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“You mean last night?”
“Yeah.”
A hint of pink touches her cheeks as she glances down at her nearly finished plate. “What do you want me to say?”
I reach my hand across the table, tilting her chin up to look at me. “I hope you’re not embarrassed for one.”
“No,” she quickly assures me before pausing. “Okay, maybe a little. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Got yourself off in front of a guy?”
She peeks around, although there’s no one close enough to eavesdrop. “No.”
“I thought it was incredibly hot.” Her face heats further, but I swear it’s not my intention to discomfit her. “Hey. You never have to feel ashamed about what we do together. Or guilty,” I add when she opens her mouth to interrupt.
She gives a small smile at being caught out.
“And I was serious about when we can do it again. Even if it’s something not as…” Hot. Explosive. Mind-blowing. “Intense.”
“It did get pretty intense, didn’t it? I swear, I only meant for the flirting thing to be light-hearted.”
I stare at her hands, crumpling her napkin over and over, wishing I could reach out and take them in my own, soothing her. “I think we just can’t help but be intense. Our chemistry’s too strong.”
She bites her lip, nodding in agreement. “From anyone else, I’d say that’s a line, but you’re right.”
Warmth spreads through me hearing her admit that. Something unlocked between us the other day at that birthday party, freer with our words than ever before.
She takes the last bite of her pizza, a glob of sauce dotting the corner of her mouth.
“You’ve got-” I motion to the area on her face, but she seems to have a knack for missing it every time she tries to wipe it away. “Here.” I reach across the table and thumb away the sauce, cupping her chin slightly for just a moment.
“Are you going to do that every time I get food on my face?”
“You’re a messy eater,” I shrug. “And I’d kiss it away if I could.”
She glances down, a wide smile spreading over her face she can’t hide. I don’t think she realizes how much I ache to kiss her again, how hard it was last night resisting touching her. That primitive urge to make her mine beats steadily within me, a constant presence I’ve been unable to shake over the last few weeks as we’ve become closer.
But I can’t. She outright asked me not to.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, Vivian’s name up on the screen. That can only mean one thing - Dad wants to see me.
I open the text and sure enough, Dad is requesting a meeting with me ASAP. Apparently, his schedule is only open for the next thirty minutes.
I text Davis asking him to come pick me up and stand, gathering our plates and napkins. “I have to go. Dad’s summoning me.”
She nods, understanding on her face. “Better not be late then.”
Twenty minuteslater I’m outside Dad’s office, releasing a deep breath before opening the double doors, his blue gaze piercing even from across the room.
“How many times am I going to pull you in here?” he barks.
“Hi, Dad. It’s great to see you too.” I bare my teeth at him in a poor imitation of a smile as I sprawl into the visitor’s chair, the hard back digging into me uncomfortably.
He turns his computer monitor toward me, photos of me and Mackenzie up on the screen. What the-
“Care to explain?”
A montage of me and her out and about in the city fills the display. Holding the door open for her as we left one of the wedding venues we didn’t choose, exiting the town car as we went to meet the minister who’ll officiate the ceremony, even one from barely an hour ago as we were walking to get pizza.