“You came,” Solo said, his eyes all but twinkling as he looked at me.
“I told you I would.”
Solo nodded and then sidled in closer beside me. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you were fucking with me or not.”
I arched an eyebrow and glanced at him, and something about his grin made me relax. “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m fucking with you. But for now, I believe you promised me a meal.”
As I straightened, Solo licked along his bottom lip, andsweet God almighty, if this conversation was any indication, tonight was going to be torture. Because being this close to him, yet keeping my hands to myself, was proving to be much more difficult than I’d imagined. Something I’d become increasingly aware of throughout the day.
Solo inclined his head for me to follow him, and I was careful not to make it too obvious that I was staring at the way his pants hugged his ass, just so I could claim tonight as partners hanging out if I was recognized. But Solo had been smart. He’d chosen a restaurant on the outskirts of town, not far from where we’d first met.
He gave me the side of the booth facing the door, like he knew that would be my choice so I could keep an eye on the entrance. He was right, of course. It was a habit, one I’d picked up from my police officer friends.
As soon as we sat down, a waiter stopped by to drop off chips and salsa, and after they took our drink order, Solo picked up a chip and loaded it down with the hot stuff.
“Mmm,” he said around a mouthful. “The spicier the better.”
“That seems to apply to most things in your life.”
He swallowed, and then that sexy half-smile emerged. “Glad you’ve noticed.”
“You’re pretty hard to ignore.”
“A compliment. I’ll take it. But I have to say, I’m glad I got your attention.”
The waiter dropped off the beers, and I took a long swig of the cold brew as I weighed what I wanted to say. I needed to be transparent here so there was no misunderstanding.
“You know this isn’t a good idea.”
Solo’s dark eyebrow rose. “Dinner? This much spicy salsa?”
“This.” I motioned between us. “Whatever this is.”
“Then why are you here?”
A blunt question, just like the man himself. I hadn’t expected anything less. “Because,” I said, lifting the beer to my lips, “you got my attention.”
That earned me another sexy grin, and it made me realize how much I’d be willing to give to keep scoring those. My gaze moved to the small silver hoops in his ear. He’d been wearing them the night we met, but since jewelry of any kind wasn’t allowed on base, I’d forgotten he had them.
“You like?” Solo asked.
“I do. Any other surprises?”
“Yes, but you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
Shit. Now I’d wonder for the rest of dinner what the hell he was hiding beneath those clothes. Just picturing what it could be had my cock throbbing, and I shifted in my seat.
“I’d ask the same question, but I’d rather find them with my tongue.”
God-fucking-dammit. Now I was sweating.
As I wiped my brow, I had to laugh. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you? You know what? Don’t answer that. You like to do everything the hard way, in and out of the cockpit.”
Solo groaned, his head falling back. “You’re right about that. I like everything fuckin’ hard. Especially you.”
31Solo
IT WASN’T SHOCK written all over Panther’s face, but a combination of amusement mixed with frustration, maybe? Like every time I opened my mouth, it made the guy exasperated, but he still somehow found it hot. At least, I was assuming he found it hot. His actions while on his knees yesterday had told me as much.
