“How was your week?” Logan asked.
“Trying to catch up on school,” Harper said. “How was yours?”
“Work for me was pretty light, as you know, but I had a couple of night classes over at the climbing centre. I love teaching rock climbing,” Logan said.
“I’ve got to come to a class sometime.” Harper smiled.
Taking her hand in his, Logan smiled. “I would love to teach you the ropes and have you in them.”
Harper looked down. A small smile played about her mouth, and God, that was sexy.
A server interrupted them, dropping off their drinks. “Ready to order?”
“Yes, I’ll take your seafood Cioppino,” Logan said. “Harper?”
“Oh, I didn’t know, I thought—” She started playing with the cutlery on the table, shifting in her seat. Something had made her uncomfortable.
“Hold off on my order and come back in a couple of minutes, please,” Logan said to the server.
“Not a problem. It’s a big menu. Take your time,” the server said.
Leaning across the table, Logan put a finger under Harper’s chin. “What’s going on, Kitten?”
“I thought maybe you were going to order for me, and I got thrown for a moment when you didn’t.”
Caressing her jawline, Logan raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen you order everything from coffee cups to furniture to a fleet of computers, all while typing with one hand. I didn’t think ordering dinner is hard for you.”
“It’s not, I just… I thought because we’re doing this.” Harper gestured between them. “I guess I assumed because you’re an alpha—a Dom—you would order for me.”
“I’m happy to open your door for you and carry you over a puddle, Harper, but I wanted you to have a choice. You said you had been here before. I thought maybe there was something you liked. While I always want respect and courtesy, unless we are in a kink environment, I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m a Dominant, Harper, not a control freak.”
“Okay. Sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.” Harper fidgeted with her napkin. She bit her lip.
Something pulled at Logan, and he wondered if there was something she wanted that wasn’t his thing, like being a 24/7 Dom.
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
Her face flushed, and he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “But darling, we could have talked about it before. What were you going to order?”
“I wanted to order steak, but it feels weird because you ordered stew,” Harper said.
“I had dinner with Nick last night and had steak. I’m a red-meat-once-a-week guy, part of my weight training,” Logan said.
“Okay, so you don’t mind if I order it?”
“Here in this seafood and steakhouse, no?” He raised his eyebrow at her. She smiled, relaxing slightly.
“Their food is amazing,”
Harper laughed and ducked her head. “Okay, I feel silly now,” she said.
“I’m proud of you for communicating, Kitten,” Logan said. “Good timing. We’re ready now,” Logan said to the server.
Harper ordered her steak, laughing.
“For the record, I am thrilled to be doing this with you. Try to relax. If I want you to act a certain way or do something, I’ll tell you, but let’s have fun together,” Logan said.
“I’m happy to be here with you,” Harper said.
