The walk to the Italian restaurant down the block feels fast and surreal. The pressure of Thomas's hand on my lower back lets me know I'm not dreaming but shows the sudden change in our relationship.

He's always been very physical; always hugging me and touching me and holding my hand. But there's something more intimate, more possessive to his touch.

Don't get me wrong. I love it. But it scares the hell out of me.

Stopping by the restaurant entrance, Thomas pulls me to him, his hand cupping my jaw. "I missed you," he says right before pressing his lips to mine for a quick kiss.

"What are we doing, Thomas?" I whisper. He's standing here in front of me, so tall and handsome in jeans and T-shirt, and something deep inside me keeps telling me I don't deserve the affection and longing I see reflected in his gaze.

"We're about to have dinner." His eyes shine with that note of mischief that I've always loved.

"Thomas," I let out a sigh, even though my lips are curling into a smile.

"And then..." He murmurs, his lips pressing to my ear. "I'm hoping you invite me to your place so we can talk and... and figure how we can make this work. Does it sound like a good plan for you?"

Unable to stop myself, I turn my face so I'm speaking over his lips. "Yeah... Sounds good to me."

The moment we're both sat, I can't ignore how tense I am. Obviously, I've hung out with Thomas before and even slept at his place. But we had our friendship working as a barrier for us before.

Now, he's holding one of my hands and telling me something about his sister and no matter how much I try, I can't seem to focus. Thankfully, the waiter chooses this moment to approach us, so I busy myself with the menu.

Thomas is starving so we order some bruschetta to start and then the chef's special which consists of some type of past and chicken breast. Everything looks delicious, but I have to confess that what I'm looking forward to is the wine they'll be bring us soon.

Once the waiter is gone, Thomas entwine our fingers together. "Hey..."

"How was your trip?" I blurt and he searches my eyes, clearly seeing how nervous I am.

"Well, it was good if you consider this weird old lady who kept flirting with me the entire flight."

"What?" I gasp, a sudden chuckle leaving my lips;

The waiter comes back with our wine, and after our glasses are filled, Thomas keeps going, "I'm serious. I think she was in her eighties or something, but all she talked about was how handsome I was. That she couldn't believe I was single. She even squeezed my biceps a couple of times to prove her point."

"God, I wanted to see that!" I takea sip of my wine, some of the tension living my shoulders.

"That's all I kept thinking... How you would enjoy my misery." He nudges my foot under the table and I shake my head, a full blown-smile on my lips.

*****

As expected, the food was divine and the wine sweet and smooth. I was grateful Thomas was just being himself and soon we were lost in conversations about his time away and my plans for the bakery.

He insisted on paying the bill and made sure to let me know that was not our first date. He reminded me he had been on a plane for hours and that for our first official date he had something more elaborated in mind. I just smiled and thanked him for the meal. The truth is that I loved that we could just be us with no social conventions hanging over our shoulders.

The moment we round the corner of the restaurant, it starts raining so we have to run to my place. When we get to my front steps, we are both soaked, so I rush to get my keys so we can get inside.

"Damn, it's cold!" I say as I unlock my door.

"Get inside. I rented a car to come here. Let me run over there to get my suitcase."

"Okay," I say, heading to my room to change my clothes.

Stripping off my clothes, I quickly run a towel over my body and change into a pair of yoga pants. I'm clasping my bra when I hear him from behind me.

"Hey, could you..." The words die on his lips when he sees me.

When I turn to him, the look on his face stops me dead on my tracks. He's looking at me with a mix of lust and wonderment; his eyes going over every inch of my body as if trying to memorize it.

The moment his eyes meet mine, my pulse leaps and my knees go week. I've never felt this level of love and desire hitting me all at once.

"Uh..." He opens and closes his mouth, like he's also trying to figure things out.

Adrenaline runs over my veins, making me break the eye contact first. "Here." I throw him a clean towel, and it seems to do the trick. He shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Did you get your suitcase?" I ask.

"Yeah." He clears his throat. "Yeah."

"I thought you'd like to take a shower..."

"Yeah." He nods. "That would be nice."

"Next door down the hall." I bite my lips because my place is so small, there's no way he'd get lost.

"Okay... Uh... Yeah.." He shakes his head again before going to the bathroom.

"Dear God." Releasing a breath, I run my hands over my face.

Heading to the kitchen while he showers, I do the only thing able to put my mind at ease: I bake. I look through the cupboards and see I have all the ingredients to make some petit gateau, so that's what I do, and in less than ten minutes they are going to the oven.

"Hey," Thomas says from behind me. He's wearing a plain black T-shirt and washed jeans, his feet bare, and his hair a little wet. I love how out of place he's in my kitchen but how normal having him in my place feels at the same time.

"I just put some petit gateau in the oven... There is some ice cream in the freezer, so I thought we could eat it while we watch a movie. I mean, unless you need to go." I lean on the counter, a little unsure about where to go from here.

"Do you want me to go?" He gets closer, caging me against the counter.

"No." I tilt my head up so I can look into his eyes, and he takes it as an invitation to kiss me.

"So, I'm not going anywhere." The tips of his fingers wander up my inner arm, and I let out an involuntary moan when he cups my cheeks, angling me in a way all I can think about is how hot and cherished he makes me feel.

Kissing Thomas and being with him like that is different from everything I've done so far. I've always considered kissing a means to an end, but as he explores my mouth and touches my body, I feel myself surrendering to him in a way I've never thought would one day.

For a moment I get so lost in him, that it's like everything else fades away. It's like only him and me. Nothing else. And it scares me. My heart is pounding in my chest, ready to explore this new side of our relationship. But my mind keeps reminding me I was not meant for this kind of love.

"Thomas," I breathe when I feel his hands touching my lower back.

"God, Lisa..." He brushes his lips to my jaw, trailing soft kisses from my neck to my shoulder.

"Hmmm..." I moan when he squeezes my waist.

"You smell so good." He nuzzles my neck.

"You're making it difficult for me to resist you." I smile when he chuckles.

"Hmm... Maybe I should be a little bit more convincing, then." He pulls me impossibly closer to him and I moan at how hard he is. Then his eyes lock on mine right before he kisses me again and I need to hold onto him to anchor myself, my legs literally going weak.

He holds my waist, putting enough pressure to make me even hotter before he slides his hands down my butt. His breathing is as fast as mine and we are both so lost in each other, we startle when the oven alarm beeps.

"Shit." He detangles himself from me, making me smile.

"The petit gâteau!" I bite my lower lip as I hurry to get them. This is my favorite dessert and I can't wait to share it with him.

"Right..." He smiles as I get the ice cream and prepare our plates. The weight of his stare is almost tangible, and I'm not sure how much longer I can resist him.

"Ta-da!" I offer him one, realizing he's a little flustered.

"Looks fancy." He takes a bite, his eyes closing as he savors it. "Damn, you're so good at this."

"They're really easy to make and one of my favorite desserts..." I look down.

"I love it," he murmurs, and I look up, my eyes meeting his. He's looking at me with a look I've never seen before. One that holds so much love and promises I don't know what to do.

"So..." I clear my throat. "How about that movie?"

"I'm all yours." He winks at me, and I can't help but chuckle.

"Come on, Bubbles."

_____

A/N: I know I have said it like a thousand times now, but you're truly the best readers a writer could have! <3

XOXO

Celeste