I’d wanted to go on the Ferris wheel since I came to Chicago, but I never got to do it for some reason, and now it was turning into a romantic date.
Which turned out to be even better than I thought. When I imagined traveling on the Centennial Wheel, I always thought I’d get squished between a bunch of tourists. But Tate didn’t buy normal tickets—he booked a VIP gondola with plush seating and a glass floor. The most important thing was that we were alone inside.
“This is so romantic!” I exclaimed as I sat down, touching the seats and looking outside. Chicago was beautiful all the time, but it seemed almost magical with glittering towers everywhere at sunset. I couldn’t wait for us to move higher.
“All the best for my girl,” he said with a cheeky smile. “I didn’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”
I lay back in my seat, looking around as the lift spun and we rose in the air. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, considering how dangerous the elevator ride was?”
“Yes. We have to keep to a simple rule,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
“No kissing, or we’re going to have a repeat of the elevator scene.”
I shimmied in my seat, crossing and uncrossing my legs. That sounded like a delicious promise.
He trained his gaze on me, hard and unrelenting, and I felt on fire. He looked so different now from when I showed up for the job interview one month ago. He seemed carefree and had this smile on his face that filled my heart with joy. The lake was dark at night, but now we were at that magical time after sunset when the sky was a beautiful orange color. We might not kiss, but I was acutely aware of his presence and the fact that our legs were intertwined. He looked at me more than he looked at the scenery. I was at a loss for words, so we just enjoyed the view like this, commenting only on which landmarks we recognized. Unfortunately, the ride only lasted fifteen minutes.
“And what now?” I asked once we stepped out.
“Now I’m taking us somewhere I think you’ll like very much,” he said, putting an arm around my back and resting his fingers on my upper arm.
“Let’s see what you have in store for me,” I teased, feeling giddy and like the luckiest woman in all of Chicago.
Tate brought me to a rooftop bar not far away from the lakeshore. It was unlike any other bar I’d been to. There were wooden walls around the perimeter with lush green plants climbing all over; it almost seemed like we were in a garden. They’d intertwined twinkle lights between the plants, and it looked magical. I snapped a few pictures with my phone right away.
“What are you doing?” Tate asked.
“Paisley loves twinkle lights.” I slipped the phone back into my clutch. “She’ll want to see this.”
Tate didn’t reply, and when I looked up from my bag, the emotion and intensity in his gaze took me by surprise.
Before I had a chance to ask if something was wrong, the host greeted us. He showed us to a table in a corner with a cozy couch and armchairs. I also spotted a dance floor in the opposite corner.
A dance floor? Hmm. I could see some potential for fun. I wondered what I would have to bribe Tate with to get him to agree to dance with me.
We each ordered cocktails and a food platter, and they were delivered almost right away. We had salami, different types of cheese, marinated olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled mushrooms with oregano sprinkled on top.
“This is delicious,” I said after stuffing a mushroom in my mouth.
“I’m glad you like it.”
We were sitting side by side on the couch, and if I thought I was acutely aware of his presence on the Centennial Wheel, it was nothing compared to now. The setting was so intimate that it was almost sensual. Potted plants separated our corner from the rest of the bar, creating a nook with a lot of privacy.
“How did you find this place?” I asked him. “It’s really pretty.”
“A friend of mine owns it, and I told him I wanted the best table they have.”
“Of course you did. The question is, how could he give it to you on such short notice?”
Tate leaned in slightly, bringing his mouth to my ear. “I know how to persuade people.”
“Oh, yeah. Tom, the guy who got the delivery, said something similar.”
“I’ve had lots of practice in business.”
Tate Maxwell was in a league of his own when it came to making me swoon. I could imagine him in his office, looking all dominant and businesslike and negotiating like a shark.
Was it odd that I felt honored he was using the same skills to romance me? Because that was exactly what it felt like, and I loved it. How was I ever going to date anyone else? The thought made me sad.
As I sipped my cocktail and slid up a bit farther away from him so I could take a good look at him, I was surprised to find his gaze on me once again. Is he always watching me? My heart fluttered.
“I can’t believe you organized all this in one day. I wonder what you could do if you had more time?”
