The woodsy scent of the burning candles curled softly through the room, mingling with the subtle spices of dinner. Jessica could feel the tension that had knotted in her chest slowly begin to loosen, soothed by the warmth of the light, the music, the wine… and Mark.
And then it struck her.
The room looked romantic—intimate in the most obvious way. Her heart skipped as she glanced around: the soft lighting, the slow croon of Usher in the background, the dinner for two. A groan escaped her lips.
Oh, God!… he’s going to think I set all this up to seduce him.
She half-rose to switch off the music, to blow out the candles, to do something—but then she saw Mark descending the stairs, and everything else fell away.
He didn’t look at her right away, so she took the chance to drink him in.
Li
