the half smile on that luscious mouth.
“Like?”
She swallowed. “Yes,” she managed to reply.
“Good.” He turned his attention away and the heat down as if he’d only asked her for directions. He lifted one of the appetizers to his mouth. “Know what you want for dinner?”
Olivia blinked rapidly.
You
, she wanted to say, but of course she didn’t. “I’m thinking the sea bass. Have you had it before?”
“No. But it sounds good.”
Olivia drew in a breath to steady herself. “What kind of things do you paint?”
“Nudes.”
She nearly choked. “You’re kidding.”
He broke out laughing. “Yeah, I am. You should see the look on your face.”
Her cheeks heated. She slowly shook her head and grinned. “You are hell-bent on shocking me tonight. Is that the plan?”
“Not exactly.”
“What exactly is the plan, then?”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice, which drew her near. “The plan, beautiful lady, is to have a fabulous dinner, listen to some good music, have an after-dinner drink, take a slow drive home and see if you’re up to what I plan to offer. And if you are, we’ll be having breakfast together in the morning.”
She was certain he could see the banging of her heart in her chest. “You’re not only honest but seemingly very sure of yourself.”
“Would you be interested in a man who didn’t say what was on his mind — a man who didn’t know what he wanted?”
“No. But I also wouldn’t be interested in a man who assumes that he knows me or knows what I want.”
“What
do
you want, Olivia? Honestly.”
What she wanted Connor Lawson could not give her — answers to the questions that echoed within the hole in her life. No one could. That much she was sure of. She’d tried. “I want to have a nice evening. Get up in the morning and do what I came here to do.”
He slightly pursed his lips. “Fair enough. One thing my daddy and my uncles always taught us was in order to please a woman you do what she needs and wants.” He lifted his glass, which needed a refill. “To dinner and work in the morning.”
True to his word, Connor stayed clear of innuendo and verbal seduction. Instead, he told laugh-out-loud funny stories about his various jobs, and tales of his large and outspoken family. By the time they’d finished their main course and the band was in full swing, Olivia was slowly developing a different and fuller picture of Connor Lawson.
One thing that struck her was that he clearly loved his siblings and had good relationships with his extended family. She envied him that as she listened to the tales of the Lawson cousins’ antics all over Louisiana, from his lawyer-turned-champion-for-the-underserved cousin Justin — who finally settled down — to the elusive womanizing Rafe, who was hell-bent on living life by his rules, even if it drove his father, Branford, up the wall and back. Justin and Rafe’s irrepressible twin sisters were Desiree and Dominique — with Desiree being a secret race-car driver and Dom… well, Dom was Dom. Their eldest sister, LeeAnn, had stayed in the family business and married her father’s protégé, while the other movie-making cousin, Craig, was on the fast track for his first major film award. Connor’s own powerhouse younger sister, Sydni, had gone all the way to Brazil to find a husband. And his brother, Devon, was determined to be a music mogul, which drove their father crazy. Connor told stories of his cousins and siblings with good humor and a lightness in his voice that was totally endearing.
All her life Olivia had wondered what it was like to have a loving family, people there to support you and your dreams, share family trips and holidays. All those things were foreign to her. She had no frame of reference for the things he said. It was like reading about a faraway country.
“Sounds like an incredible family,” she said, pushing away her very empty plate.
“We’re pretty interesting. I don’t get to
“Like?”
She swallowed. “Yes,” she managed to reply.
“Good.” He turned his attention away and the heat down as if he’d only asked her for directions. He lifted one of the appetizers to his mouth. “Know what you want for dinner?”
Olivia blinked rapidly.
You
, she wanted to say, but of course she didn’t. “I’m thinking the sea bass. Have you had it before?”
“No. But it sounds good.”
Olivia drew in a breath to steady herself. “What kind of things do you paint?”
“Nudes.”
She nearly choked. “You’re kidding.”
He broke out laughing. “Yeah, I am. You should see the look on your face.”
Her cheeks heated. She slowly shook her head and grinned. “You are hell-bent on shocking me tonight. Is that the plan?”
“Not exactly.”
“What exactly is the plan, then?”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice, which drew her near. “The plan, beautiful lady, is to have a fabulous dinner, listen to some good music, have an after-dinner drink, take a slow drive home and see if you’re up to what I plan to offer. And if you are, we’ll be having breakfast together in the morning.”
She was certain he could see the banging of her heart in her chest. “You’re not only honest but seemingly very sure of yourself.”
“Would you be interested in a man who didn’t say what was on his mind — a man who didn’t know what he wanted?”
“No. But I also wouldn’t be interested in a man who assumes that he knows me or knows what I want.”
“What
do
you want, Olivia? Honestly.”
What she wanted Connor Lawson could not give her — answers to the questions that echoed within the hole in her life. No one could. That much she was sure of. She’d tried. “I want to have a nice evening. Get up in the morning and do what I came here to do.”
He slightly pursed his lips. “Fair enough. One thing my daddy and my uncles always taught us was in order to please a woman you do what she needs and wants.” He lifted his glass, which needed a refill. “To dinner and work in the morning.”
True to his word, Connor stayed clear of innuendo and verbal seduction. Instead, he told laugh-out-loud funny stories about his various jobs, and tales of his large and outspoken family. By the time they’d finished their main course and the band was in full swing, Olivia was slowly developing a different and fuller picture of Connor Lawson.
One thing that struck her was that he clearly loved his siblings and had good relationships with his extended family. She envied him that as she listened to the tales of the Lawson cousins’ antics all over Louisiana, from his lawyer-turned-champion-for-the-underserved cousin Justin — who finally settled down — to the elusive womanizing Rafe, who was hell-bent on living life by his rules, even if it drove his father, Branford, up the wall and back. Justin and Rafe’s irrepressible twin sisters were Desiree and Dominique — with Desiree being a secret race-car driver and Dom… well, Dom was Dom. Their eldest sister, LeeAnn, had stayed in the family business and married her father’s protégé, while the other movie-making cousin, Craig, was on the fast track for his first major film award. Connor’s own powerhouse younger sister, Sydni, had gone all the way to Brazil to find a husband. And his brother, Devon, was determined to be a music mogul, which drove their father crazy. Connor told stories of his cousins and siblings with good humor and a lightness in his voice that was totally endearing.
All her life Olivia had wondered what it was like to have a loving family, people there to support you and your dreams, share family trips and holidays. All those things were foreign to her. She had no frame of reference for the things he said. It was like reading about a faraway country.
“Sounds like an incredible family,” she said, pushing away her very empty plate.
“We’re pretty interesting. I don’t get to
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