“Try me,” he said, and then he wiggled his eyebrows, which was so out of character for him that I couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew about the Ferris wheel for a while, though.”
“You still get full points for all of this.”
His gaze was playful now. ‘Points? Okay. I like this game.”
And he was so good at it. Why was he still single?
“Tate, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Have you always been single after your divorce?”
He nodded, drumming his fingers on his glass. “I’ve been with women, but nothing serious, and I didn’t want Paisley to get confused.”
My heartbeat accelerated. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he wanted to tell Paisley about us, but I couldn’t work up the courage to ask it. So instead, I started rambling nervously.
“Dating isn’t easy. I’ve been dating for, I don’t know… fourteen years. Ever since I was in high school.”
A weird noise popped up. It seemed to come from Tate, but maybe the cocktail messed with my senses. I kept rambling. “I had a few relationships over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”
The admission surprised me, and by the way his eyes widened, it surprised him too. Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear something so deep from me yet, or perhaps it wasn’t something he wanted to know at all, but I didn’t feel the need to hide from him. I wanted him to know who I was. But what if he didn’t like it? This was too much information for a first date.
I licked my lips before adding, “So, yeah, I would think that now in the age of Tinder, it’s easier to get dates, but every time I swipe—’ That weird noise came again. I turned my head to him. “Did you make a sound at the back of your throat?”
He tilted closer. “Lexi, I don’t want to hear about you seeing other men now or in the past, ever. It drives me crazy.”
Oh my God. That had been him earlier. I swallowed hard, acutely aware of the heat of his body, his forehead pressing against mine, his fingers sitting in the small of my back possessively.
“You’re mine,” he growled. An honest-to-goodness growl.
“Okay. Fair enough,” I responded, breathless. His presence was all-consuming. For a few seconds, I completely forgot people surrounded us. We might not see them through the plants, but we could hear voices and the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.
“Tate,” I whispered, my voice uneven.
His fingers were pressing into my back even more, and the corners of his mouth tilted up.
“You’re doing something to me, Lexi, and it’s even more dangerous than I thought.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, keeping my tone playful. “I like the sound of that.”
He leaned back, taking his hand away.
“And you think not touching me will make it less dangerous?” I teased.
“I sure as fuck hope so, because I’m close to throwing you over my shoulder and walking out of here with you.”
Oh. My. God. That sexy, determined voice was going to be my undoing.
I shifted even farther away on the couch. A twinkle of amusement popped in his eyes. I loved it.
“My mom always says that when a person makes you feel everything intensely, it’s a good sign,” I said before pressing my lips in a tight line. Oh sweet heavens. I’d only had one cocktail and I was already reciting Mom’s advice. I’d managed to scare off a lot of dates like this, and I hadn’t even shared half the things I just told Tate. I didn’t seem to want to hold back.
“You’re close to your parents, right? I mean, I know you’re helping them, but that’s not the same thing.”
“Mom is my best friend. I tell her everything. Growing up, she was the best mother I could want. She listened, and when I asked for advice, she gave it to me, but it never felt stifling or overly pushy or like she was taking away my freedom. We had a bit of a rough time when I was a teenager because, well, all teenagers seem to want to piss off their parents.”
“I’m sure Paisley won’t be like that,” he said stoically.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Right. Keep thinking that if it helps. Just prepare yourself for the worst.” Sighing, I added, “I miss being able to talk about everything with Mom. In the past few years, life has changed a bit, especially this last year with the surgery. I spoke more to Dad, but even so, most of our conversations were about health or bills. I’m sure it’s going to get better. Mom is already feeling loads better than before. I sent her a box of sweets last week from Le Chocolat, and she sent me, like, a dozen silly pics. That’s a good sign.”
Tate looked at me intently but didn’t say anything.
“You freak me out when you do this,” I said honestly.
“What?”
“You don’t say anything, just look at me.”
“Trust me. If I say everything that’s on my mind, it’ll scare you even more.”
I swallowed hard, whispering, “Try me.”
His eyes flashed. “Not tonight, Lexi. Not tonight.”
“Hmmm… this is a two-way street, mister. I want to know stuff about you too.”
