My phone dinged.
Mila: SOS At the bar. Please save me.
I smiled as I stepped forward. A woman in a red dress sat at the table with a typed list.
She smiled up at me. “Welcome to the grand opening of The Blue Fork. What’s your name?”
“Axel Mikhailov.”
She looked through her list and then smiled. “Your other party is already here. Please enjoy a complimentary night of food and drinks, courtesy of Jordan. Enjoy.”
The restaurant was dimly lit, all warm shadows and soft vibes, with tea lights flickering on every table and tiny fairy lights strung across the ceiling. People stood in clusters, talking and laughing. At the far end of the room, Jordan was directing two chefs at an elaborate buffet table.
I swung my focus to the bar and found Mila immediately. She wore a fitted autumn orange dress that was tied at the waist and had long sleeves to balance out the shortness of the skirt. She stood on high, strappy heels. Her legs looked long and supple in the warm light.
She was standing with three older women, one of them talking animatedly.
I walked up behind her and put my arm around her waist. She stiffened momentarily, and then I felt her entire body relax against mine.
The older woman who was talking paused as she assessed me. “Aren’t you a cool drink.”
The other women laughed. One even clutched her pearls.
“Excuse me, ladies,” I said smoothly. “But I need my wife immediately.”
Before they could answer, I tugged at Mila’s wrist and started to lead her away.
“It was nice talking to you,” Mila said politely over her shoulder.
When we were out of earshot, I swung her into my arms for a quick hug.
She felt amazing. I felt her giggle.
I pulled back. “What?”
“You came.”
“You sent an SOS. Tell me what you were escaping,” I teased, not wanting to let go of her just yet.
“That was Jordan’s step-grandmother.”
“And?”
“And she was telling me about how she accidentally sexted Jordan when she meant to be sexting his grandfather.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her shocked expression.
“It gets worse. She actually had screenshots of the texts. Multiple graphic messages. That she made me read.”
The story amused me, but what really tickled me was how easily Mila still got scandalized. I pulled her tighter. “How come you never send me dirty texts?”
She paused and then giggled. “What would I say?”
“I could think of a few things.”
She lifted her face to mine, curious. “Like what?”
God, she was cute.
