Worth Waiting For Read Online Free

pressed a hand to her stomach. She could do this. A casual, let’s-catch-up dinner with an old friend.
    When she went back to the living room, Griff stood gazing out the window. Built on the side of a hill, her house had a view of the city and the ocean in the distance.
    “This is gorgeous, Ains.” He turned at her approach. Then he checked her out, and she melted. A little bit. Damn. The frank appreciation in his eyes was gratifying, even though she didn’t want it to be. She did not want to care about what he thought of her.
    But it did matter, apparently, because his smile and the gleam in his dark blue eyes made her feel good.
    “You look gorgeous, too. Still. It’s kind of amazing how little you’ve changed. Your hair is longer.” He reached out and touched her hair, tugging one long strand.
    Her body quivered with awareness and she nodded mutely. She went warm and soft inside and her nipples tingled at the admiration in his eyes. “Let’s go,” she said, voice tight.
    He followed her out and she walked toward his car parked in her driveway. Whoa. A Lamborghini Gallardo. He must have done better than “okay” with his business ventures.
    “Nice car.” She slanted him a look. He unlocked the door with a click of the remote control and opened it for her.
    “Thanks. It’s kind of fun.”
    “You and your toys.”
    She slid in, and he walked around to the driver’s seat. It wasn’t a big car and his presence filled the space, making her feel squeezed. It was hard to breath.
    He laughed. “Yeah, I still like toys.”
    “They’ve gotten a bit more expensive.”
    “Yeah, I guess they have.” And that was all he said about that. She was dying to know more, but kept quiet.
    He drove down to Ocean Boulevard, cruising past the beach with its paved walkway and smooth sand stretching down to the Pacific. The low sun glinted off the waves and a few colorful sailboats dotted the blue swells.
    “Will we get into Margarita’s?” he asked. “It’s probably busy on a Friday night and they don’t take reservations.”
    “Who knows? We may have to wait a bit, but that’s okay.”
    They lucked out and were shown to a table right away.
    “I’m glad this place is still here,” he said, once they sat. “I used to like coming here.”
    They’d been pretty strapped for cash in those days, so dinner out in a nice restaurant wasn’t something they’d done very often, but this had been a favorite place. Nice, but not too pricy. She eyed his casual but expensive clothes and thought about the Lamborghini. Maybe this was a little beneath him now.
    They ordered drinks to start with. Griff set his menu aside, apparently in no hurry to order. She focused on breathing, feeling self-conscious and aware of her body. He kept looking at her with hot eyes, and she wished she’d chosen clothing that didn’t show as much of her bare shoulders and arms.
    She rubbed her arms. It wasn’t just feeling self-conscious, though. His gaze made her shiver with something else. Her lower belly quivered with nerves and excitement. Even earlier, at Delmar’s, the way he’d looked at her had melted her. He’d been so attentive and interested. There was something so…flattering, so captivating about that look.
    “I like your house,” he said again. “It looks like you’ve done some work to it.”
    She nodded. “It was a bit of a fixer-upper. Real estate is pretty pricy here, but it was a good deal. Though, yeah, it needed work. Still does. I’ve fixed up the outside and I had all the hardwood floors redone. I painted some rooms, but others need major renovations.”
    “It’s hard to be patient when you want it all done at once.”
    “That’s true.” She paused. “Where do you live?”
    “Near Malibu. I bought a house on the beach after I sold my business.”
    “Ah. A house on the beach. That must be nice.”
    “I love it. I love the ocean and I can grab my surfboard any time and hit the waves.”
    “You must have done