Page 17 of Becoming His

"Steak, Anna?" Bailey suggested, and I nodded, anything to stop him from staring at me like that.

He ordered for us, and by this point, I wasn't as concerned about the bill as I was about having to answer the inevitable.

"Well? You said yourself; I'm not easy to relax around. Why not?"

"Because you are Bailey Fenton," I explained as I poured a glass of the amber liquid that must be the tropical juice.

"Yes, that's my name," he drawled as he frowned at me. "Is that all you know about me? You seriously can't judge me based on that alone."

I met his eyes then and sighed, knowing he wouldn't let it go easily.

"You've slept with the entire school."

He snorted with laughter and leaned back in his chair.

"Wow, is that right? Wait, not theentireschool." He looked at me pointedly, and I flushed, my eyes dropping to the table.

"You're a football player. You're stupidly gorgeous."

I inhaled sharply as I realized I had said too much, but it was too late. He gave me a smug grin and leaned forward, catching my hand in his.

"Do you think I'm hot, Anna?"

I struggled to find my breath as I shook my head.

"You didn't let me finish my sentence! I was going to say you are stupidly gorgeous, but you know it."

I pulled my hand back from his as our food came out, steaming plates of char grilled meats and vegetables with a selection of sauces on the side. We ate quietly, and I realized I was a lot hungrier than I had initially thought, and boy, was the food good. Finally, we finished, and the waitress cleared our plates.

"That was so good," I said as he smiled broadly.

"Yes, well, wait till you taste the dessert."

His eyes were wide with a childish excitement as he handed me a dessert menu, watching me eagerly as I read the list.

"Seriously, I need to have the apple pie. Oh, it's my absolute favorite," I exclaimed as he let out a throaty laugh before catching the waitress's attention—which took all of two seconds.

"So you were saying. I'm not easy to relax around because I am a cliche."

I laughed and covered my eyes. "Oh god, that sounds awful. But I guess it is true. You even made a bet about a girl."

He sighed and folded his arms.

"Ok, so how about I tell you something you probably wouldn't expect to hear about me."

I looked up at him, my heart beating in my chest as he paused dramatically.

"I love reading."

I blinked as he frowned at me.

"See? Am I still that cliche? I also love cooking."

"Quite the catch, aren't you," I teased as he smiled.

"I'm not such a cliche after all. Admit it."

The desserts arrived, and I devoured mine in less than five minutes while he finished soon after.