as the brownstones in DC, but homier somehow. More approachable.”
“I know what you mean. Things were a whole lot more modern where I grew up on the hillside outside LA. I like it here better too.”
They crossed the porch and walked through the archway of the double doors into a small marble-tiled foyer. Beyond that, what had once been the central hall with sitting rooms off either side now held white-tablecloth covered tables filled with diners. Chandeliers with fluted shades provided mellow lighting and a warm welcoming atmosphere. A middle-aged woman with wavy dark hair streaked with silver in a plain white shirt and dark pants met them just inside the foyer.
“Hi, Dani. Dinner for two?”
“Rachel, hi—yes, thanks. Sorry I don’t have reservations.”
“That’s okay. We’re past the rush. I’ve got a nice table in the bay window at the back. Will that work?”
“That would be great, thanks. Oh”—she tugged Ren forward a little bit—“this is Ren Dunbar.”
“Hi, Ren,” Rachel said.
“Hi,” Ren said, holding out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Smiling, Rachel shook her hand, turned to grab two menus hand-printed on parchment, and led them to a round table for two tucked into a shallow alcove in front of a set of bay windows overlooking a garden.
“This is great,” Ren said as they settled at the table and a younger woman, probably in her early twenties, approached to fill the water glasses.
“Take your time with the menus,” she said, “but the pasta dish tonight is great. Homemade rigatoni with a vodka cream sauce and a vegetable medley.”
“Thanks, Vickie,” Dani said.
Vickie looked from Dani to Ren, smiled, and disappeared.
“You come here a lot, I guess?” Ren asked.
“As often as I can,” Dani said, “which with our schedule isn’t often enough.”
“Is it your go-to date place then?”
Dani laughed. “Uh, no, actually, it isn’t. I like to come here by myself, or maybe with Zoey or Syd. It’s just nice to relax, and it feels like I’m here with friends even if I’m alone.”
“Should I not ask about other dates?” Ren asked.
“You can ask me about anything you want, Ren,” Dani said gently. “But just to clear up a few things, I’m not dating anyone, and I haven’t been in a serious relationship for ages, and if I am dating someone, I don’t date anyone else at the same time.”
“Oh,” Ren said, sitting back and studying Dani contemplatively. “I think those are rules, aren’t they? But not like universal rules. Just rules for us.”
“Not really rules,” Dani said. “More information about me. You might have different rules, and if you do, it’s probably a good thing that I know them pretty soon.”
“Oh. You mean monogamy and sex…things like that.”
Dani tried not to sputter as she laughed. “Okay, yeah, that’s getting to the chase. Good topics to discuss. Maybe we should start with how you like to handle dating before, you know, we get to the sex. Talking about sex, that is.”
Jeez, could she be any more obvious? She really needed to stop letting her hormones dictate everything coming out of her mouth.
“Well, that’s an easy one,” Ren said offhandedly. “I’m dating you.”
“That’s easy?” Dani murmured. “Just me?”
“Shouldn’t it be?”
“Yeah, maybe it should. It would be a first for me, though.”
Ren smiled. “Good.”
Dani paused as Vickie returned.
“Made a decision?” Vickie asked.
“I’ll do the special,” Dani said. “And I’ll take a stout.”
“So will I,” Ren said, “except not the stout. I’ll have…um…something new.” She glanced at Dani. “Recommendations?”
“A White Russian,” Dani said quickly.
“You know I have to ask,” Vickie said.
They both got their IDs out, and after a quick look, Vickie went off to get their drinks.
“So, a White Russian,” Ren said, then listed the ingredients. “I think I’ll like that.”
“Did you memorize a bartending manual?” Dani said, duly impressed.
“Oh, I scanned one while I was waiting for a case the other day. I didn’t want to go through life ignorant of the possibilities.”
“You scanned one.” Dani leaned on a fist. “How about a Manhattan?”
Ren regarded her steadily for a minute, and then quietly reeled off the ingredients.
“You can do that with everything?” Dani asked.
“Yes,” Ren said quietly.
“That’s amazing. I sure wish I could do it,” Dani said. “Is it annoying, to, you know, remember everything you read?”
“No one has ever asked me that before,” Ren said. “No, it isn’t. It’s not like I’m constantly thinking about everything I’ve read. It’s just that when a topic comes up that I’ve read about, just like you would remember having read about it, I do too. Except I remember everything that I read about it—verbatim.”
“I can’t see any downside.”
“Other than the fact that people think you’re strange or weird?”
Dani frowned. “Why would they? It’s a great ability. Besides, it’s just the way you’re made.”
“Differently.”
“Ren, there’s nothing wrong with being different. In fact, I think it’s one of the things that makes you so interesting.”
“You do.” Ren regarded her solemnly, as if the idea was new to her.
Maybe it was. Dani frowned inwardly. How was it possible Ren didn’t know how fascinatingly unique she was? How intriguing, how…amazing. Right at that moment she wished she could gather her close and whisper some of that to her. Instead, she held her gaze and said emphatically, “I do.”
“You don’t mind that I don’t have a lot of practice at this.”
Dani shook her head. “All I care about is that you’re enjoying yourself. I hope as much as I am.”
“Oh, I am.”
“Good. Me too.”
The drinks came, and Dani asked, “How’s the little boy with the kidney transplant doing?”
