Electrified (17 page)

With that, Carson led her into the restaurant with his hand lightly resting on her lower back. Unlike the day before, she didn’t flinch at his touch. Instead she wanted to sink back into it and take more.

Sienna didn’t understand how a man could be so strong, yet so gentle at the same time. She barely had any experience with men; the men she’d known before were either sheep or wolves, and Carson didn’t seem to fit neatly into either category.

As they arrived at the table, Sienna felt lonely and naked when Carson had to take his hand away, then mentally chided herself for her weakness.
I survived twenty-eight years without a hand on my back; I can handle lunch in my seat like a big girl.

She took in the candles burning softly on the tables, the tiny flickers casting shadows around the room, the various rows of wine bottles lining the walls, and caught the scent of aromatic herbs drifting through the air. It was the most perfect setting for a first date.

Once they were seated, Carson said, “You look stunning. I mean, at the Tunnel everyone knows you’re gorgeous, but this right now…you’re a natural beauty.”

The breath whooshed out of her. “Thank you.”

“How was work last night?” he asked, looking nowhere else but straight at her. He gave her his full attention just like when he was at the Tunnel, as though nothing were more important to him than she was.

She stole one more quick look up at his eyes before looking at her place setting and studying the napkin. He couldn’t know how she wanted to forget last night happened. That damn guy with the cowboy hat. “It was pretty good, we had a lot of bachelor parties. None of them got out of hand, though.” She felt her nose twitch a little with the white lie.

Carson noticed. “Really? I bet you it was more exciting, by the way you’re looking.”

“Really, it wasn’t. There was this one guy who rushed the stage when I was dancing, but Mike threw him out. After he was gone, the night went smoothly.” She lifted her eyes to meet his.

He frowned. “Does that happen often? I haven’t seen anything like that when I’ve been there. Seems like Asher runs a tight ship.”

She shook her head, and reached out to toy with the menu in front of her. “It rarely happens, and almost never to me. If there’s a problem, it’s usually in the VIP rooms, but Asher’s, I mean
our
team is top-notch, so it doesn’t go on too much.”

“Hmm,” Carson said with a teasing smile. “Now I wish I didn’t listen to you and had been there to rescue you.”

Sienna let out a laugh, her cheeks flushed, and she caught a tiny fluttering in her chest. “They had it covered, and here I am in one piece.”

Although she really didn’t want to discuss the situation at the club, it was better than small talk about their lives growing up. That was a topic she wanted to avoid, not wanting to lie about her past any more than she already had.

“Did you have a nice evening?” she asked. “Did you hang out on the Strip?”

“I did. Played some blackjack, indulged in some pretty good scotch, and smoked a cigar with my favorite bartender.” He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders like a happy-go-lucky kid. “What’s a guy to do?”

She chuckled before becoming more serious. “I couldn’t say. I don’t go to the Strip much. To be honest, I’ve never been there all made up. With the billboard, I just attract too much unwanted attention. But sometimes I think I want to check it out, just as someone else. So I guess I should thank you for meeting me out this way again.”

“I imagine going anywhere in this town is a crush for you, so I’m feeling damn lucky to be with you here right now.” Carson moved forward in his seat, his gaze directly on Sienna’s face, and winked.

She blushed and looked away, knowing she needed to turn the whole atmosphere down a notch before she climbed across the table, especially since she had no idea what she would do once she got over there.

“I get takeout from this place a lot, but like I said, I’ve never eaten in before, so this is a treat. Asher will be jealous. He loves it here.”

“You two are tight. Is he that tight with all of you at the club? Should I be nervous?” Carson’s eyes were unsure as he asked this, as though he was actually worried about competition for her affection.

Sienna shook her head and laughed. “No, no. Ash is my family out here. Well, my family, neighbor, and business partner. Thank God we have a high tolerance for each other. We seem to always be together, but it’s nothing intimate.”

“Partner?” Carson’s brows pinched together. “What do you mean? Do you guys have a business together?”

Sienna realized she’d put her mouth in her foot a tiny bit. She really needed dating lessons.

