“Did you just . . . sniff me?” Kennedy asked, shooting him a sideways look with a smile tacked on.
“What? No,” he said quickly.
“Okay,” she replied, laughing, which made him chuckle.
She was way too perceptive.
They drove in silence for the few minutes it took to get to the resort. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable silence, but Sawyer wasn’t really sure what to say. He’d never been nervous before when taking a woman out. Although it was rare for him to go on an actual date, he still usually didn’t have trouble finding something to talk about. With Kennedy, he was nervous.
He just prayed his brothers never got wind of that. If they did, he’d never live it down.
When they arrived at the hotel, Sawyer pulled up to the front, and one of the valets took the car. After helping Kennedy out, he took her hand, earning him a strange look from her, and led her through the main doors. The front reception area was quiet, only one guest at the check-in desk while another couple sat off to the side, talking quietly.
“So this is where the magic happens, huh?” Kennedy asked as they strode across the lobby.
“If by magic you mean guests get checked in, then yeah, I guess it does,” Sawyer said flippantly, shooting Kennedy a smile.
“Funny man.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“For food?” Kennedy countered.
Sawyer laughed—he couldn’t hold it in. “Honey, you’re gonna have to be careful what you ask me. Or at least make sure that you wanna hear the answer before you do.”
Kennedy’s cheeks turned pink, sending an electric current flooding through Sawyer’s veins.
He didn’t falter though, continuing to lead her to the restaurant. He purposely bypassed the main area where he knew there would be guests congregating—some possibly naked and in compromising positions. Instead of going through the double doors that led to the clubs, Sawyer took her through the hotel.
“I . . . uh . . .” Kennedy seemed at a loss for words when they stepped into the restaurant.
It wasn’t just a little place to grab a bite to eat while you stayed in the hotel. It was a full-service restaurant, equipped with a maître d’ and everything. The place had an outside entrance, so it also wasn’t limited to guests of the hotel, which had been Kaleb’s idea. A good one at that.
They were seated immediately—one of the perks of owning the place—and presented with menus before being left momentarily to review them.
“This is nice,” Kennedy said in a hushed tone.
“Thanks. The restaurant was actually Zane’s idea. Kaleb’s to have it open to the public.”
“Zane’s? Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
“Well . . .” Kennedy looked sheepish as she glanced back down at her menu.
“Believe it or not, we’re not just a bunch of rowdy cowboys.”
Kennedy looked up, met his gaze, and then answered, “I choose not to believe it.”
Sawyer laughed. How could he not?
The woman was . . .
She was something else, that’s what she was.
KENNEDY WAS DOING well to hide her surprise. At least she hoped Sawyer couldn’t see how shocked she’d been to find such an upscale, classy restaurant in the middle of their sex resort. But, as she looked around at the exquisite décor, she couldn’t help but be impressed.
Sure, she’d heard of the place because, as Sawyer mentioned, it was open to the public, but honestly, she hadn’t pictured a place quite this . . . nice.
The tables were all covered with white linen cloths, and each had a single candle in the center, with a small crystal vase holding a single red rose sitting beside it. The walls were painted a deep beige, adorned with fine art and crown molding. The high ceiling was also lined with molding in large squares, and crystal chandeliers hung several feet apart. The floor was a dark hardwood, not carpet as she had expected it to be. In the center of the restaurant was a huge bar with hundreds of bottles of liquor lining the mirror-covered wall behind where the bartender stood. And the windows that lined one side of the restaurant overlooked an enormous rock water feature, currently lit up, glowing in the inky blackness.
In one word it was . . . perfect.
And certainly not something she would’ve expected from Sawyer or any of his brothers. Maybe something more like a sports bar, or even one of those steakhouses where they tossed peanuts on the floor. That definitely seemed more their style.
Since the day it’d opened, there had been quite a bit of chatter about it in town, however, Kennedy hadn’t heard that it was one of those classy places that probably required something a little dressier than what she was currently wearing. She tried to pretend not to notice that she was seriously underdressed.