Evelyn awoke with Nick's arms wrapped around her, his warmth encircling her. She certainly could get used to waking up like this; his warm masculine scent was enticing as she relaxed into his embrace. Shifting against him, she loved the feel of his abs against her back, his crisp chest hair gave her pleasant tingles when it rubbed against her.
"Hey gorgeous."
His sleep roughened voice sent tingles up her spine as she turned and said, "Hey stud."
He grinned and said, "I'm gonna take you out tonight, you'll love it, a nice friendly, quiet place."
"Sounds good, I can't wait. So how's your shoulder now Nick?"
"It's fine, your massages are amazing and it seems to be healing it very nicely."
"Good, I'll wait here while you take a shower. Otherwise, we'll never leave the bed."
Nick smirked and said, "Probably not, today has been awesome." He kissed her quickly on the cheek and got out of bed. His naked muscles shone in the light.
"Yeah and it's not over yet either."
Nick groaned and said, "Don't tempt me or I'll keep you locked up here all night."
Evelyn smirked deviously as he walked into the bathroom. As she did earlier, when the water turned on, she imagined the water flowing over his hard body. Evelyn licked her lips and groaned, she wanted to join him, but he was right, if she did, they wouldn't make it out of the apartment, and she needed to eat. The workout he put her through during the day had her near exhausted and starving.
***
"This is a really nice place Nick," said Evelyn as she looked around the restaurant. Candles flickered in holders angled away from the walls. Dim lights from the ceiling shaded the remainder of the room with amber light.
"My mother brought my father here to tell him she was pregnant with my big brother Mark. It's a special place, we come here as a family when we celebrate. I love the atmosphere, the candles and the dim lights are far better than the harsh lighting in other places."
"This restaurant does have a nice friendly atmosphere. I can see why you and your family enjoy it so much."
"The food is amazing here too. What's your favorite food?" asked Nick grinning.
"I absolutely love salmon with a salad and creamy dill dressing. I can't afford it often, but every now and again, I indulge myself."
Nick grinned broadly, "I have a guilty pleasure too, boiled lobster served with this butter and a side dish of creamy tomato and basil pasta."
"Mmm that sounds delicious."
"It is, only the lobster is extremely pricey. I haven't had it in some time, the places that serve it are really out of my price range." As they reached their reserved table, he pulled Evelyn's chair out for her and moved to his own, sitting down. "Evelyn, my brother will love you."
"Why's that?" asked Evelyn surprised at the sudden declaration.
"You have this passion about you, about everything. Mark is like that too, he's an arson investigator. It's something I'd do if I couldn't be a firefighter."
"Why didn't he become a firefighter?"
"He damaged the tendons in his right leg in a skiing accident, and he wasn't able to pass the physical for entrance into the fire service. Dad helped him look at other options and came up with arson investigation."
"I might just like him too," said Evelyn as the waiter came past and placed their menus on the table.
"Would you like anything while you wait?" asked the waiter.
"No thanks Lucas, we'll be fine here," said Nick, grinning and picking up his menu.
"Ok, I'll be back in five minutes to get your order."
Once the waiter left the table, Evelyn asked, "You do come here quite often don't you?"
Nick grinned, "Yeah, there's been a lot to celebrate lately."
"The garden salad is amazing. They serves it with chicken marinated in Italian herb sauce and then grilled on charcoal."
Evelyn grinned and said, "How did you know I was looking at that on the menu? It's just like you can read me so easily."
Nick smiled, reached out and grasped her hand, "I feel connected to you already."
Before Evelyn could respond, the waiter returned, "What would you like to order?"
*** "Mmm, that was amazing Nick." Evelyn placed her fork on the plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
"It was."
"What's wrong Nick?" she looked over at his plate, only half finished.
"I have to say this," Nick said, grasping her hand in both of his and stroking her wrist. "I've never felt this way before, about anyone." Nick took a deep breath as Evelyn watched him, she was about to say something when he spoke up again. "I think I'm falling in love with you Evelyn, I know it's only been a short time, but I can't help the way I feel. I felt I needed to say something to you, I just don't want to scare you off, but I also want to be open about my feelings. I feel this intense connection between us."
