Page 69 of X's and O's

Wyatt took the chair across from me and nudged a menu in my direction. “Order anything you want.”

I didn’t even glance down at it. “I’ll just have a garden salad. No dressing.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “As a starter?”

I shook my head, trying really hard not to notice the huge steak with shrimp and some sort of creamy saucethe man at the table next to us was having. His tiny partner nibbled on lettuce leaves. “A salad is all I need.”

I’d had a lifetime of people staring while I ate, or even making rude comments about my food choices, so I’d learned it was better to just eat a salad so nobody could judge me.

Wyatt’s brow furrowed. “Sweetheart, a salad like that is all rabbits need. I’m not going to make you eat anything you don’t want to, but if you’re not eating because you feel self-conscious, just know I’m about to get lobster. And I’m going to make the biggest mess you’ve ever seen, and honestly, you’re going to make me look bad if you don’t have bearnaise sauce dripping down your chin. Why would you want me to look bad, Violet? We’ve only just met.”

The corner of my mouth lifted at his joking tone. “I’ve never had lobster,” I admitted. “But I’ve heard it’s really good.”

His eyes widened. “Okay, well, forget sex. The thing we really need to rid you of is your lobster virginity. Ever had an orgasm because the food was just that good?”

I shook my head. “Can’t say I have.”

“Then get ready for another first because the food here is the best I’ve ever eaten, and I’m not just saying that because I know the chef. Speaking of—”

He raised his hand in a wave to someone behind me, and when I glanced back over my shoulder, a man in a black chef’s uniform moved between the tables, heading in our direction.

When he reached our table, he smiled warmly at me then held a hand out to Wyatt. “Good to see you, Whip.”

I raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but Wyatt chose to ignore it. “Hayden, this is Violet. She’s a virgin.”

I recoiled; horrified Wyatt would just blab my personal business like that to a random stranger.

“A lobster virgin, that is,” he carried on, his leg pressing against mine beneath the table.

Hayden laughed, putting his hands into the pockets of his apron. “We can fix that. I’ve got two in the back with your names on them.”

Wyatt nodded at me. “Your call, sweetheart. Want to try something new?”

Wasn’t that the whole reason I was here? Lobster cost a fortune, and I was probably never going to get a chance to try it again, so I nodded politely at the chef. “We’ll take them.”

He beamed at me. “Good choice.”

He walked away, and I studied Wyatt across the table. “Do I dare ask why he called you Whip?”

He lowered his gaze and adjusted the multiple pieces of cutlery laid out in front of him. “I don’t think we know each other well enough for that yet.”

“And yet we know each other well enough for you to tell me to take my underwear off.”

He glanced up, mischief in his eyes. “Interesting you brought that up again.”

Why had I? God, I was so awkward.

But I still hadn’t gone to put them back on either.

I changed the subject. “How do you know Hayden?”

“We’ve got mutual friends.”

“Do those friends call you Whip too?”

He raised an eyebrow, but it was with amusement. “They do, actually.”

“So should I call you Whip or Wyatt?”