I strolled into the living room to find Lydia lounging on the couch, watching TV.
“Are you done yet?” she sassed.
“Jesus. Can’t a guy spend a little time to get ready for a date?”
She looked at me with menacing green eyes. “It took you half an hour,” she deadpanned.
“Yeah, but I look good, right?” I reached down and took her hand, pulling her from the couch. It wasn’t fair how good she looked with half the effort. She had thrown together a pair of black leather shorts and a long-sleeve shirt made entirely of mesh. It covered her tits under a black band of fabric but was otherwise completely see-through. Her makeup was heavier than usual, but not like it was when she first got home.
She was stunning.
I liked every look on her—the punk rock vibe, daytime casual, fresh-faced and natural, she didn’t have the capacity to look anything less than beautiful. And apparently, that could be achieved in under twenty minutes.
“You look good enough to eat.” She snapped her teeth, heat swirling in her gaze.
The effect she had on me was immediate and visceral. My vision blurred from how fast my blood pooled in my groin.
I pushed my hand into her hair and pulled her to me for a hard and dirty kiss. My tongue demanded entry to her mouth. She met my urgency with a passion of her own.
“Don’t you worry, little wild,” I said, my lips brushing against hers. “I’ll fill this mouth of yours as soon as we’re home, on one condition.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” She raised her brows at me in challenge.
“You’re wearing this outfit when you’re on your knees for me.”
She pressed her lips into mine, and I suddenly reconsidered what I said approximately half a second ago, because I wanted nothing more than to rip her clothes off and start on the later part of the evening right now.
“I think I can make that happen.”
I growled into her mouth, then pulled myself away from her.
“Let’s go.”
The restaurant that I was taking her to was a bit outside of Calla Bay, following the coast to an ocean-view restaurant with an outdoor deck overlooking the marina. I had made a reservation, considering it was a summer night by the water. The place reeked of fine dining and money. Lydiaand I couldn’t look more out of place if we had shown up in costumes. I gave my name at the front podium, and we followed the host to our table. As he took us through the dining room, I reached my arm behind me. Lydia threaded her fingers through mine, and a sense of pride swept over me instantly. She was mine.
The host brought us out the floor-to-ceiling accordion-style glass door and onto the crowded deck. Light blues music played from hidden speakers, accompanied by the soundtrack of lapping waves.
I pulled a chair out for Lydia, much to her amusement.
“Why, thank you,” she laughed. I pushed in her seat and took the one across from her. They sat us by the railing, which had the best views, just like I had requested.
“Have you ever been here?” I asked. I locked eyes with the woman at the table behind Lydia. Her horrified expression transformed into pure fear before she dropped her eyes and focused on the plate in front of her. We were just a couple out to dinner on a beautiful June night. My ink and Lydia’s fashion didn’t say shit about the kind of people we were, but that woman’s judgmental gaze spoke volumes.
“No. This wasn’t exactly the type of establishment my father was taking his unruly kids to, and then I was in New York. What about you? Is this your go-to move when you try to impress a lady?”
My lips tugged up in a smirk. “I don’t generally have totryto impress them. It just comes naturally.”
She shot me an unimpressed look over the top of her menu, but I could see the smile trying to break free and the humor dancing in her gaze.
“But no,” I answered. “I’ve never been here. Not sure I’vebeen missing out either.”
The server appeared at our table, holding a bottle of wine in front of a white towel draped over his arm.
“Sir, ma’am, welcome to the Captain’s Cove. Would you like to try our signature house red? It pairs well with our swordfish special.”
“Yeah, no. I’ll have a martini though, please,” Lydia said.
“Just a beer for me.”
