“Food,” I say, pressing a kiss to her forehead—though all I can think about is her naked, legs wrapped around my waist as I fuck her deep. But I promised to do things right, and I want to take her out to dinner first.
Half an hour later, we’re almost at the restaurant when she asks, “If we keep seeing each other . . . will you ever tell me where you go on those missions?”
Up to this point, she’s only talked about her day-to-day stuff. But I’ve felt it coming—this question. She complained over the phone about not being able to reach Ethan either.
“It’s not something I can talk about, Lilly.”
“I’m not trying to be nosy. I'm just really worried about you both being gone.”
“We know what we’re doing. You don’t need to worry.”
She doesn’t say anything, just stares out the window until we get to the restaurant. Even once we’re seated, she doesn’t speak.
“It’s not negotiable. It’s my job and it’s classified. I won’t put you at risk by talking about it.”
“I’m not trying to act like a child or start a fight.” She softens and looks around. “I really love this place. It’s cozy. Kinda reminds me of the French bistros.”
I breathe a little easier at the change of subject. “It opened a few weeks ago.”
“And how do you know that, if you were working?”
“Because I was looking for a place to bring you.”
She gives me her first genuine smile since I arrived. “You thought about me.”
“You still doubt that?”
“I still can’t quite believe that we’re . . . uh, together.” Her cheeks turn red, and she clears her throat, pretending to study the menu. “It says here one of the owners trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris—and she makes killer macarons.”
“The best part of this bistro is that you can order from the breakfast menu at ten o’clock at night.”
“Seriously? This place is heaven. Oh my God, everything on the breakfast menu looksamazing—and it hasn’t even been that long since I ate.”
I finally start to relax.“How about we order a couple of breakfast dishes? That way you get to try it all.”
“You don’t want dinner? You okay having breakfast food at 7 p.m.?”
“I’m starving. I’d eat anything.”
Chapter 34
“I didn’t think I was hungry, but the idea of having breakfast at dinner has totally woken up my appetite.”
“Pick whatever you want. I need food,” he says, and I think I see the hint of a smile.
“You’re laughing at my indecisiveness,” I accuse, blushing, when I catch the crinkles forming near the corners of his eyes.
God, I need to get used to his mood swings. When he showed up at the university, I could’ve sworn he was about to murder Ben.
Was he jealous? I think so—especially with that whole‘yoursis a great way to describe me, baby’ thing.
And when I called him my boyfriend, he looked genuinely surprised.
Did he think I was cheating on him? At college? In broad daylight?
“Why don’t you tell me what you like, and I’ll help,” he says, snapping me out of it. “Then we’ll try different dishes every time we come.”
I don’t even know if he realizes what he just said.
