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“So how was your day?” I asked, taking off my jacket as I watched a bird dunking his head into the water. At Theo’s silence, I continued. “I mean, I know I spent most of the daywithyou, but how was the rest of it?”

Looking up at him, I met his heated gaze.

Wrapped up in new phones, shiny cars, and being so hungry I was sure my stomach growling was scaring the fish, I’d forgotten all about my braless plan.

The shirt hung off my shoulder, my skin lightly tanned from my time by the pool. My breasts pushed up against the thin fabric. Because the shirt draped in a flattering way, it wasn’t immediately clear I was braless unless someone was staring.

Or if they’d seen me naked enough to know how my breasts looked.

Based on the borderline obscene way Theo was watching me, he’d obviously noticed it quickly.

Playing it off, I picked up my drink and forced myself to swallow through the lump in my throat. My skin felt overheated, and the butterflies in my stomach were going wild.

The tension that settled lower had me contemplating diving over the table.

Theo’s voice was a low growl of a warning. “Don’t look at me like that.”

I hadn’t realized I was. Snapping my gaze to the side, I bit back as smile as I rubbed my foot up his calf.

“Gattina, you are playing a dangerous game right now.”

I knew it. God, did I know it. I wasn’t even sure who I was anymore.

All I knew was Ilikedthe new me.

There was a giddiness that filled me, mixing with the anticipation in a potent way. I felt safe teasing and flirting because I knew I’d get exactly what I wanted in the end.

Theo.

I leaned forward to set my drink down, letting the front of my shirt gape, which gave Theo a glimpse of the top of my breasts.

My nipples were painfully hard, the super soft fabric suddenly feeling like sandpaper. I was so turned on, I almost suggested we just leave.

Almost.

Theo shifted like he was about to stand, but the food was set in front of us before he could. Reluctantly, he sat back.

Between the fun I was having and the smell of deliciousness, I was happy to stay and draw this out. For a while, at least.

“Another drink?” Jen asked me.

“Please.”

“For you also?”

Theo shook his head. “A water, please.”

As she walked away, I picked up my knife and fork. Noticing Theo wasn’t doing the same, I smiled. “Not hungry?”

He didn’t return my smile. His usually smooth voice was rough, the erotic edge to it a promise of things to come. “Fuckingstarving.”

???

Almost home.

Come on, drive faster!

Eventually, the teasing at dinner had settled a little, though the undercurrent had remained. Theo had talked to me about Faust’s plans to expand his restaurant and Luc’s insistence on being involved. I’d told him about the latest with Java Brew, which ended up bumming me out, so I hadn’t gone into much detail.