How I Found You (now published so sample only)

Chapter 11 - How to impress without meaning too

Chapter 11 – How to impress without meaning too

Aria's excitement over seeing Flynn continued to expand as the day stretched into the afternoon. She went through her wardrobe discussing her choices with Button when she discarded them.

Her kitten showed no other signs of sickness, leaving Aria perplexed with what had happened earlier this morning. She kept her eye on the kitten, but she continued with her playful leaping and bounding.

By the time six rolled around, Aria had chosen a black dress and a dainty pair of heels. She believed that you could never go wrong with a little black dress.

She heard the rumble of an engine which made her frown at the unexpected noise. When Flynn's truck came into view, she realised that she now bounced around in the same manner as her cat.

She laughed to herself as she went to open the door to greet him. Never in her life had the thrill of a date filled her with such anticipation.

"Hi, wasn't I meeting you?" Aria waved as he approached.

He stared at her, blinked and gulped with a stunned expression. His gaze travelled from her head down to her toes, and back up again in a tantalising caress without ever touching her.

"You look... great, inappropriate for what we're doing, but great." He stepped closer to her, and reached out to touch her hair as if her curls were her most fascinating feature.

"Thank you," she preened. "But how is this inappropriate?" she looked down at her dress.

"We are going on a small hike."

"Oh, I'm glad you told me, I'll change." She pointed back into the house.

"If you want to go into town for dinner that's fine." He looked at her with an appreciative gaze.

"I'm happy to do whatever you had planned." She insisted as she leaned in closer to him.

"Good, bring that bottle of wine from the other day."

She frowned and clicked her fingers, "are you sure that's wise?"

"Dexter drinks beer around me all the time. If I have warning of what's coming up, I can cope better."

"I don't want to do anything that will upset your sobriety." Her serious tone made him smile at her thoughtfulness.

"I appreciate that, but it's a fact of life I can't avoid. Bring it over, and I hate to say it, but change out of that brilliant dress."

"What makes it brilliant?" she pressed her hands along the side of the dress making him groan.

He leaned in so he could stare into her eyes, "you make it brilliant."

"It's hard to understand that you haven't had relationships. You can be sweet when you want to be."

"My early years were a relationship with a bottle which puts real people in the last category." He frowned, and she placed her finger over his brow.

"That's finished." Her firm voice made him stop.

"Yes, but it's always in the back of my mind."

"That must make things difficult."

"Yes, but if I want to stay sober than that's my life. On that note, bring the wine, and I'll see you at my place."

"I can change and come over now." She turned for her door only to perceive an agonised groan.

"There's no back to that dress."

"I'm well aware of that." She looked over her shoulder at him with a cheeky smirk.