A DATE

CHAPTER 2

The restaurant buzzed with quiet chatter, Amelia stepped inside, inhaling the scent of expensive cologne, grilled steak, and aged wine. The place screamed luxury, with polished mahogany tables.

She scanned the room, smoothing a hand down the emerald-green dress. She had to admit that it made her feel powerful, sexy. And she needed that tonight.

A deep voice cut through the air.

Hi there,

She turned and nearly forgot how to breathe.

The man standing before her was sin in a suit. Tall, broad-shouldered, with just the right amount of scruff on his jaw. His dark hair was perfectly styled, but a few strands dared to fall over his forehead, making him look effortlessly sexy. But it was his eyes that did her in—sharp, piercing blue, locked onto hers with quiet intensity.

Oh, hell.

He smiled—a slow, knowing curve of his lips. "Ethan Blackwood," he introduced, extending his hand.

Her fingers slid into his. Warm. Firm. Strong.

"Amelia," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady.

Blackwood.

Her stomach did a little flip. Ryan’s last name was Blackwood too.

A weird coincidence, maybe. She wasn’t about to overthink it. Plenty of people had the same last name, and tonight wasn’t about overanalyzing. Tonight was about having fun.

Ethan’s grip lingered just a little longer than necessary before he let go. “Shall we?”

She nodded, following him to their table, painfully aware of the way his hand brushed the small of her back. The heat of it burned through the fabric of her dress.

They sat, and almost instantly, she could feel it—the energy between them. A slow, smoldering pull.

“Tell me something,” Ethan mused, swirling his wine. “A beautiful woman like you… why a blind date?”

Amelia let out a breathy laugh, reaching for her own glass. “A little heartbreak, a little boredom… a pushy best friend.”

His lips quirked. “So you’re here out of obligation?”

She tilted her head, watching him. “Not anymore.”

His eyes darkened slightly, approval flickering in them. “Good.”

She took a sip of her wine, trying to ignore the way her stomach fluttered. He was just a man. A devastatingly hot, ridiculously smooth man.

“I have to say,” Ethan murmured, resting an elbow on the table, “I wasn’t expecting someone like you.”

She arched a brow. “And what was your expectation?”

His gaze flicked over her—slow, deliberate, like he was memorizing every inch of her.

“Someone… ordinary.” He leaned in slightly, voice dropping just enough to make her breath hitch. “You are not ordinary.”

A rush of heat curled through her, pooling low in her stomach.

She was not here for this.

She was here to have fun, to forget, to move on. Not to sit here getting drunk off the way this man was looking at her like he wanted to devour her.

She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. “And you? Why a blind date?”

His lips twitched. “A little heartbreak. A little boredom. A pushy best friend.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “You stole my answer.”

“I think,” he murmured, his gaze locked on hers, “we might have more in common than you realize.”

The way he said it sent a shiver down her spine.

It wasn’t fair—how effortlessly attractive he was, how easily he made the air between them charge.

She was playing with fire.

And God help her… she wanted to get burned.

Ethan’s presence was intoxicating

.

The waiter had come and gone, their meals placed before them, but Amelia barely touched hers. Ethan, however, ate his meal, cutting into his steak as if nothing in the world could shake his composure.

"You’re staring," he murmured, voice deep and teasing.

Amelia blinked, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Am I?"

His dark eyes met hers. "You are."

She leaned back, picking up her wine glass. "Maybe I’m just trying to figure you out."

Ethan wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin, setting it down slowly. "And what have you figured out so far?"

Amelia tilted her head, watching him. "That you enjoy making people uncomfortable just to see how they react."

A slow, amused smile played at his lips. "And how are you reacting?"

She refused to look away, even as her pulse quickened. "I haven’t decided yet."

Ethan chuckled, he reached for his glass, fingers brushing against hers for just a second. It was the briefest touch, but it sent a spark racing up her arm. Amelia swallowed hard, annoyed at how easily he affected her.

"So, tell me," he said, resting his elbow on the table, chin propped against his fist. "What brought you here tonight? Did you expect anything... interesting?"

Amelia arched a brow. "You mean, did I expect you?"

His lips twitched. "Something like that."

She let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. "I expected a nice dinner. Maybe a good conversation. I didn’t expect to be sitting across from someone who looks at me like I’m a puzzle he’s dying to solve."

Ethan’s gaze darkened. "And what if you are?"

Something in his tone sent a delicious chill down her spine. This wasn’t just harmless flirting, there was an edge to his words.

Amelia bit her lip without thinking, and the way Ethan’s gaze flicked downward, lingering, made her stomach tighten.

He leaned in slightly, his elbow resting on the table, eyes locked onto hers like a predator that had its prey exactly where it wanted. “You keep looking at me like that, Amelia.” His voice was low, husky. “Like you’re imagining what I’d feel like between your thighs.”

Her breath caught. Heat coiled in her stomach, burning its way through her veins. “Is that what you think?” she murmured, trying to sound unaffected, but her voice betrayed her.

Ethan smirked, “I know.” He let the words hang between them, deliberatly watching the way she squirmed slightly in her seat. “You’ve been clenching your thighs since I sat down. Tell me, are you trying to keep yourself together, or are you just that desperate to feel something?”

Amelia’s fingers tightened around the stem of her wine glass, her body betraying her. The air was thick between them, charged with something that made her pulse thunder in her ears.

“Maybe I just enjoy watching you get ahead of yourself,” she countered, lifting her glass to her lips, hoping the sip of wine would cool her down. It didn’t.

Ethan leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a dark whisper. “Oh, I don’t get ahead of myself, sweetheart. I take my time.” His fingers traced the rim of his glass, slow and deliberate, like he was imagining doing the same to her skin. “I like to build things up, to see just how long someone can last before they break.”

A shiver ran down her spine, and she hated how much she liked the way he said it.

She exhaled shakily, forcing a smirk. “And what makes you think I’d break?”

Ethan chuckled, his eyes hooded, heavy with intent. “Because, Amelia, I can already see it. The way your breathing’s changed, the way your body leans into mine without you even realizing it.” He tilted his head slightly. “I wonder how easy you’d fall apart if I touched you the way I know you want to be touched.”

Her core clenched, her entire body tightening at his words. The air between them was electric, burning, suffocating in the best way. She felt like she was melting into the seat, every nerve hypersensitive, every inch of her body screaming for something she shouldn’t want this badly.

Amelia swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. “You’re awfully confident.”

Ethan smirked again, his eyes dragging down her body like he was memorizing every inch of her. “Confidence comes from experience.” His fingers traced the back of her hand, featherlight, teasing. “And trust me, sweetheart, I have plenty of experience making a woman come undone without ever laying a hand on her.”

She exhaled sharply, her thighs pressing together involuntarily.

Of course, he noticed.

His smirk deepened, dark amusement shining in his gaze. “Feeling a little restless, Amelia?”

Her breath was shaky when she answered, “You really love to hear yourself talk, don’t you?”

Ethan chuckled, a rich, deep sound that sent another wave of heat rushing through her. “I do.” He leaned in, his lips almost brushing her ear as he whispered, “But I’d rather hear you.”

Amelia’s fingers dug into the table, her body betraying her once again.

She was in trouble.

And the worst part was that she wanted to be his trouble.

After the meal, Ethan offered to drop her off. She sluggishly agreed, but that was her greatest mistake.