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This man is going to make me a mess before we even start the damn date.

There is a small part of me, deep down, that is turned on by the prospect. The idea of trying to keep quiet so the driver doesn’t realize what we’re up to…the thrill only furthers the pulse thrumming straight to my pussy.

But I try to keep my wits about me. It is way too early in the evening for me to succumb to him. I have to at least attempt to keep the ball in my court for a little longer.

But, God, Cullen makes it hard to resist.

I rest my hand on his, threading my fingers through his so we are both clutching my thigh. I lean into him, playing fire with fire as my whisper dances across his lips. “Later.”

Sparks dance across his hazel eyes, and he finally relents, shifting his hold back down to a much safer spot on my leg.

I let out a small sigh of relief through my nose, my heartbeat slowing minutely as we continue driving down the parkway. A little over thirty minutes later, the driver begins to slow down.

“Should I drop you off on the left or right?”

“The right is fine,” Cullen instructs him.

I gather myself as he pulls over onto the side of the road. Cullen opens the door once the driver comes to a stop, stepping onto the sidewalk and holding a hand out to help me down.

I glance around at the various restaurants lining the street, each one busier than the next. I hadn’t been paying attention on the drive over, but I know exactly where we are.

Part of me wonders if Cullen picked this area because it’s where we first met or if it is just a coincidence. There are a lot of amazing places to eat in the city, but certain pockets are better than others and have clusters of standout restaurants. The street we are on now is part of a four-block radius that has some of the best modern dining in recent years.

Cullen takes my hand and loops it around his elbow.

“So, where are we headed?” I ask as he starts to lead us down the busy street.

“You’ll see in a minute.”

His cryptic response paired with his nonchalant expression gives nothing away.

I spot The Brass Stop on the corner and smile. Sure, it had been shitty waiting there for hours for a man who never had the decency to contact me again, but I came out on top that night because I met Cullen. These last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of stressful emotions, but I’m finally sitting at peace with myself.

It’s like Hannah said, I don’t want to sit here and regret not taking the chance on him. I tried to push him away, tried to ignore him for weeks on end, but the energy I was putting into fighting our connection was exhausting.

My rational brain is still warning me, still poking at the base of my skull that this could all blow up in my face and leave me with absolutely nothing, but I am coming to terms with that. Never in my life have I taken a risk just for myself, never have I been selfish and followed my heart’s desires.

I am still young, still have the ability to make mistakes, so I will take this risk and just hope that it pays off in the end.

Cullen tugs us to the entrance of The Brass Stop and knocks on the glass door, where an employee answers with a pleasant smile.

“Mr. Ross, we’re so happy for you to join us tonight.”

He gestures for us to enter the restaurant, which is oddly empty for a Thursday night. One of the four C-shaped booths along the far wall is set up with tableware and even has a stunning array of blue snapdragons in the center.

“What’s going on?”

Confusion riddles me as I slide into the booth, scooching along the brown leather.

“Your waiter will be over with your drinks shortly.” The host gives us a short nod and then disappears.

“Where is everyone?”

Cullen shifts until he is nestled next to me in the booth, a lazy arm coming to rest on the back of my shoulders.

“There is no one else. Tonight, it’s just us.”

“Did—did you book out the entire restaurant?”