gesticulated the entire time he spoke. I could not help the smile that grew on my face.
“Thanks?” I said pseudo-sarcastically as I arched my eyebrows with amusement.
“Oh, you are cute. You’re welcome.” He smirked back at me with a look of begrudging acceptance. Esteban and I would get along well. Thank God. After dealing with the Preying Mantis, it was nice to know I had one kindred spirit amongst Tom’s entourage.
“So,” Tom said as he put his hands together in a staid gesture while looking at me expectantly. “What should we do?”
“Well, that depends on what you’d like to do. I’ve only been to Atlanta a few times, and I’m most familiar with a rather unconventional part of it.” I smiled in memory as I said the words.
“And what part would that be?” he queried.
“Koreatown.”
“Ah, K-pop took you there,” he said with a grin.
“Yup. There are some killer Korean barbeque joints out there.”
“Well, I’ve never actually tried Korean barbeque, so maybe we should check it out!”
His enthusiasm made him even more charming. I had been so focused on his face when I first walked in that I hadn’t really taken much time to observe what he wore. His leisurely dark jeans and a long-sleeved knit shirt in a chocolate brown color made him look completely normal and unobtrusive. It was almost as though we had been precisely in sync with regards to keeping things simple. I found it immensely reassuring.
“Well, we’re going to need to drive. It’s about half an hour away from here in Duluth.”
“Thomas,” Melissa interrupted. She stood beside me and listened to our planning with the look of a hawk circling above, waiting for her prey’s misstep. “I don’t think it’s advisable to just go off on your own to God-knows-where with someone you hardly know.”
Honestly, I agreed with her . . . though my eyes still narrowed in irritation at her insinuation. Preying Mantis was going to be a major pain in the ass.
“Melissa, you’ve made your objections clear . . . several times. I’ll be fine. I’m also not interested in taking Jim or Marcus with me. I don’t think it will be necessary.”
She pursed her lips and shot me an excellent go-to-hell look. Not to be outdone, I responded in kind. Man, she had at least eight inches on me. Zorro covered his mouth to stifle a small burst of laughter, and Tom smiled crookedly at me with barely-concealed amusement.
“So, where’s your car?” Tom asked as he moved around the sofa between us to stand closer to me. I felt a small adrenaline rush pulse through my body to see his face so clearly for the first time since the day I met him. As I attempted to quell my quaking nerves, my mind digested his words.
“You want me to drive?” The surprise in my voice was unmistakable.
“Well, you won’t want me to drive. The whole left-side of the road thing has really mucked up my eye-hand coordination. Plus, I was never a very good driver to begin with.”
“Okay. No complaining about my driving, though,” I said firmly.
Preying Mantis let out an overtly audible huff of frustration as we passed her to walk towards the door. She probably was not used to having her concerns left so unaddressed. One of the bodyguards rode down the elevator with us to the parking area and walked to my car to make sure we were both safely situated before he silently turned around to return to his post.
As I put my key in the ignition, I realized with a sudden jolt that this was the first time we had ever been alone. He must have come to the same conclusion as I had because we just sat there for a moment and stared at one another. The smile on his face spread slowly and made its way over to me with infectious effect until we both grinned widely. My cheeks flushed with pleasure at the warm look in his eyes.
“So, in case I forget to tell you later, I’m really glad you came.” His soft voice held a note of shyness that further emphasized the surprising
“Thanks?” I said pseudo-sarcastically as I arched my eyebrows with amusement.
“Oh, you are cute. You’re welcome.” He smirked back at me with a look of begrudging acceptance. Esteban and I would get along well. Thank God. After dealing with the Preying Mantis, it was nice to know I had one kindred spirit amongst Tom’s entourage.
“So,” Tom said as he put his hands together in a staid gesture while looking at me expectantly. “What should we do?”
“Well, that depends on what you’d like to do. I’ve only been to Atlanta a few times, and I’m most familiar with a rather unconventional part of it.” I smiled in memory as I said the words.
“And what part would that be?” he queried.
“Koreatown.”
“Ah, K-pop took you there,” he said with a grin.
“Yup. There are some killer Korean barbeque joints out there.”
“Well, I’ve never actually tried Korean barbeque, so maybe we should check it out!”
His enthusiasm made him even more charming. I had been so focused on his face when I first walked in that I hadn’t really taken much time to observe what he wore. His leisurely dark jeans and a long-sleeved knit shirt in a chocolate brown color made him look completely normal and unobtrusive. It was almost as though we had been precisely in sync with regards to keeping things simple. I found it immensely reassuring.
“Well, we’re going to need to drive. It’s about half an hour away from here in Duluth.”
“Thomas,” Melissa interrupted. She stood beside me and listened to our planning with the look of a hawk circling above, waiting for her prey’s misstep. “I don’t think it’s advisable to just go off on your own to God-knows-where with someone you hardly know.”
Honestly, I agreed with her . . . though my eyes still narrowed in irritation at her insinuation. Preying Mantis was going to be a major pain in the ass.
“Melissa, you’ve made your objections clear . . . several times. I’ll be fine. I’m also not interested in taking Jim or Marcus with me. I don’t think it will be necessary.”
She pursed her lips and shot me an excellent go-to-hell look. Not to be outdone, I responded in kind. Man, she had at least eight inches on me. Zorro covered his mouth to stifle a small burst of laughter, and Tom smiled crookedly at me with barely-concealed amusement.
“So, where’s your car?” Tom asked as he moved around the sofa between us to stand closer to me. I felt a small adrenaline rush pulse through my body to see his face so clearly for the first time since the day I met him. As I attempted to quell my quaking nerves, my mind digested his words.
“You want me to drive?” The surprise in my voice was unmistakable.
“Well, you won’t want me to drive. The whole left-side of the road thing has really mucked up my eye-hand coordination. Plus, I was never a very good driver to begin with.”
“Okay. No complaining about my driving, though,” I said firmly.
Preying Mantis let out an overtly audible huff of frustration as we passed her to walk towards the door. She probably was not used to having her concerns left so unaddressed. One of the bodyguards rode down the elevator with us to the parking area and walked to my car to make sure we were both safely situated before he silently turned around to return to his post.
As I put my key in the ignition, I realized with a sudden jolt that this was the first time we had ever been alone. He must have come to the same conclusion as I had because we just sat there for a moment and stared at one another. The smile on his face spread slowly and made its way over to me with infectious effect until we both grinned widely. My cheeks flushed with pleasure at the warm look in his eyes.
“So, in case I forget to tell you later, I’m really glad you came.” His soft voice held a note of shyness that further emphasized the surprising
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