All She Wants for Valentine's Day: A Contemporary Erotic Romance Story (All She Wants #3) (2 page)

“Excellent.” He opened the passenger door of his car, and when Tanya didn’t move for a second, he drummed his fingers on the top of it impatiently.

“…Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to get in?” he said.

“Oh! Right.” Tanya sprang into motion and climbed into the car. It wasn’t until she was already sitting that she looked up at him hesitantly. “Uh, wait… what about my car?” she asked. “We’re just going to leave it here?”

He chuckled. “We can figure it out later. The place we’re going fills up early, so we’d better get moving if we want to make it in time.” He closed her door and walked around the front of the car to his side, giving her a chance to get a close-up look at his toned, sexy body.

As he climbed into the car, she looked down at her clothes, then at his. “You know, we’re not exactly dressed for a fancy occasion,” she said.

He laughed again. “Just trust me.” He flashed her a knowing smile, then revved the ignition. And just like that, they were off –
off to God knows where
, Tanya thought with a smile. She had no idea what the night held in store for her, but she had a very good feeling about it. Ryan was gorgeous, and instinctively she knew she could trust him.

And most of all, after so many boring nights spent alone with her TV, there was something about him that just screamed excitement.

She had no idea how right she was…

As they drove down the highway, Tanya couldn’t resist sneaking small peeks at her traveling companion. He was even sexier than he’d appeared at first glance. She wasn’t normally into super-buff guys, but Ryan didn’t look like a meathead. He had big muscles, sure, but something about his swaggering, confident demeanor suited his broad body perfectly. His frame totally filled his seat, and as he turned the steering wheel, his biceps bulged under his short sleeves.
I could get used to looking at that
, Tanya thought to herself. She wasn’t a small girl, but next to him, she felt petite.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, more to break the ice than anything else. “I’m pretty hungry, by the way. I hope you’re taking me someplace good.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” he replied. “And that’s all I’m going to say about that.” He grinned as he spoke, causing the muscles in his neck to move.
God, even his neck is buff
, she thought.

“Come on,” she cajoled him, pushing him lightly on his shoulder – mostly just as an excuse to feel the rock-solid muscles under his shirt. “You have to at least give me a hint.”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly enjoying this. “Actually, I don’t.”

“Fiiiine,”
said Tanya, and turned to look out the window. As they exited the freeway, she noticed that the street signs looked incredibly familiar. “Hey, I recognize this neighborhood!” she said. Just then, she suddenly realized where they were going, and she gasped in surprise. “Are we going to…”

“That’s right!” said Ryan, as they pulled into a parking lot under a big sign that said MISS MAY’S.  “Best barbecue in town.”

Tanya was shocked. Her eyes were gleaming with excitement, and she had a huge smile on her face. “I can’t believe it!” she said. “I
love
this place. When I was little, my dad used to take me here all the time. I haven’t been here in ages!”

Ryan turned off the car and turned to look at her. “Well then, I guess tonight’s your lucky night.”
I guess so,
thought Tanya, as she looked into his handsome face. He climbed out of the car, and in a flash had crossed over to open her door for her. He offered her his hand, which she accepted with an exaggerated graciousness.

“Why,
thank
you,” she said. “You know, you really don’t have to keep opening the doors for me. It’s nice and all, but I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.” He looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. He didn’t even have to say anything; just his look of pure befuddlement was enough to let her know that he was going to keep doing it, and that was that.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Never mind,” she said.

And when he offered her his arm, she found herself gladly accepting it.
Such a gentleman,
she thought, even as she relished the feeling of his skin against her own. Warren had never been much of the chivalrous type, and this royal treatment she was getting was unfamiliar and exciting.  She felt giddy and nervous, like a high-schooler on prom night. For the first time in a while, she had no idea where the night would take her – and she loved it.

They walked in and found an empty booth. Ryan was right about how popular this place was. It was just after 7:30 p.m. now, and the restaurant was totally packed. Still, no sooner had they sat down than a waitress came over to greet them. “How are we going tonight?” she asked cheerfully.

Ryan looked at Tanya and smiled. “Spectacular,” he replied. Obviously he’d been here before; he didn’t even have to look at the menu to know what he wanted. “We’ll take the country ribs platter for two, please.” He looked over at Tanya again. “Is that all right with you?”

Tanya nodded in surprise. She couldn’t believe it. “That used to be my absolute favorite!”

“Coming right up,” said the waitress, and left as quickly as she’d arrived, leaving Tanya and Ryan alone together in the booth. As soon as she left, Tanya slapped her hand down on the table and stared right into Ryan’s eyes.

“All right, out with it,” she said. “Who put you up to this?”

“…What?” He seemed genuinely confused.

She shook her head, smiling. “Oh, no, no you don’t. This
has
to be a set-up. My friends must have schemed this up out of pity for me. Was it Jessica? Ashley? I’ll bet it was Ashley.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck slowly, a bemused half-smile on his face. “Sorry, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She paused to consider this. “Hmm. …You mean this isn’t a set-up?”

“Unfortunately not,” he laughed. “What makes you say that, anyway?”