“You can ask me anything. Except what you just did.”
Chuckling, I racked my brain for something I wanted to know. “I haven’t met your parents. Do they live far away from here?”
“No, they live in the city, but every summer, they go on a long vacation. They’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Okay. And you’re as close to them as you are with Beatrice?”
“We’re all very tight. Tyler jokes that Gran is the glue that keeps us together because we take turns finding stuff for her to do so she doesn’t get too bored.”
“But she still has the bookstore, right?”
“Yes, but she’s not actively involved. She’s had someone managing it for years. It’s more of a keepsake.” Chuckling, he added, “She was even more excited than my parents when Paisley was born.”
“She told me that she lost her husband when she was young.”
“Yeah, my dad had graduated college, and his brother had started his freshman year. My uncle took a bit harder and lost his way for a while.”
“Oh. Is that the reason Kimberly and Reese spent so much time at your home growing up?”
He shook his head. “No. My aunt passed away when the girls were young. My uncle didn’t cope well. He buried himself in work, traveling nonstop to expand the bookstore chain. Gran and my parents practically raised them. Since they lived close to us, my cousins were at our place a lot. Then, once we were all grown-up and doing our thing, she went through a few years of depression. She went to therapy, but she was truly only back to her old self after Paisley was born.”
I wanted to hug Beatrice even more. Now I understood why they were so overprotective of her. However, something told me they would try to keep bad news from her anyway.
“The therapist told her that keeping busy is important, and I try to arrange for her to spend as much time with Paisley as she wants. She just can’t keep up with her anymore.”
“You’re a great guy, Tate.”
His expression changed from serious to playful in a split second. I loved that I had such an effect on him.
“Okay, I have an idea. Why don’t we play a get-to-know-each-other game?” I asked playfully.
He leaned closer. “Does it involve clothes?”
“Yes, it does. We’re in a bar.”
He laughed. “I know. I didn’t say we had to play it here.”
“Oh, you bad man. I knew you would get at this sooner or later.”
“I’m honest about what I want, Lexi. And what I want is you, all the time.”
My breath caught when I realized he was serious. “I was thinking about something more like ‘What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? Book?’”
“Your favorite color is green. Your favorite food is a veggie burger.”
I jerked my head back, blinking rapidly before looking down at my cocktail.
Holy shit, did I already tell him that and forgot? Am I that drunk?
“How do you know that?” I asked suspiciously.
“Paisley talks about you a lot, Lexi. But I don’t know what your favorite book is.”
“It’s The Adventures of Anne Delaware. It’s out of print, unfortunately. But wait, what do you mean, Paisley talks about me?”
“She does—a lot. And I take advantage of it. I keep asking her for details.”
The thought of him talking to his daughter about me was making me melt. I wanted to be a fly on the wall and listen to that. What would she say if she knew I was dating her father?
Would Tate even want to tell her?
Despite feeling more at ease around him than anyone I’ve ever dated, I still couldn’t work up the courage to ask him. But I didn’t have to know the answer tonight. I could have this one amazing evening and focus on reality tomorrow.
Licking my lips, I pointed a finger at him. “But I don’t know all this stuff about you. So, what is your favorite color?”
“Blue.”
“And what do you love to eat?”
His eyes glazed over, and at first, I thought he hadn’t heard my question. But then he brought his mouth to my ear. “Right now, you. I want my mouth on you until I make you squirm and come and cry out my name.”
A shudder went through me. The skin on my whole body turned to goose bumps, including on my pussy, if that was even possible. I swallowed hard, jerking my head back so I could look at him.
“Damn, you’re good,” I whispered. “I wanted to ask if we could dance, but now all I want is to get out of here.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“Does that mean I can get a kiss now?” It was more of a tipsy challenge, but I needed him. “Since we’re leaving anyway?”
“Fuck yes.”
The second his lips brushed mine, my skin sizzled everywhere. I had no idea how he could light up my body with a single touch. He already had so much power over me that it scared me. But every kiss made me feel even more alive than the one before, every touch even more wanted and worshiped.
Tate Maxwell was mine. Nothing else mattered—at least not tonight.
