Only Yours

11. Just Casual?

Tamina

The sudden grip around my fingers makes me jump, but the soothing caress of his thumb soon has me relaxing in my seat again, and he seems to enjoy the notion to.

"You never cease to amaze me," he murmurs, focusing on the road ahead.

I'm not sure what I've done, but if he's pleased, then I'm not going to complain. However, I am feeling inquisitive about this 'casual date' of ours. I'd be damned if I knew what it entails, but I'd thought they were all the same.

"Tamina?"

Stirring from deep thought with a start, my cheeks heat up. "Yes, sorry, what happened?"

A low chuckle greets my ears, fuelling the fire in my cheeks. I'm going to have to cut out my daydreaming habit.

"What is your choice of food style when you don't cook?" he queries.

"Who said I can cook?" I fire back. Persing my lips at his raised brow, I laugh. "I'm just joking! I can cook a little bit, but nothing fancy."

Brandon shakes his head, and there's a small glint in his eye. "Naughty girl, do I have to say no to desert?"

A gasp comes from me. "If you do, that makes you inhuman. Who can pass up desert?"

"You're right, but it must depend on that desert, shouldn't it?" he muses.

Shifting from embarrassment, my brain turns to mush. I've never had a time where that question has been asked, and if it weren't for my books, I'd be more unprepared for it.

"Now, can you tell me what sort of food you like?"

Remembering his question from moments ago, a small smile dances on my lips. "Well, once in a blue moon I might get a takeaway or a chip shop."

He creates a small sound in the back of his throat. "Then I think we have found our spot." Upon noticing my quizzical expression, he adds, "There's a neat place not that far out of town, give or take another fifteen minutes."

"That sounds great, what is it?"

Taking a hand off the wheel to scratch the back of his neck, his eyes fleet to me. "It's a restaurant, but not like the one you're thinking of. It's not fancy, and there's music."

My heart swells. "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it, have you been there before?"

Brandon steers the car elegantly round the curve in the road, the motion causes my hand to be caressed once again. Taking a moment to think of a response, he finally divulges, "I haven't but I know the people who work there. There's a variety of food; Indian, Chinese, Thai, you name it and I'm sure they have it." He tilts his for a second. "Do you like spicy food?"

My head bobs too quickly for my liking, but he simply grins. "Yeah, I do guiltily. What about you?"

"I'm always up for something spicy, and no. Normally I don't dine in public unless accompanied," he explains.

Strangely, my mind lingers on the accompanied part. An unfamiliar feeling sets inside my stomach and steadily floods into my chest. The only reason I'm not dwelling on it is because of that reassuring squeeze his fingers do.

"Yes?"

"I mean with work colleagues." His voice cuts through the short minutes of silence. "The last woman I'd brought out was a little over a year ago."

My eyes gape like never before. Doubt has its claws in me, but something is telling me he's clarifying things so I don't get jealous. Either that, or he didn't want me to think he has women on the go. A sigh comes from me.