“Well…
this!”
she cried, throwing her arms out and gesturing around them. “It’s all just too perfect! The restaurant is perfect,
you’re
perfect, you even know exactly what I wanted to order… come on!” she exclaimed, getting a bit frustrated. “This just has to be some kind of joke. A guy like you doesn’t just come up and hit on a girl like me.”

When she said that, his face darkened. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tanya,” he said adamantly. “I came up and talked to you because I saw something I liked – some spark in your eyes. You seemed so self-confident just a minute ago. What happened? Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?”

When he said that, Tanya fell silent. She looked down into her lap, suddenly feeling the need to bite back tears. She took a long moment to compose herself, and when she looked back up at Ryan, her eyes glistened with wetness.

“I…” she began, then trailed off. She swallowed hard and tried again. “I’m just not sure what to believe anymore.” The anger had left Ryan’s face, and he was looking at her now with compassion in his eyes. “I’ve been hurt pretty bad, Ryan,” she said. “I had my heart broken, just a few months ago. Ever since then, I’ve been a mess.” She couldn’t help but let a few tears fall now, despite her best effort to contain them. She felt a little embarrassed for letting her emotions show so easily, but for some reason, she felt like she could be honest with Ryan.

He reached across the table and took her hand. 

“I’ve been hurt too,” he said softly. “Believe me, I know how it feels to have your heart broken. But if you don’t open yourself up, who’s going to find you? Who’s going to see that light in your eyes, if it’s buried under so much darkness?”

“You saw it,” said Tanya, smiling through her tears. They locked eyes, and she swore she felt electric sparks passing between their bodies. The moment seemed to last forever. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time.

“All right, who wants some barbecue?!” cried the waitress, interrupting the moment. Ryan and Tanya both burst out laughing simultaneously. The waitress set down a huge, steaming platter of ribs between them and filled up their glasses with water. “Bon appétit!” she said, and hustled off.

“Man, all this emotion… sure makes me hungry!” joked Ryan. “But seriously, Tanya, I want you to be happy. No more doubting yourself. I want to see that spark in those eyes again… All right?”

Tanya smiled. “It’s a deal,” she said, grabbing a napkin and folding it across her lap. “Now, shut up and let’s dig in!”

From that point forward, the conversation flowed easily between them. As they reduced the platter of ribs to a pile of bones, they were talking, flirting and laughing the whole time. Ryan had such a dry wit, Tanya noticed – a deadly combination mixed with those hazel eyes of his. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. And the whole time, she swore the chemistry between them was only getting stronger and stronger.

“Lord have mercy,” said Ryan, as he put down the remnants of the very last rib onto the plate. He let out a deep sigh. “That was amazing.”

“I’ll say,” Tanya agreed. “This place is just as good as I remember! Why, I haven’t…”

Just then, she trailed off instantly, and all the color drained from her face.
Oh, my God,
she thought to herself, staring past Ryan out to the front door of the restaurant.

“What’s up?” he asked, looking concerned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Worse,” she groaned.

It was Warren.

“Duck down,” said Tanya urgently. “I don’t want Warren to see us.”

“Who’s Warren?” asked Ryan, even as he tried to slouch down in the booth.

But it was too late. Warren had already seen them, and as soon as he’d locked eyes with Tanya, a wide, sinister smirk appeared on his face. She groaned again.

“It’s my ex-boyfriend,” she said. “He’s a real jerk. I’ll handle this.”

He sauntered over to the booth where they were sitting, in the jerky, half-cocked gait that Tanya recognized all too well: it meant he’d been drinking. And as he got closer to their booth, the reeking stench of booze on his body told her that he’d had more than just a few drinks.

“Well, well, well,” he said, that sarcastic sneer still on his face. “If it isn’t my long-lost love! How’s the new apartment treating you, Toots?”

She absolutely hated when he called her Toots. And it was a sore subject to bring up her ‘new apartment,’ too; they both knew all too well that she’d had to take a major down-grade after moving out of the home they’d shared together.

“You’re drunk, Warren,” spat Tanya. “Business as usual for you, I guess.”

He had that wild-eyed look about him that comes from a little too much liquid courage. She was inwardly terrified at what sort of drama he’d cause, or what sort of embarrassing things he’d start to say if given the chance. She had no idea how to control the situation. She looked at Ryan frantically, but all he offered in return was a quizzical glance before Warren started running his mouth again.

He seemed to have just noticed Ryan, and his eyes lit up even more. “And who’s
this
lucky guy!?” he exclaimed. The grin on his face looked to Tanya like pure, unadulterated evil. She had no idea how she’d put up with this creep for so long.

“Hubba hubba, baby!” he said, turning to Tanya again. “I guess you wasted no time getting back to your old routine, sleeping around all over the neighborhood.”

Her mouth dropped wide open in shock. “What are you even
talking
about?!?” she sputtered. Just then, Ryan stood up angrily in his seat.

“That’s about enough out of you,” he said to Warren. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we were just leaving.”

Ryan was a good two inches taller and quite a bit more muscular, but Warren was undeterred. “I don’t think so,” he said, his voice rising in volume. “This little two-timer’s coming home with
ME.
” A few of the nearby diners had turned to look at the commotion. The waitress had come over with the bill, but she now held back hesitantly as she watched the scene unfolding.