Page 63 of The Romance Adventure

“Can I get some extra cocktail sauce to go with the shrimp?”

“He means to say thank you and please.”

Her smile wavers as she rushes off.

“You make everyone nervous,” I say, kicking him under the table. Only, I’m wearing flip-flops and he has on wingtips and I instantly regret it.

“But not you,” Royal says.

“You look at everything like you want to stab it. You have a stabby glare.”

Like flicking a switch, he turns it on me. “Is there a guy in this room you’d rather be on a date with?”

I look around out of habit to make sure Dax or his goons aren’t watching, waiting to pounce. “No.”

“Is there someone else in your life?”

“Nope. My grand New Year’s resolution was to enjoy the single life, er, tolerate it.” I let out a sigh, recalling my start to the year. “I was dating someone. Turned out he was a real bum. Betrayed me in more ways than one.”

Royal listens carefully, instead of the typical aloofness as of late, like he’s not all that interested in what I have to say and merely tolerates me. He asks, “What attracts you to a guy then?”

I look around the room and my gaze lands on the man in the chair opposite me. Strong thighs, capable hands, a tan, chiseled jaw...eyes that I get lost in.

No comment.

“What about him?” Royal discreetly points to a man with a paunch.

I shake my head.

“Him?” He tips his chin toward a spindly guy who reminds me of a praying mantis.

I shake my head double time.

“What about tattoos?”

“Do you have any?”

“No. Bad boys? Long hair? Scrappy beards? Piercings?” Sounds like he’s describing Dax.

“No to all of the above. What about you?”

“What attracts me to a woman? Eyes that I could swim in. A touch that slows time. Honesty. That’s all I want.” Each word penetrates a place in my chest, painting a picture that looks a lot like the night we kissed.

“I hope you find her and she makes you very happy.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Only, Royal doesn’t look around the room. His gaze lingers on me as if he’s trying to figure something out.

That makes two of us.

Royal

CHAPTER 16

Isla and I remain at the restaurant until we’ve sampled three of the desserts—Finley is good at the upsell. My blind date also insists I leave a fifty percent tip, along with a few words of encouragement for the new server.

“You did great. Understandably, you’d be nervous on your first day, but keep in mind the great dining experiences you’ve had and try to deliver that to your customers.” I sound wooden at first, but soon come off as genuine.

“Thank you,” Finley says.