Chapter 108 Honest Discussion
Isabella POV
He smiled slightly. “I get the impression your father is very protective of you. When my father mentioned to yours about this date, it didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it.”
“Yeah…it’s hard for him. When I was growing up, boys weren’t a part of my life. He got better at it when I moved away, but he’s still not comfortable with it. It wasn’t until Christmas that he told me he was willing to meet a man I loved if I thought I would marry him someday and I knew that was hard for him to say.”
Damian nodded in understanding. “You’re his only daughter doesn’t surprise me and just to let you know, I’m a pretty nice guy and I know I’m biased because I’m me, but I’m transparent and my reputation means a lot to me, especially since my family is well known and respected. If I ever did anything stupid, my father doesn’t think I’m too old for an ass-kicking and I know your father would come after me hard, so I’m not looking for
trouble.” He smiled at me, trying to keep the conversation light “Good to know.”
He picked up his menu and took a look. “The sneak is good here. I recommend it.”
“Is this place one of your restaurants?”
He chuckled. “No. God, that would be lame…”
I laughed too, liking the way he didn’t take himself too seriously. I looked at my menu then felt my phone vibrate on the table. I turned to look at it to put it away, knowing having my phone out was extremely rude, but then I saw his name on the screen and it was
Dante.
Baby, he’s too scrawny for you, my heart had finally slowed down once the introductions were made, but now it was hammering deep inside my chest even more.
Adrenaline spiked through me, and my mouth immediately went dry with fear, my eyes scanned the restaurant while Damian looked at the menu and he was unaware of what was going on, thankfully. I looked around at the tables, but I didn’t see Dante anywhere was he there?
Was he looking through a window?
Was someone else watching me and relaying the information to him?
Damian kept looking at his menu. “I’ve been meaning to try something else, but the steak is just so good that I’m going to get it again.” He set the menu down then drank his wine. “What about you?”
I didn’t have an appetite at all so I grabbed my menu and picked something at random. “I’ll give the chicken parmesan a try.”
“Not a bad idea.”
I set the menu down but couldn’t stop my hand from shaking. Dante was staring at me right then, watching the fear creep into my face. He was a terrifying man, and the last thing I wanted him to do was hurt Damian.
Damian was just an innocent person who made the mistake of going on a date with me. I couldn’t let anything happen to him. “I really loved your painting,” he said. “It’s the one with the red bicycle leaning up against the wall in front of the restaurant as the sun sets.
The colors were fantastic and when I looked at it, I thought I was feeling that.heat from summer even though it’s been so cold lately…truly amazing any woman who could paint something so beautiful must be beautiful in every other way too.
I listened to his compliment but didn’t really pay attention. “Thank you, there’s nothing I love more than to paint, and it’s wonderful to share that with other people.”
“Connects you to strangers,” he said. “Like I said, I don’t do setups but when I saw your photograph and your painting…I couldn’t meet you quick enough. I wanted to meet you before you had a chance to meet someone else and I missed my shot.”
He flattered me again, which was surprising considering how good-looking he was. He had the perfect features that I liked in a man. I liked the traditional Italian appearance, with dark hair and skin. Dante looked nothing like that, but I’d never been so attracted to a man as I was to him. I described Damian as perfect, but now he didn’t compare to the man who wasn’t right for me.
“That’s flattering…” I forced a smile even though I didn’t feel it. “I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable but like I said, I’m transparent.
You never have to wonder what I’m thinking.”
I never had to wonder what Dante was thinking either. I could just read it off his face. “What are you looking for in a woman at this time of your life?”
I asked the question bluntly, out of curiosity because attractive men like him usually just wanted good sex with no commitment. If that was all he was interested in, that was fine with me.
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Sometimes I meet someone, and there’s a connection. We have a short-term fling that’s full of passion and heat but then I lose interest and move on to the next woman but I’m always looking for the right woman to settle down with.
I’m not necessarily in a hurry, but if I met her, I wouldn’t let her go.” He stared at me with brown eyes, his gaze slightly intense. It wasn’t full of the power that Dante possessed, but it
held a sliver of it. “May I ask what you’re looking for?”
Damian said he would be transparent with me, so I decided to be the same with him. “I just got out of an intense relationship. We had a deep connection but I ended things because I didn’t see a future with him.”
He listened to every word without blinking.
“So I’m not sure what I’m looking for right now, whether it’s just a fling or something more but I know if I’m ever in a relationship again, I won’t make the mistake of being with a man I don’t want to marry, regardless of how passionate we are.”
“That makes sense.”
“I made the mistake of letting a fling grow into something more. Next time, I’ll end it before it gets there.because I am looking for the man I want to spend my life with. I want kids, and I want a husband who will be close to my family. I enjoy good sex with men I meet, but I don’t want to waste too much time on them.”
He drank his wine then gave a nod. “Looks like we’re one and the same.”
My phone vibrated again. He’s not good enough for you not even close..I immediately locked the phone so the screen would turn black, not wanting Damian to see it.
Now I wondered if Dante could hear everything I was saying but if that was the case, he would have to be very close.