Chapter 50 - Dinner

He was wearing a simple white cotton dress shirt, untucked and unbuttoned to mid-chest, cuffs turned up to reveal his delicious forearms. Dark denim jeans clung to his muscular legs, their flared hems falling onto black leather boots. Around his neck hung a silver chain bearing a collection of sterling charms, nestled in the soft fur of his chest.

His hair shone like spun gold in the glow of the sunset. His chin was lowered slightly, and he looked beguilingly up at her from beneath the soft fringe of his honey-toned bangs. His eyes were sparkling pools of azure, and his lips curved into the most beautiful, heart-stopping smile Cate had ever seen.

“Hello there,” Jon said softly.

“Hi…” Cate answered breathlessly. She stood frozen, staring at him in shock.

Jon stared back at her, awed by her beauty. Cate was stunning in a deep turquoise-blue halter dress of soft chiffon. The fabric stretched in gentle folds from behind her neck down over her breasts to an empire waist, forming a plunging neckline. The full skirt draped gracefully from the waist to her knee, the airy fabric stirring in the gentle ocean breeze.

Her bronze-tipped toenails peeked out from sexy pewter-toned, strappy high-heeled sandals, and she had looped a delicate silver bracelet around her left ankle. Jon’s gaze traveled up Cate’s shapely tanned legs, then back up to her daring cleavage. His heart melted as he saw his sterling cross resting between her breasts.

He moved his eyes upward, to Cate’s lovely face. Small, ornate sterling hoops dangled from her earlobes under the cascading waves of her mahogany and ginger hair. Her eyes glowed a deep blue-green, the same hue as her dress, under smoky lids and lush lashes. Her lips looked perfect and luscious, tinted with a reddish-bronze gloss. They quivered enticingly as she spoke.

“What… what are you doing here?” Cate’s voice was almost a whisper. Her eyes shone brightly as a small smile crept to her lips.

“I missed you.” Jon said simply. He stepped forward, holding out his right hand to her, in it a single long-stemmed ivory rose.

Speechless, Cate reached her hand out to take the rose, her fingers brushing against his, sending an electric charge coursing through her body. Jon moved closer, then took her left hand in his and raised it to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on her fingers, his gaze locking with Cate’s.

Lowering her hand but not letting it go, he continued. “I wanted to see you tonight. So, I flew back from Philly early,” he explained.

Cate’s heart somersaulted. He flew back to be with me! She felt her lips part in a radiant smile, her eyes still locked with Jon’s. “I’m so glad you did,” she admitted softly.

“So am I,” he answered gently. That smile alone made it worth it, he thought.

He gestured toward the elegant round table, set all in white and silver, candles flickering at its center. “Sit down,” he invited. “We have all night to relax, talk, drink some wine, do whatever you want.” He chuckled. “But first you’re gonna tell me what’s good from the menu. I’m starving!” Cate giggled softly in reply.

Jon grinned and turned toward the table. He slipped his hand to Cate’s back and drew in a breath when he felt her warm, bare skin under his fingertips. As Cate stepped forward toward the table, Jon saw that her dress not only had a plunging neckline, it was backless. The soft band of fabric beneath her breasts angled daringly down her sides to expose her sun-kissed back, all the way to the line of her hips.

He saw the top edge of the mystery tattoo peeking from under the blue fabric. Oh my GOD, is that sexy! He groaned softly as he felt himself stir. Easy, Jonny… we have all night…. he reminded himself.

Jon guided Cate to the table and pulled out her chair. After she was seated, he sat and slid his chair nearer to her, so that they were both facing the water and the gorgeous, painted sky. Cate laid the rose gently on the table beside her place setting and picked up her menu.

Suddenly she remembered. “Oh! Danny’s making a call. He’ll be right…”

Cate’s voice trailed off as she realized what was really happening. She blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Oh,” she murmured. Now Danny’s text message made sense. He wasn’t coming back; he had lured her here to spend the evening with Jon.

Jon chuckled gently, then gave her another heartbreaking smile. “You’re not mad at me, are you? I mean, I kinda hijacked your date with Danny.”

“No. Of course not,” Cate smiled. How could I possibly be angry? I’ve been dying to hear your voice all day long and now here you are…. “I’m sure he had a little something to do with this.” Now that the shock of finding Jon here waiting for her was wearing off, Cate was beginning to relax.

“Yeah, he was my secret ally.” Jon gave Cate a wink. “I was starting to think you didn’t want anything to do with me!” he teased. “You kept turning down my invitations, you wouldn’t go anywhere with me other than one of the training facilities, you dumped me on poor George for dinner...” He placed his hand over his heart. “You gave my ego quite a beating, ya know!” he said melodramatically.

Cate laughed at Jon’s little performance. “Poor Baby,” she teased. “I would have thought your ego was plenty big to handle a little squashing by some nobody Cop Chick.” She gave Jon a mischievous grin.

Jon’s smile turned gentle. “You are not a ‘nobody’,” he replied. “Not to me.” He gave her a meaningful look, then continued.

