Ever so slowly, I lowered my mouth to the lime. As I did so, I felt the brush of her lips on mine.
Just a touch. Just a breath, and it ignited fire in my veins.
And at that moment, I forgot a lot. My heart stopped, my breathing quit, my thoughts cea...
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I smiled at her – at the way her hair fell off her shoulder and caught the dim candlelight, illuminating her face as if she were an angel with a halo.
"Let's get this night started, shall we?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"We shall," I mused, handing her one of the menus that I had set in the middle of the table. I grabbed the other, as if I hadn't already chosen what I was going to eat. I knew by holding the menu in my hands and acting as if I were ordering too would make her feel more comfortable and she would be more likely to order and eat the food as well.
I didn't bother glancing at the food choices. Instead, I watched her eyes as she scanned the menu. Watched the curve of her lips as she pursed, unpursed, then pursed them again whilst making her decision.
"Where's the-" she began, but I interrupted her, already knowing what she was going to ask.
"Salad?" I finished. A small smile lifted the corners of my mouth. "No salad tonight. Treat yourself. You deserve it."
"I hardly think I deserve it," she muttered, shifting herself in her seat. "And how did you know I was going to ask for salad?"
"You always eat salad," I pointed out dryly. "Sometimes I'm afraid you get your dietary plans from a cow."
"And what if I did?" she replied, a joking grin on her upturned lips.
I put my menu down, then folded my arms on the table. "Then I'd advise you to fire your cow, and allow me to create your dietary plans instead."
"What if I like my cow?" she asked, tilting her head.
I let my lips turn downward in a sour frown. "Doubtful. I'm positive you prefer my company over a cow's."
"You may be too confident," she chided.
"Am I wrong?" I raised a brow, daring her to argue.
She chewed on her bottom lip, making a dramatic show to ponder my question for a while. "Well, cows don't tend to make that much of a deal whenever I score lower than them on a test."
"Ah, so you admit it. You have scored lower than me before." I sent her my best wink.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't get too excited. And yes, I'll admit that. But the amount of times that you scored lower than me greatly exceeds the number of times I have scored lower than you."
I leaned closer to her over the table. "Are you willing to bet?" I replied lowly.
I watched her throat bob as she stared back at me. But she didn't waver; didn't move an inch. She stood her ground. "Yes."
