Because of a Girl Like Me

Chapter 10.

I stood and straighten out my dress. I was suddenly feeling very nervous. When I had met Declan I was drunk. What if now that I'm painfully sober he isn't at all like the guy I've been thinking about? What if I go out with him and it is totally miserable? I could have broken Sean's heart for no good reason.

I opened the door and my worries melted.

Declan was just as handsome as I remembered, if not more so now. He was wearing a dark gray button down Polo shirt with the sleeves rolled up revealing thick veins that wrapped around his strong forearms, and he had on jeans that I swear he must have had tailor made for his body. Of course I had noticed his body before, but now it was even sexier in the nice clothes. He wasn't bulky like a jock. He had more of an athletic, lean, and gorgeous build.

"Well you are even more beautiful than I remembered." He sounded like he meant it. "I love that color on you." He added with a shy smile.

His words made my face flush. I had to remind myself to breathe evenly.

He reached out his hand, "My lady."

I took it in mine, liking the warmth of it. "I see you are back to being the gentleman." I teased him.

"For now, yes." He winked.

I followed him down to his Jeep, and he opened my door and helped me inside.

His car smelled different. Very clean. He must have sprayed it down for me. That was sweet that he seemed to be really trying to impress me.

He sat down in the driver seat beside me and fidgeted around with his keys. He actually seems as nervous as I feel which helped me relax a bit. He had cranked the car and was about to put it into gear when he stopped.

"I almost forgot!" He said reaching behind my seat for something in the floorboard. "You got your flowers earlier, but I couldn't show up empty handed." He laughed. "So, I got you these."

He held out a jumbo bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans.

"Oh my God, you didn't!" I was laughing and smiling from ear to ear. "And it is only popcorn and tutti fruitti flavored. I can't believe you remembered they are my favorites! Thank you."

"You are very welcome. I still think you are insane for liking the popcorn ones, but I guess nobody is perfect." He joked then added. "Even if you are pretty damn close." He stole my breath with one of his heart breaking smiles.

"So, where are you taking me?" I asked while taking this opportunity to really study his profile while his eyes were on the road. He had shaved, and he put some type of product in his hair. I could smell that he had on cologne too. It was a very woodsy warm smell.

It was intoxicating.

"I know there is a movie theater here in town, but it only shows three movies, and they are from last month." He added. "I thought we would drive up to Tuscaloosa to grab some dinner, and then hit a late movie." We turned out of my complex and headed toward the interstate. "Tell me which calls to you. A pizza or a burger?" he looked over at me very seriously.

"What if I said I want a pizza burger? They have them at Mugshots." I said smiling. "There is one in Tuscaloosa."

"I think I just fell in love." He joked shaking his head. Then he reached over to take my hand. I held it in my lap and noticed for the first time how sexy his hands were. They were like...man hands.

Man hands??

Okay, so maybe I hadn't been all that drunk the first time we met. Maybe my head was just a mess whenever he was around. But seriously he had some fine hands. They were big, his fingers long and slender. His nails were clean and cut. It was weird how attracted I was to his hands alone. I started to think of the night he had had his hands all over me. I bit my lip at the memory and had to divert my thoughts. This was our first date after all.