Page 99 of King of Pain

I shrug. “Yeah, well. Mine.”

Chance’s jaw drops. Then he runs his hands down his face muttering something about needing strength.

The hostess returns, giving us a coy smile. “I switched tables with another party coming in. Thought you boys might find this more to your liking.”

As she leads us to a rounded booth in a dimly lit corner, I nod in approval. “Okay, she’s forgiven,” I whisper to Chance.

He chuckles as we slide into the booth. The hostess hands us our menus, lets us know our server will be with us shortly, and saunters off.

I scoot closer in the booth until I’m pressed thigh-to-thigh against him.

Chance turns his head toward me, his lips quirking up. “Well, hello there, Beautiful.”

“Hey yourself.”

Chance bumps his shoulder against mine and hums softly.

“I’m your chauffeur tonight,” I tell him, flipping through the wine list. “So, I’m only gonna have a glass of wine with dinner, but you should drink up if you want.”

Chance shakes his head, meeting my gaze. “No. I’m going to do the same.” His voice drops, rich and warm. “I need perfect aim tonight.”

I give him a full smile, my earlier teasing from this morning flashing in my mind.

I’m proud of myself for how much I’m letting go. And I really,reallywant to kiss this man tonight. It’s the one thing I’m most nervous about, but if Chance makes any move…

I’m going to try my damnedest not to freak out.

Iwantthis.

Chance interrupts my thoughts. “Okay, besides the arancini, what’s good here?”

“The filet mignon and chicken marsala are their two best dishes,” I say, grateful for the distraction.

“Perfect,” Chance says. “Let’s split both.”

Our waiter arrives, and from the jump, he’s flirting—hard. Tall, polished, and practically purring through the entire exchange, his eyes stay locked on me, never once acknowledging Chance. Kind of rude, if you ask me. I do my best to ignore it, keeping my responses polite but short.

When he finally walks away, a low, devious chuckle rumbles next to me.

I turn my head slowly.

Chance watches me, arms folded, one brow raised. “Well, well, well. Shoe, meet other foot.” He picks up his water glass and takes a slow sip. “Seems I’m not the only one getting attention tonight.”

Oh, he wants to go there?

I pick up my water, stir it lazily with one finger, catch an ice cube, and lift it to my lips. I glide it along them before slipping the cube into my mouth, along with my whole finger. I leave it there just a second too long, dragging it back out slowly while I watch Chance’s eyes darkening with every movement.

Licking the last drop of water from my fingertip, I meet his stare and smirk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Chance lets out a long breath, shaking his head. “Fucking killing me.”

I grin.Good.

The moment the arancini hits the table, Chance wastes no time. He spears one, dips it into the rich marinara sauce, and takes a bite. His eyes flutter shut as he chews, a low moan slipping from his throat.

I smirk, sipping my water. “Told ya.”

He lets out a contented sigh. “I don’t even have words. Just…damn.” He grabs another piece, shaking his head. “We really need to get back in the gym. The handful of workouts we’ve done over break are not going to fend off all the incredible food we’ve been eating. Especially all the lasagna.”