“What could possibly be going through that head of yours right now?” Rhett asked as he helped me out of the car, his rough palm clasping mine with a possessive grip.

“I have no idea what you mean,” I replied, keeping my tone light and joking.

Rhett closed the door of the Jeep, but instead of leading me forward like I expected, he backed me up against it. His chin dropped so it was only an inch from my ear.

“You know exactly what I mean, Ari. I see that look on your face, and I know that incredible mind of yours is thinking something naughty enough to turn your cheeks pink. You watched me, but I watched you too. Even when I should’ve been blind, deaf, and dumb where you were concerned, I couldn’t help but look.”

“How’s that look-but-don’t-touch angle going for you?”

His palms glided down my sides before stopping and gripping my hips. “I plan on doing a whole lot of touching.”

My body was so acutely aware of Rhett that shivers started at the indent of each of his fingertips into my skin. I wanted him to squeeze harder or maybe shove my skirt up and . . .

“That. That right there. I wish I could look inside your head and see exactly what made your breath catch. I’m making it my mission to figure out every single thing that puts that look on your face.”

An involuntary shudder started at the base of my spine and shook my upper body. “Is that right?”

“You better believe it.” Rhett’s breath ghosted over my skin before his lips feathered across the same path along the edge of my jaw. “Now we’d better get inside to claim our table before I pin you against the car for a whole different reason.”

“Oh dear Lord.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud but the words escaped my lips, and Rhett’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

“Come on, Red, before I lose my willpower.”

At that moment, I would have been totally and completely fine with skipping whatever was waiting for us inside the building across the street in favor of whatever Rhett had on his mind, but when he stepped away and threaded his fingers through mine, I followed behind him. And not mostly because of the view it gave me of his ass in those dress pants of his. Sweet Lord, I didn’t know what that man did in the gym, but I hoped he kept doing it.

We waited for a few cars to drive by before Rhett led us across the road. I glanced back at the parking lot, which was partially full. But for such an amazing-looking place, I would have expected more patrons.

I guessed our experience would be the determining factor of that.

When Rhett pulled the door open wide for me, my heart melted. He was a gentleman, despite his claim to the contrary.

A large reception desk, whiskey barrels with a live-edge wooden slab on top, was manned by a petite dark-haired woman.

“Welcome to Seven Sinners Distillery and Restaurant. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, Hennessy for two.”

I couldn’t believe I was on a date with Rhett Hennessy, and he had made a freaking reservation. I wasn’t sure why that struck me as even more surreal, but it did.

“Of course, Mr. Hennessy. If you would follow me upstairs, I’ll show you and your guest to your table.”

The woman led us toward a shiny silver elevator that carried us to the top floor of the building. When the door opened, she held out an arm. “Right this way, please.”

I stepped out of the elevator to be amazed by an incredible view through the walls of glass of downtown New Orleans and the Mississippi River beyond. “Wow.”

The woman turned toward me. “Wait until the sun sets. It’s magnificent. With our solid glass walls and height, you get a three-hundred-sixty-degree view. We’re very proud of our renovated space.”

“I can see why. It’s phenomenal.”

Rhett squeezed my hand, and I knew this place would always be special to me. No matter what happened for the rest of the evening, I would remember it forever.

22

Rhett

Ari’s wide gray eyes scanned every detail, taking them all in. Despite the sweet building and killer view, I was way more interested in studying her. This building would stand for a century or more, but I had no idea how long I’d get with Ari. I’d already wasted years, so I wasn’t about to waste another minute.

“As you requested, Mr. Hennessy, we have a table for you in the corner.” The hostess led us toward a table that had a decent amount of privacy, for which I was grateful. “Is this acceptable, sir?”

Ari’s surprised gaze was already on me, as though she was shocked that I’d request something private. We might have known each other for years, but we still had a lot to learn about each other. One thing she’d quickly figure out was that I planned to take every advantage of our limited time together and make the most of it.

“It’s great. Thank you.”

The hostess motioned to a piece of wood on the table between us, which looked like a section of a stave from a whiskey barrel. Burned into it was the whiskey tasting list. “I’ll leave you with this for now. Your server will bring you the cocktail menu and a list of tonight’s specials.” She left us with a smile as Ari and I slid onto the high stools of the tall table.

“This place is really nice and so unique. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I figured I’d have to get creative to impress the girl who has hundreds of fancy California restaurants to choose from on any given day.”

Ari laughed. “And I rarely see the inside of those restaurants because I’m too busy working. I can usually identify their take-out containers, though. I see those too often.”

My little workaholic. “What do you do besides work? I know you’ve got some self-defense skills that you practice regularly, but tell me about your other hobbies.”

“Hobbies? Like things I do in my free time?” She sounded completely confused by the concept.

“Pretty sure that’s the definition.”

This time she threw back her head and laughed. The deep throaty chuckle hit me right in the chest . . . and elsewhere. I shifted on my seat to make sure my thin dress pants didn’t strangle my dick.

“Free time isn’t exactly something I have. If I could create a thirty-hour day, I might have time for both sleep and fun.”