Following my hand movement, his gaze slides down my body, lingering for an extra moment. His tongue darts out to wet his lips. When his eyes finally return to mine, there’s so much heat in them that goosebumps prickle along my arms. I hold my breath as he takes a step forward, his palm finding my lower back. “You look fucking perfect. Let’s go.”
Without another word, he guides me through the lobby and onto the sidewalk, my knees unsteady at the contact.
Who am I to argue with someone who looks at me like I should be dinner?
The thought makes my stomach quiver.
We walka few blocks to a sports bar. It’s dimly lit and about half full. The hostess leads us to a table, and Nate stops her and points to another in the corner of the bar. He says something to her that I can’t hear over the restaurant’s din. Nodding, she smiles, leading us to the table he indicated.
Nate pulls out my chair before pulling his close to mine at the round table, his thigh brushing mine as he settles in his seat. I suppress another shiver at the contact.
I watch Nate read the menu out of the corner of my eye.He looks just as sexy as always in his all-black work attire. The sleeves of his tight shirt perfectly accentuate his large biceps.
He bumps his shoulder into mine, knocking me out of my gawking. I shake my head slightly to clear it as I stare down at my menu. “What are you going to get?”
Shifting in his seat, he crosses his arms across his chest. I turn my head toward him, raising my eyebrows in question.
“A burger,” he replies, his eyes locked on me.
I nod and glance back down.
The waitress approaches our table. “Hi! Welcome in. What can I get you to drink?”
Nate’s deep voice tells her, “Whatever IPA you have.”
“You got it. What about you, hun?”
I smile at her. “Just a water, please.”
When she leaves, Nate leans forward and places his elbows on the table. “You could have gotten a drink.”
I feel my cheeks heat as I glance up at him, his gaze burning into me. “I know. I just want water. I’ve been dehydrated the last couple of days.”
He doesn’t respond. His eyes narrow slightly as I turn away from him. Butterflies fill my stomach. Besides the flight this morning, the last time I saw Nate, I was about to go back to his room with him. I wonder what he’s thinking. My mind keeps replaying our kiss as if taunting me, reminding me about the realities of my life.
The memory is interrupted by the waitress bringing our drinks. “Are you guys ready to order?”
Nate glances at me in question, and I nod. “Can I just get a Caesar salad? Dressing on the side, please?”
“A salad? That’s it?” Nate asks, and I shrug. He turns to the waitress. “Can you add chicken on that and a side of fries?”
I shift in my seat to glare at him, but then I feel his hand on my thigh. His touch softens me on contact. He squeezes me as he orders his burger, and electricity zings through me. Ignoring the sensations, when the waitress walks away, I turn to Nate and try to summon my best glare once again. “You didn’t have to change my order. Last time I checked, I’m adult. Pretty sure I can order for myself.”
Nate leans closer to me at that, not deterred by my sass. With another squeeze to my thigh, he counters, “Trust me, I’m fully aware you’re an adult. But I’m still going to insist that you need to eat more than lettuce, Olive.”
His nearness and seeming concern over my well-being are short-circuiting my brain. And he smells so good. I don’t know if it’s his cologne or his body wash, but the masculine scent amplifies the attraction I already feel. Despite the jolt of pleasure his interest in making sure I’m taken care of gives me, I still can’t let him have the last word, even if my response lacks conviction. “Maybe I like just lettuce.”
He tilts his chin back, looking up at the ceiling. Shaking his head with a chuckle, he mutters almost to himself, “Fucking brat.”
I roll my lips to hide my smile, suddenly glad I didn’t make it to the convenience store after all.
16
Nate
Olive is unbelievably beautiful. Being this close to her is addictive. All I can think about is the taste of her lips. While she was gone those few days, I wondered if the attraction I felt for her was all in my head. Like maybe my mind was playing tricks on me when I would think back to how I felt when I was with her.
But sitting next to her, there’s no part of me that isn’t drawn to this woman. She has me in a chokehold, and she has no idea.
