Cuffing The Law Book 2 in The Willowbrook Series

Chapter 44

Daisy

My eyes well up with happy tears, I've never seen anything quite so romantic. From the back of the cabin, leading up to a round table decked over with what looks like a Damask tablecloth are lights in the ground, leading a pathway right to the table. A waiter stands next to the table with a cloth over his arm and a bottle of champagne in a bucket next to him. "This is, this is stunning." I turn and see Deacon gazing at me like I've just given him the moon.

To the side a string quartet are playing are soft and gentle love song, I can't quite make out what the song is but trust me, it sounds amazing. I've never been to a string quartet before, have always wanted to but never gotten round to it. I wonder if this is yet another something that Deacon just happens to know about me.

He smiles sending butterflies shooting around my stomach, my heart is beating like wildfire and warmth envelops me like a warm blanket on a chilly evening. "Come." He reaches out his arm and then hooks it so I can link arms with him.

Deacon moves the chair back that is draped in cream fabric with a huge bow around the center. I sit down and admire the candelabra in the centre of the table, the china plates, silver cutlery and ground lights that form a circle around the table. Our waiter begins to pour the champagne once Deacon is seated. I glance up at him and see the warmth and tenderness in his eyes.

"I've never had an outside dining experience, wow Deacon this is amazing for our first date. You are taking my breath away." He smiles broadly.

"Glad you like it, Buttercup. There's more to come." He lays the napkin over his lap, I do the same.

"More? What more could there be than this?"

"You will see. I hope you like asparagus, Daisy we're having sautéed asparagus with butter sauce for starters, olive bread on the side."

"I love asparagus, actually there isn't anything I don't like if I'm honest."

"For main we are having red Mullet with courgette and menton lemon." Now my mouth is seriously watering, and my stomach makes strange noises, I guess it was a while ago since I grabbed something to eat at the diner.

"Sounds delicious. You are spoiling me."

"You deserve it, Daisy. You are important to me and I want the best for you, besides, I can take you to a restaurant any day. I happen to know you've got your eye on the new Italian on Main but I kinda thought something really special for our first date."

"I love it, honestly, Deacon I'm almost speechless." That makes him chuckle, it's deep and throaty, he is one sexy man with his broad shoulders that taper down to his slender waist. All that working out he does to stay fit shows.

"What's for dessert?" I ask him as the waiter brings two dishes towards us and places one in front of me, the other in front of Deacon. I reach for the bread basket and tear some olive bread and dip it into the sauce of the asparagus. "Oh my gosh, this is heavenly. Taste it."

Deacon places a piece in his mouth and murmurs, it's so damn sexy. "It's very good," he swallows. "For dessert we are having sour cherry soufflé and vanilla Chantilly." Just the sound of it is making my tastebuds fire and crackle.

"Who did you have as chef, or did you order in?"

"Order in, are you kidding me? Not for our first date. I hired Blankavich." I almost drop my cutlery.

"The Blankavich as in Raoul Blankavich." I am aware my eyes are opening and closing in disbelief. He merely nods like hiring in the top Michelin chef in the State isn't some huge, big deal. The man has won awards, he has restaurants throughout the country and has his own culinary school.

"Deacon, seriously? The man is famous."

"Is he?" He cocks his head to the side and raises his champagne glass. "Daisy, you are the light of my life, you shine brighter than the stars at night, you are my color on a dark day. Here's to our first proper date."

I raise my glass for the toast. "Thank you so much for all of this, I just don't know what to say. But, Blankavich. I can't get over it. Where is he? Is he in your kitchen cooking?" The thought of someone as famous as chef milling around in Deacon's cabin cooking makes me smile, only the man is famous for his tantrums and temper alongside his fine culinary skills. Deacon chuckles.

"He has gone now but yes he brought what he needed and used my kitchen. We have history." He tells me like he's talking about him and Logan or any other regular guy friend not a chef almost as famous as Gordon Ramsey, a celebrity chef.

"You have history? Tell me more."

"His brother is Dan's best friend."

"Dan as in your sister Maxine's husband?"

"The one and only. We've been at BBQ's together, restaurant openings, they're a pretty tight knit family. And we hit it off and have been in touch for the last five years or so. I did him a favor once by letting his kid sister off on a speeding fine, she was only going a couple mile an hour over and I relented. So, you know he said he owed me a favor." He acts like this is no big deal but to me eating something that chef has cooked is a massive big deal.

The meal is over all too quickly, the quartet continue to play song after song, the music is amplified out here in the open with nothing but stars above us and a quarter moon. "I'd like to have ordered you a full moon tonight, Buttercup but it was a bit out of my reach." Deacon stretches his hand across the table, our fingertips touch and waves of passion flood through my body. I squeeze my legs together. If I hadn't already done the do with this fine, handsome man in front of me, I would most definitely be giving myself up to him tonight.

I've never been wined and dined like this in my entire life, it's exquisite and I never want the moment to end. Just the two of us, the music playing softly and all of this for me. For me, I can't believe it. Deacon looks relaxed and happy. If my heart wasn't singing before, and I didn't see hearts, let me tell you; I am right now.

"Are you finished?" He asks me as I murmur over the last of my dessert. It literally melts in my mouth.

"Yes, thank you so much. This has been wonderful." And of course I don't want our date to end. He gets up and comes round to the chair and pulls it out for me. As I turn I see both his horses behind me, how they got there I have no idea, unless he had someone lead them out but surely I would have heard something.

Around their necks they wear garlands of large, white roses. "Oh, my, Deacon. Look at them, they're beautiful and those roses, honestly. You are making me swoon." He holds his hand to my lower back and pulls me into him, our lips meet, his soft and warm, his tongue probing into my mouth.

"I couldn't bring out Dreamer he's too young to be ridden." He tells me as I pull away.

"Are we going on a ride?"

He nods. "I've got somewhere special to show you, I think you'll like it." Right now I'd like just about anything he shows me. As if the dinner, the quartet, the famos superstar chef wasn't enough, he has more. What possibly could top all of this?