dominated the wooden table in the middle of the room. Burning candles framed a Champagne bottle cooler that held a bottle of Dom Pérignon . And on a chair sat Sam. Oh my. Dressed in a dark blue button-down shirt and black slacks, she looked sexy as hell. Knowing what lay under those clothes woke Gillian’s desire with lightning speed. She smoothed the fabric of her blouse with shaking fingers, unsure what to do, how to behave on the unfamiliar territory of a real date…with a woman. With Sam.
The smile on Sam’s face when she got up from her chair and crossed the distance between them was as bright as a spotlight. “Hi there. You look absolutely lovely.” Sam picked a rose out of the bouquet and held it out to Gillian. “No thorns.”
Gillian took the rose, her throat tightening. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. The sweet scent reminded her of springtime and new beginnings. “Thank you.” Not even when they had started to date had Derrick had he ever done something equally romantic. In fact…no-one had ever done something like this for her. She smiled at Sam. “This is…just wow.”
Sam let her fingers trail down the side of Gillian’s arm before she gently kissed her cheek. “You take my breath away. Thank you for spending the evening with me.”
The slight huskiness in Sam’s voice sent a shiver down Gillian’s spine. Her eyes traced the gentle arch of Sam’s lips. Lips she had tasted. Lips that had feasted on her. Shit. No sex. This was going to be an interesting evening.
Sam took a bite of her lamb filet, enjoying the mild aroma of rosemary that caressed her tongue. She had been looking forward to the food. La Trattoria was one of her favorite restaurants, the owner, Luca, and his daughter Diana, old friends. As much as she enjoyed the Italian cuisine, the food took only second place tonight. Gillian was the center. And what a beautiful center she was. With her simple light blue blouse, neatly pressed black slacks, and sleek pointed heels, Gillian had taken Sam’s breath away when she had appeared in the door. Nearly ten minutes late. Sam had been a nervous wreck by then, afraid that Gillian wouldn’t show up at all.
Oblivious to Sam’s thoughts, Gillian hummed, seeming to enjoy her tuna. Which was a good thing. The location obviously was a hit. The food was great. Right. So…the small talk was a bit difficult. But that was why they were here. To talk and get to know each other better outside of the bedroom and the shower and... Sam cleared her throat. “So how was your day?”
“Actually, quite good.” Gillian speared a piece of tuna with her fork. “I was house-hunting.”
Sam nodded. House-hunting. Right. “So, what are you looking for?”
“Something not as big as the one we own now.” Gillian frowned while chewing. “And in a different neighborhood. A garden is a must. A swimming pool would be nice. For the children. A large master bedroom with direct access to the garden would be great. For me.”
Children. One question answered. How do I ask her if there’s a father around? Shit. Sam took a sip of her wine before asking, “And did you find something?”
Gillian shook her head. “Today was more a confirmation of what I don’t want. But that’s all right. The search continues next week.” Gillian tilted her head and smiled that special smile that caused Sam’s stomach to do a flip-flop every single time it was directed her way.
“So,” Sam cleared her throat, “you and your children?”
Gillian hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes, Angela and Michael and well, there’s also Tilde, our au pair.”
So, wherever the father was, he was not in the picture for the move. Sam shuffled the potatoes around on her plate. Is she divorced from the father? Or maybe she is divorced from her wife? Everything was possible. However, Sam was sure these were questions one didn’t ask on a first date. “How old are your children?”
“Angela is eleven and Michael is
The smile on Sam’s face when she got up from her chair and crossed the distance between them was as bright as a spotlight. “Hi there. You look absolutely lovely.” Sam picked a rose out of the bouquet and held it out to Gillian. “No thorns.”
Gillian took the rose, her throat tightening. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. The sweet scent reminded her of springtime and new beginnings. “Thank you.” Not even when they had started to date had Derrick had he ever done something equally romantic. In fact…no-one had ever done something like this for her. She smiled at Sam. “This is…just wow.”
Sam let her fingers trail down the side of Gillian’s arm before she gently kissed her cheek. “You take my breath away. Thank you for spending the evening with me.”
The slight huskiness in Sam’s voice sent a shiver down Gillian’s spine. Her eyes traced the gentle arch of Sam’s lips. Lips she had tasted. Lips that had feasted on her. Shit. No sex. This was going to be an interesting evening.
Sam took a bite of her lamb filet, enjoying the mild aroma of rosemary that caressed her tongue. She had been looking forward to the food. La Trattoria was one of her favorite restaurants, the owner, Luca, and his daughter Diana, old friends. As much as she enjoyed the Italian cuisine, the food took only second place tonight. Gillian was the center. And what a beautiful center she was. With her simple light blue blouse, neatly pressed black slacks, and sleek pointed heels, Gillian had taken Sam’s breath away when she had appeared in the door. Nearly ten minutes late. Sam had been a nervous wreck by then, afraid that Gillian wouldn’t show up at all.
Oblivious to Sam’s thoughts, Gillian hummed, seeming to enjoy her tuna. Which was a good thing. The location obviously was a hit. The food was great. Right. So…the small talk was a bit difficult. But that was why they were here. To talk and get to know each other better outside of the bedroom and the shower and... Sam cleared her throat. “So how was your day?”
“Actually, quite good.” Gillian speared a piece of tuna with her fork. “I was house-hunting.”
Sam nodded. House-hunting. Right. “So, what are you looking for?”
“Something not as big as the one we own now.” Gillian frowned while chewing. “And in a different neighborhood. A garden is a must. A swimming pool would be nice. For the children. A large master bedroom with direct access to the garden would be great. For me.”
Children. One question answered. How do I ask her if there’s a father around? Shit. Sam took a sip of her wine before asking, “And did you find something?”
Gillian shook her head. “Today was more a confirmation of what I don’t want. But that’s all right. The search continues next week.” Gillian tilted her head and smiled that special smile that caused Sam’s stomach to do a flip-flop every single time it was directed her way.
“So,” Sam cleared her throat, “you and your children?”
Gillian hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes, Angela and Michael and well, there’s also Tilde, our au pair.”
So, wherever the father was, he was not in the picture for the move. Sam shuffled the potatoes around on her plate. Is she divorced from the father? Or maybe she is divorced from her wife? Everything was possible. However, Sam was sure these were questions one didn’t ask on a first date. “How old are your children?”
“Angela is eleven and Michael is
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