“So, I figured the only way I was gonna get you to have dinner with me was to trick you into it. And I couldn’t even figure out how to do that myself! So I had to call on Danny for advice. This was actually his idea. I didn’t want to intrude on your celebration, but he insisted.”

Cate nodded. Love ya, Slick, she thought. She was so grateful to Danny for giving her this beautiful night with Jon that she almost wanted to cry.

Jon moved his hand to cover Cate’s on the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And, so… here I am. Here we are,” he said softly. “No training, no students, no colleagues, no distractions….just us.”

“Just us,” Cate repeated. She and Jon smiled tenderly at each other for a long moment, until they heard their waiter cough politely from his position by the door. Jon gave him a little grin and waved him over.

Cate and Jon turned their attention to the menu, and Cate pointed out her favorite dishes while the waiter explained the evening’s specials. Jon quickly perused the wine list then set it aside, asking the waiter to bring a bottle of Conundrum.

Cate smiled; he knew her favorite wine. Jon had obviously put some effort into planning this evening, conspiring with Danny to be sure everything was perfect. She took a sip of the wine she had brought with her from the bar and gave a little sigh. Just being with him makes it perfect, she thought happily.

As the waiter retrieved the wine, Jon and Cate settled on their entrée selections. When he returned, he poured a glass of Conundrum for Jon and freshened Cate’s glass. Jon ordered for both of them; grilled sea bass for Cate and a filet for himself. When that bit of business was done and the waiter had departed, they found themselves alone.

For the first time since she had stepped onto the veranda, Cate became aware of something other than the gorgeous man beside her. She heard the gentle rush of the surf and the chirping of the crickets as they began their twilight song. She also realized soft jazz was playing, wafting from hidden speakers.

The light had turned golden and fireflies glowed near the hydrangea bushes bordering the airy veranda. A sense of tranquility washed over her. Breathe, relax…live.

Cate smiled and took another sip of her wine as Jon scooted his chair closer to hers and took her hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers, then rested their joined hands lightly on his muscular thigh. With his other hand, he picked up his glass and brought it to his lips, taking a long swallow from it. He sighed contentedly and looked out at the ocean. Watching Jon, Cate realized that this must be a rare occurrence for him, to really relax and enjoy a peaceful evening.

Cate looked back to the sea. The sky had turned a dusky blue, the last remnants of orange and gold hovering just above the horizon, reflecting in the rippled water. “Look at that,” Cate breathed. “Isn’t it just gorgeous?”

“Yes. It is.” Jon whispered. Cate turned her head to see him gazing at her, his eyes shining.

She held his gaze for a long moment, feeling herself drift toward him. Their lips touched, satin on velvet, and they shared a gentle, lingering kiss.

When they parted, Cate smiled dreamily and looked back to the ocean. She leaned toward Jon to rest her cheek against his shoulder, and felt him tip his head to rest against hers. They sat in silence, listening to the music, sipping wine, and watching the waves until the first course of their meal arrived.

After the waiter set their salads on the table and refilled their wine glasses, Jon reluctantly released Cate’s hand and moved his chair back to its place. They chatted and shared tender smiles and gentle laughter as they enjoyed their salads.

The main course arrived and they ate slowly, savoring the delicious food, the wonderful wine, and the comfortable companionship. Jon told Cate about his day and some of the projects the Soul Foundation was involved with, and Cate told Jon a little more about her history with Danny and her experiences as a field agent.

When the waiter returned to take their dessert order, Jon raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Cate.

“We are having dessert, right?” he asked.

“Of course.” Cate answered eagerly. “The key lime pie is to die for.”

Jon grinned. “I love a woman who’s not afraid to admit she wants to eat dessert.” He chuckled. “None of that ‘oh, I’ll just have a little taste’ crap.”

“Damn right,” Cate giggled. “And by the way, I’m not sharing. Order your own pie.” Her eyes sparkled merrily.

Jon laughed heartily. He looked at their waiter, who was also smiling amusedly. “You heard the lady. We’ll have two pieces of key lime pie. And coffee, please.” The waiter nodded politely and turned, hustling back into the restaurant.

Jon placed his napkin on the table and pushed back his chair. Cate watched him as he stood and walked slowly around the table to stand behind her. He leaned down to speak softly in her ear, his breath warm against her cheek. “Dance with me?” he asked.

Cate nodded silently and daintily dabbed at her lips with her napkin, then placed it on the table. She rose gracefully from her chair as Jon pulled it out for her, then took his hand.

Jon led her toward the far end of the veranda, stopping several steps from the railing and turning to face her. He brought their joined hands up to his chest and slid his free arm around Cate’s waist, giving her yet another heart-stopping smile.

In her heels, Cate was as tall as Jon. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder and gazed into his soulful blue eyes, feeling her heart flutter. Jon pulled her closer against him and brushed his cheek lightly against hers as they began to sway to the soft music.

She heard him sigh contentedly in her ear, and she felt his muscles relax. She let out her own happy little purr and let her body melt against his, his soft chest hair lightly tickling the warm skin revealed by her décolletage. They danced in a slow circle, enjoying the feel of each other, not noticing when the waiter returned with their dessert.