Page 81 of Wild Abandon

Knock, knock.

I still have thirteen minutes until Nate arrives. I walk to the door, expecting housekeeping, but when I open the door, instead of a woman with a cart of cleaning products, there is a man.

A beautiful man.

A beautiful man wearing dark jeans, a black button-down, and wing-tip shoes.

A beautiful man with wide shoulders, a taut chest, and corded biceps that are partially uncovered by the rolled long sleeves.

A beautiful man with a strong jaw, high cheekbones, and full lips.

And, to my surprise, a beautiful man with thick brown hair that is styled perfectly in a way that’s messy, and it makes me want to run my fingers through it.

His eyes are looking upward, as if trying to look at his own hair. An unsure expression on his face. “I was getting sick of wearing hats.”

I walk forward and raise my hand to touch a tendril. It’s short but just long enough to style. “I love it.”

As if he wasn’t already incredibly perfect in the looks department, this has totally driven him over the edge.

His shoulders relax, and he lets out a breath, causing me to laugh.

“Why so nervous?” I ask.

Nate shakes his head at me and smiles. “You have no clue, do you?”

I tilt my head at him. “About what?”

He closes his eyes and then looks down. He smiles to himself and raises his face, his olive-green eyes bearing down on me in the most intense way. “I’m taking you dancing.”

We step out of the cab and into the Boom Boom Room with its black-and-white-checkered floor, red ambient lighting, and low tumblers with tea-light candles. A long bar is to the right, and a jazz band is at the far end. The place is small, unassuming, and absolutely perfect.

With his hand on my lower back, Nate escorts me into the booth side of a small table for two. When I am seated, he takes the chair opposite mine and moves it so that he is directly next to me. Shoulders touching, knees brushing, and a belly fluttering—mine, that is.

He orders our drinks—Jack on the rocks for him, the local stout for me.

“You look happy.” Nate takes a drink, giving me a chance to admire the way his lips wrap around the glass. He looks happy, too. With the new hair, he looks so different. Softer.

“This has been a day of trying new things. I’m surprised you chose something you thought I’d like. I was afraid you might have me base-jumping off the bridge or something.”

“I tried but was told it’s too windy today. Alcatraz was my second choice.”

“Nate, you are a true romantic.”

“You look beautiful. How’s that for romance?”

“It would be romantic if you meant it. And it’s definitely not romantic since you are not romancing me.”

“What if I were? What if this were a date, and I had changed my shirt three times after spending a ridiculous amount of time on my hair because I hadn’t done it in years?” He stops, and his eyes turn dark. “What if I were trying to romance you?”

I swallow hard, trying to push down my heart, which is now lodged in my throat. “I’d say that what you just said was quite possibly the most romantic thing I’d ever heard.”

Nate leans in, his warm skin on mine. “Even more than the fact that I spent last night counting stars, thinking of all the reasons I like you, and that I ran out of stars?”

I blink and sit back a bit. “You did not!”

“You’re right. I didn’t,” he says.

The spell is totally broken, and my heart comes down and lodges itself right back in my chest.