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A laugh bubbles in my chest, and the grin she rewards me with makes my heart clench in a way it never has before. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I smirk and carefully step us back until I can close the door. During my pacing up and down the street, I made sure there was no one watching her building, but you can never be too careful, and risking Ember’s safety isn’t something I’m ever going to be okay with. “Finish getting ready. I can wait.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be fifteen minutes early,” she sasses as she steps away from me and heads back toward the bathroom.

If only she knew.

It takes Ember another ten minutes to emerge from the bathroom with the roller out of her hair and the waves refreshed, but she looks every bit as stunning as she did when she answered the door.

“See, this is how I was supposed to greet you.” She waves at herself, and I can’t help but smile. This woman seems to have such a hard exterior when the rest of the world is involved, but this playful side seems almost exclusive to me, and I’m fucking honored that she’s allowing herself to be her true self.

“You’re still breathtaking,” I confirm, reaching out a hand to coax her closer.

Her couch is uncomfortable as hell, explaining why she never sits here to watch television and chooses to watch it on her laptop in bed instead. There’s a spring I can’t seem to escape, no matter how much I shuffle around, but now that she’s back in the room, I can’t remember why it was bothering me in the first place.

Ember takes my hand and allows me to tug her onto my lap, settling the part of me that can’t handle when she’s out of sight.

Things will be much easier once I’ve got her in my apartment, where I can watch day in and day out, but for now, the small cameras I installed here will have to be enough.

“That’s better,” I murmur against her throat. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but you need a new couch.”

She laughs. “Oh, I’m more than aware. This thing is uncomfortable as hell. I should have told you to sit at the table to save your ass from the springs.”

“Are you ready for dinner?”

She nods against my shoulder, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She shakes her head.

“Ember,” I warn.

She sighs. “It’s just that if this dress and your suit are anything to go by, we’re going somewhere stupidly expensive to eat, and I can’t really afford that right now.”

I press a kiss to her shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’re not paying then, isn’t it?”

“Orion…”

“No, Ember. This isn’t up for debate or argument. I asked you out on a date, and as such, I’m going to pay for the meal.”

“But you already bought me all of this.” She gestures down at the clothes she’s wearing.

“Because I wanted to,” I say.

“But—”

Before she can track the movement, my hand brackets either side of her throat, gently forcing her eyes to meet mine. I don’t miss the flare of lust that stares back at me.

Interesting. It seems my little virgin isn’t as innocent as I expected her to be. Likely for the best, considering my tastes are hardly vanilla.

“No buts, Ember,” I growl. “Now, I suggest we leave now to make sure we make our reservation, because if I have you in my lap for much longer, I don’t think we’ll be leaving at all.”

A smirk tugs at her lips, and I drag her face down to mine for a chaste kiss that ends far too soon.

This woman is wrecking me in every single way, and as much as I likely should be, I’m not mad about it. If anything, I’m excited.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

EMBER