“Yes, we own the club. Actually, I own half the Tunnel with Asher now.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. I didn’t realize.” He sat back and assessed her, a half smile on his face. “You’re one smart lady. Do you ever want to give up dancing to run the business full-time?”

She frowned.

As soon as it was out, he said, “Shit. I didn’t mean it that way. Of course, you’re smart whether you own the club and dance or not. Your dancing is gorgeous. For selfish reasons, I don’t want you to stop. I like watching, but I wouldn’t be offended if I were the only man you were performing for.” He ran his hand over his face, up over his forehead and back down his hair, stopping at his neck, resting his head in his own palm with his eyes boring down on her.

She knew he was only half joking, but she had to explain and set him straight.

“No, I couldn’t stop. Not now, it’s part of the club and me. Sienna Flower is so synonymous with the Electric Tunnel. I don’t mean it in a bragging way, I just couldn’t do that to Ash. We grew that club together with his management and my dancing. So, now he keeps up his side and I dance, which gives the other dancers a chance to learn. And to earn a slot near mine.” She took a much-needed sip of the water the busboy had just placed in front of her.

Carson took the hint and picked up his menu, but kept his eyes trained on her. “You really have a good handle on it, I’m even more impressed. I could tell you were the real deal, though. Brains, beauty, and the most beautiful smile.”

Sienna didn’t know what to make of all this. She didn’t know how to accept the compliment, so she changed the subject while picking up her menu. “You already know I eat, which you find so ‘real,’ so I’ll say this…I love the food here.” She looked down at her menu, but Carson didn’t. He remained exclusively focused on her.

“The way you keep it real is so refreshing, Sienna. I can’t imagine ever getting bored with you. So, what do you like here?”

Trying to keep from blushing, she said, “The salad with the creamy house dressing. It has all kinds of crunchies and goodies in it, the stuff that falls to the bottom. I usually get that and one of the pasta dishes.”

He nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’m thinking of chicken marsala.”

“Oh, that’s good, too,” Sienna said, and gave him a big, genuine smile. She was turning into a cheese ball, but she decided she liked that. She was starting to enjoy dating. A lot. Maybe a bit too much.

Carson ordered a glass of wine for himself and Sienna opted for club soda. She was working later that night, and needed to be on her game.

The conversation flowed, but stayed pretty neutral after their chat on her deal with Asher. She steered the conversation toward him, and relaxed as he told her more about himself.

Carson couldn’t discuss much of what he used to do at the FBI, and now he was basically for hire, mostly on hard-to-crack missing persons cases. He liked to travel and blow off steam in between assignments due to the volatile nature of what he did, and apparently Vegas was his go-to place only when he was in the middle of a job. He saved the Caribbean for when he put a case to rest.

Lucky for her, Carson revealed he didn’t have much family. Sienna followed suit and said her parents were gone, fibbing that she was an only child. This made Asher and the girls being her only family much more plausible.

Sienna found herself relaxing and enjoying herself. The fact that she was out in public, surrounded by people, and without a hat to hide her very recognizable face faded into the background with everything else. Carson seemed genuinely interested in her owning part of the club, while resolved to the idea that she was a dancer.

She wasn’t going to change. Dancing was her salvation, although he didn’t know it.

Carson set her at ease. For the first time in forever, she felt like she wasn’t being watched. From being a small girl under constant scrutiny for modest behavior, to her chaperoned dates with Elon where an elder took in her every move, to feeling like she needed to have eyes behind her back, this was the “first” that hit home the most. A feeling of being completely at ease.

Not that it mattered too much. She was only having fun, making a memory, and that was it. After today, Sienna was going back to erecting the walls that were solidly placed around her heart, body, and soul, protecting her from anyone who might destroy her safety net. But God help her, Carson became more and more irresistible as the awkwardness of their date wore off.

A small touch brought Sienna out of her fog. Sadly, they were finished with their food and the bill sat looming on the table.

Her hand tingled when Carson placed his big one over it. “Do you have time to get a coffee next door before you go back?” he asked, while his touch continued to burn through her palm. His eyes twinkled, inviting her to dive in, but she couldn’t right now. It was all too much.

