Page 4 of Ready or Not (The Nape #I)

[Naomi:] Have y’all fucked yet? How’s he in bed?

[Me:] really Mimi? I just met the guy.

[Lizzy:] Naomi Browne-Amoros!

[Naomi:] What?? One night stands aren’t bad!

[Nell:] Let the girl enjoy her damn date!

[Nell:] jfc Mimi…

[Naomi:] I’m asking the right questions!!!! Y’all need to stop acting like u don’t wanna know too!The man’s fine! She better hit!

[Allie:] Wait… Sol… you on a date?? With who??

[Me:] Not really…

[Lizzy:] Yup! She met a cute guy at T’s party and agreed to go out with him when he asked her out.

[Allie:] I always miss out cause of work! Dammit!

[Naomi:] Should’ve been there, Allie. U would've enjoyed the show.

[Me:] It’s not a date, Allie . I’m just hanging out with him.

[Nell:] Girl pls.

[Naomi:] Hanging out, my ass. Let me know when y’all fucked yet.

[Naomi:] & girl, get off ur phone! Go enjoy your new man!

“Everything good?” I heard Desiderio’s voice, and I looked up from my phone to see him staring at me with a pinched face as he took a seat across from me, holding a brown paper bag.

After agreeing to spend the rest of the evening with him—since Naomi and Penelope insisted that I go, Desi and I decided to embark on whatever adventure he had planned.

Though I was initially hesitant because I hardly knew him, nor had I done something like this before, the thought of spending more time with him wasn't entirely unwelcome.

He seemed harmless, and truth be told? I was curious about what he had in store for the night.

Once my friends and I confirmed that we were all aligned—Naomi was committed to ensuring my safety, Penelope vowed to extract me from any situation if I texted the chat our code word, Elizabeth was on top of location tracking, and Alexandra had her phone on standby for any last-minute saves—Desi and I headed to our first destination of the evening: Empanada Mama in East Village.

Quickly silencing my phone, I locked it and set it on the wooden tan table. “I’m good. My friends just checking in.”

“You can let them know that you’re fine and that I’m no serial killer.” He smirked, passing me a bottled cherry lemonade—but not before opening it for me. “Although, maybe that's what a serial killer would say.”

“Thank you.” I took the drink from him with a laugh. “And good luck getting away with it. My friends don’t play. They’ll have your body in pieces all over the city before midnight.”

He arched an eyebrow, leaning back into the turquoise seat. “I guess I’ll be on my best behavior then.”

“You don’t have a choice.” I stuck out my tongue at him. Grabbing my empanada, I took a bite of the warm pastry filled with braised oxtail, plantains, and carrots. As I chewed, enjoying the savory flavors, I noticed him watching me intently.

“What?” I narrowed my eyes at him, swallowing before taking another sip of my lemonade.

Desi's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he shook his head with a small smile. "Nothing.”

“Do I have something on my face…” I started touching around my lips, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. He chuckled softly and reached over, his thumb hovering over my cheek.

“May I?” his eyes searched mine for a yes, and I nodded, my heart fluttering in my chest as he gently brushed his thumb across my cheek to wipe away a stray crumb. His touch was surprisingly tender, causing me to hold my breath for a moment.

“There,” he said softly, wiping away the dipping sauce that spilled. My brain was still processing the intimate gesture when he lifted his thumb to his lips, his gaze meeting mine.

Did he just… I blinked at him, caught off guard by the unexpected boldness of him licking his thumb clean. His eyes, still holding mine, were dark and intense, as if silently daring me to react. For a moment, time froze around us, and I felt a warmth pulsing between my legs.

Clearing my throat, I shifted in my seat.

"Flirt.” I gave him a playful shove before taking a hurried sip of my cherry lemonade, needing something to cool down the sudden heat in my cheeks.

He ate the last bit of his viagra empanada—an empanada made with seafood.

"I’m making sure you don't walk around with sauce on your face all night, Spill-prone.

" Leaning in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Unless that’s your thing, then,” he licked his lips and winked. “I could always help you with that.”

I nearly choked on my drink at his words, and he leaned back again in his seat, bursting out laughing.

“Let me stop.” He raised his hands in mock surrender, and I threw a napkin at him, which he caught with a smug grin.

“You are something else.” I shook my head, trying to suppress my own laughter as I continued eating.

He snickered, taking a sip of his mango juice. “I’m taking that as a good thing.”

“Take it however you wanna take it, Mr. Flirt.”

“Huh.” He crossed his arms, wiggling his eyebrows. “Mr. Flirt? I kinda like it.”

I playfully scoffed as I finished off my empanada, looking at him through lowered lashes.

This man was proving to be more captivating than I had anticipated, his easy charm and quick wit drawing me in without much effort.

After a moment of comfortable silence between us while we finished our meals, he cleared his throat and looked at me intently. “So, Butterfingers?—”

Him and his nicknames. “You like getting me riled up, don’t you?”

“I plead the fifth, buuuut…” He pouted, his voice turning teasing. “It’s kind of fun to see your reactions…” I noticed a shift in his gaze then, something softer. “But if you don’t seriously like them, then I can stop.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I mean, they’re growing on me…” I trailed off, realizing how easily I admitted that. Desi’s eyes sparkled as he leaned back in his seat, his smile widening.

“I knew it,” He exclaimed triumphantly, making me laugh at his playfulness. “But hey, if you ever want me to stop, just say the word.”

“Noted,” I replied with a grin. “But you do realize that means you’ll have to come up with new ones, right?”

“Oh, the challenge has been accepted, Butterfly,” he said with a wink.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the new addition to his ever-growing list of pet names for me. “Butterfly now, huh?”

“Consider Butterfly an upgrade.”

I let out a laugh, shaking my head in mock exasperation. “Lucky me.”

“Well, in that case…” He rose from his seat and extended his hand towards me. “Shall we get going, my Butterfly?”

I placed my hand in his, feeling a tingle run up my arm at his touch. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t worry,” he said as he led me towards the exit after throwing away our trash and opening the door for me. “It’s a surprise.”