“Oh, Leo, with appendicitis. He did great. He went home this morning.”
“That was a nice case.”
“I was glad I got to scrub on it. I haven’t done a lot of endoscopic surgery. I’m going to have to make up for that this year.” She shook her head. “Along with a lot of other things.”
“I guess you got thrown into things out of the blue, huh,” Dani said as she made room for Vickie to put their food down.
Ren sipped her drink. “Oh, I like this one. Definitely add it to my favorite drink list. There are now two.”
“So noted.”
“I was surprised to be moved out of the lab so suddenly, but”—Ren sighed—“I knew it was coming. My research project is nearly completed, and we’ve had a couple of papers published. It was time. I just thought that Quinn—Dr. Maguire—would give me a little more of a heads-up.”
“You’re catching up fast,” Dani said.
“Maybe—but it’s more than just the number of cases I can manage to do. I need to make connections and learn how to direct a team. Inside the OR and out. You’re way ahead of me there.”
Dani nodded. “You’re obviously capable of doing anything you set out to do, so I wouldn’t worry.”
Ren tilted her head with a curious expression. “Based on what?”
“You mean my opinion?”
“Yes.”
“Everything about you—you’re supersmart, goes without saying, but being smart isn’t enough to accomplish all the things you have even if you didn’t have to deal with the challenges of being accelerated.”
“I…well, thank you,” Ren said quietly.
“You’re welcome.”
Ren smiled shyly. “So, how is your project coming along?”
“The case studies?” Dani shrugged. “I’m getting there.”
“Are you enjoying it at all?”
“Sometimes, yeah, I can see the appeal. And I like thinking that maybe something I dig out is going to help someone treating some kid somewhere.” Dani shook her head. “It’s not exactly what my parents had in mind for me…Hell, I don’t know, maybe it’ll mean something to them.”
“What do you mean?” Ren asked.
“Oh, family stuff.” Dani considered changing the topic again. She didn’t talk about private stuff with girls on dates. Except, Ren wasn’t any girl. And this wasn’t the usual encounter. And if she didn’t tell her, how many other things would she never tell her. And then what would they end up with? “I told you my family are all research scientists, right?”
Ren nodded. “Possibly an understatement?”
“True. It’s kind of the lifeblood of our family. Genetically predetermined. Somehow, I didn’t get the genes.”
“Oh, but you’re a doctor, a surgeon, so you got some of the science genes.”
“Yes, but not the intellectual ones, at least not from where my family sees it.”
“Families,” Ren muttered. “I’m sorry, that’s hard. So they pressure you?”
Dani laughed. Telling Ren just that little bit of the story took a little of the bitterness away. “Yeah, you could say that. Oh, not so much when I was growing up, because they just expected that I would follow along like everyone else in the family. But when it became apparent that I was diverging, then the subtle and eventually not-so-subtle pressure started.” She lifted her shoulder. “Now, my mother calls every few weeks with suggestions for research positions that I might consider.”
“So,” Ren said, sounding as if she’d been turning something over in her mind and reached a deduction, “the Franklin. That’s why you’re doing a research project in your last year.”
“Yeah,” Dani said.
“You’ve certainly got the clinical background, and that’s a very strong position.”
“Stronger than having published a few research articles in Circulation and The Journal of Cardiology?” Dani said quietly.
Ren put down her fork. “Should I ask how you know that?”
“Easy. Medline. I looked you up.”
“Why?”
“Because you impressed me, and I wanted to know more about you.”
“So you looked up the journal articles I’ve written? Dani, you’re weird.”
“Hey, I thought that was supposed to be my line.”
Ren stared until they were both laughing.
“Maybe we should agree to table work for the rest of the night,” Dani said, “and get back to the more important things.”
“You mean like monogamy and sex?”
“Oh, so you haven’t forgotten.”
Ren tugged her lower lip between her teeth for an instant, the way she did when she was thinking seriously about something. The little tell made Dani’s stomach clench. They really needed to finish eating soon.
“Yes, I’ve definitely been thinking about it,” Ren said. “I think probably the sex should come first, and then the rest of the discussion.”
Dani sucked in a breath. “Ren, you’re seriously killing me here.”
“I told you I didn’t know the order of things.”
“Oh no, you’re doing just great.”
“So we can start with sex?” Ren tilted her head. “The talking part, I guess?”
“We can start with any part you want.” Dani held her breath. If she didn’t at least get to kiss her again, she might not be able to make it home without incurring bodily damage.
“I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I live in the neighborhood,” Ren said. “About five minutes from here.”
“Are you two interested in dessert?” Vickie asked brightly as she stopped by the table.
Dani asked, “Ren?”
She thought she might have sounded in pain.
“No, thank you,” Ren said to Vickie. “Everything was wonderful.”
“I’ll bring your check,” Vickie said.
“So, your place then,” Dani said, still watching Ren.
“Yes.” Ren pulled out a credit card and handed it to Dani. “For my half. And Dani?”
“Yes?”
“I do have one rule.”
“Let’s hear it,” Dani said softly.
“You have to trust me to know what I want.”
“From what I know about you,” Dani said, “you always have.”
Ren smiled. “Then you already know me better than almost anyone in my life.”
“Good. Because that’s what I want.”