She couldn’t deny there was a sexual fuse between the two, but she was inexperienced with how to handle that other than the overt sexual flirting she used while performing. In a one-on-one situation, she was at a loss.
Carson must be so frustrated with me.

He probably thought he was going out with a sex goddess, a woman on the frontier of sexual experimentation, and most likely a slut. Unfortunately for him, she was none of the above.

As much as she wanted the date to go on, she felt it was a good idea for her to go home now. Mostly because her hand twitched to grasp Carson’s and never, ever let go.

Her traitorous heart was willing her to do just that, but her brain won.

“I think I’m just going to grab a tea to go,” she told him. “I have a quick errand before I go back and prep for my night.”

Carson looked disappointed, even though he had to know this was only lunch. She’d warned him she wasn’t fast. Oh, but she wanted to be, which was why taking a tea to go was the smart move. After all, he had said earlier she was smart.

“Sure. I get it. It must be hard working opposite hours as everyone else,” he said as they stood from the table.

“I guess for some, but not for me. I told you, I don’t have much of a life outside the club, and my friends are all there. I guess it’s easier that way.”

“Well, I hope you make room for someone not from the club,” Carson whispered in her ear as he helped her up from her seat. Once standing, she found herself face-to-face with him, and before she could move, he leaned in and left a trail of feather-light kisses from her ear down her neck.

He was marking her right in broad daylight in front of anyone to bear witness. His actions told her he wanted her, and he was going to make sure everyone knew it. Including her.

Stunned, Sienna couldn’t move, and Carson took advantage of yet another opportunity to lean in and place a small kiss high on her cheekbone. It was sweet, chaste, but full of promise. A promise that Sienna knew she couldn’t make good on. Ever.

Or could she?

She wanted to skip work and lose herself in the man who just took her on her first lunch date. Instead she asked, “Are you coming to the club tonight? I think I might like that.”

If her brain was winning before the tiny electromagnetic kisses still burning their way down her neck and her cheek, her heart was victorious at the moment. Shock waves ran through her body making her bold, asking and saying things she shouldn’t be saying. Now there was no way of retracting it.

“You know what,” he said, “I think I will. I leave tomorrow, and there’s nothing more that I would like than to see you dance.”

Uh-oh.

He gently put his arm around her shoulders, almost as if he knew she needed to be treated with care, and led her to the exit. It was the most divine feeling.

“Okay, see you there then. This was great, Carson. Really, so much fun. And thanks for making it easy. I’m going to see if Mike wants something. Actually, I’m going to see if he wants to go in with me. His legs could use a stretch, I’m sure.” She was rambling on and on, and she couldn’t stop. It was time to say good-bye. She slipped out of his embrace and gave him one last sweet smile.

One, she had to leave so she could breathe.

Two, she needed to get away so she didn’t ask him to move in with her or something ridiculous like that.

Three, she needed to escape before he kissed her anywhere again. Ear, cheek, neck, lips. Anywhere. Period.

Sienna knew Carson was watching her as she walked over to Mike’s car. Something about it felt so right and amazingly wonderful with his heated gaze on her back. She knew she shouldn’t wrap herself up in some false notion of security with him, but she couldn’t help it. She was so far gone already, unable to pull herself back to reality.

Right now she was a girl. A girl in “like” with a man who was far from a young boy, and she needed to get her head right again.

She tapped on Mike’s window and he rolled it down.

“You want a coffee or tea?”

“I thought you were coming over for relationship advice,” he teased, a big grin on his face.

“Ha, real funny, Mike! No, I actually have to run to the Meow before going home, and I thought you could just follow me down. I was being nice, you big jerk! I was going to treat you to a drink before we left.”

Sienna gave the sass right back to him while realizing Mike gave her the comedic break she needed. He must have noticed how deep in her head she was when she walked to his truck. Her new family knew her unlike the family she had been born into.

“Yeah, sure, babe. I’ll take a large coffee with cream and sugar. You sure you want to drive yourself to the Strip? I could follow you home and we could dump your car?”