I snorted, and he shook his head.
“Ye like that sort of thing, do ye?” Rowen asked.
My breath leaked out of me at the gleam of interest in his eyes. “I didn’t take you for that kind of guy.”
“Ye don’t really know me—” He brushed a finger across his lips. “—which is part of why I wanted to do this.” A blush spread across his cheeks as he glanced around the fancy restaurant.
“Are you secretly super kinky?” Excitement buzzed through me.
Rowen didn’t say anything, simply waggled his eyebrows.
We were interrupted again by our drinks being placed in front of us, along with the first course.
“Uh, what is this?” Rowen asked, and I snickered because he didn’t sound too certain about it.
“Cured fluke in a yogurt sauce with melon. That’s the orange stuff,” the server whispered with a tiny smile. “It might sound strange, but I promise it’s delicious.” He hurried off to the next table, and Rowen and I both dug in.
“Don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it delicious,” Rowen said.
I was too busy trying to decide if I liked the food or not because the cold yogurt made the dish tart, but the melon sweetened it, and the fish was definitely fish, but it all had a mellow flavor. I shrugged.
“If you’d woken me up this morning and told me I’d be eating fish yogurt soup for lunch, I would’ve called an ambulance for you, but this is good.” I smiled at him.
He let out a breath I hadn’t realized he was holding. Was Rowen hoping to impress me, too?
While we waited for our next course, Rowen spun the silver ring on the table and it turned a few times, then fell on its side. He caught my eye and the intense expression on his face had mine heating. Was he thinking about me wearing a cock ring? I cleared my throat, then grinned at him.
“So, look at us. Two guys just out, eating lunch together....” I racked my brain for anything to say. I wanted so much to just talk and talk with him like I normally did, but I also didn’t want to annoy him or sound stupid. God, I’d never been this nervous speaking to someone who wasn’t Sloan Killough.
Rowen reached across the table. He yanked the spoon out of my tight grip and set it aside, then took my hand.
“We’re on a date. We’re not just twoeejitssitting around sharing a meal. We’re two men hoping to get to know each other. Why don’t ye tell me something about yerself I don’t know?” His soft smile made my stomach feel like the inside of the sun and I wanted to melt through the floor. Vail made me feel good this way, but I knew what to do with him. I teased and tickled him and kissed him—then we fucked.
“Rowen, I don’t know interesting stories like Vail. Most of mine are about my annoying family or shit that happens at work I’ve already told you about.”
He shrugged. “No one knows as many tidbits as Vail. I’m fairly certain he was a lecturer simply to give all those grains of knowledge some air before they exploded out of him.” He chuckled, and I felt relieved when I laughed with him. “M’not asking ye to tell me anything wild, yeeejit.”
Shrugging, I squeezed his hand. “Okay, I’ll tell you something. I’m sure you already think I’ve taken too many punches to the head, so this won’t surprise you.”
He frowned at me. “I don’t. Ye’re charming and intelligent, Fallon. Ye don’t have a lot of experience in the world, is all. Anything ye do that maybe isn’t so brilliant normally comes down to lack of experience.”
Groaning, I hung my head, but happiness pelted through me. “I don’t know where anything in Ireland is. I’ve never been there. Hell, I’ve barely left New York, except to visit Aspen’s aunt’s bed-and-breakfast in Maine. I keep meaning to look up where Dundalk is, but I still haven’t done it yet.”
His mouth fell open. “Ye’re in—” He leaned closer, and I snorted, arching my body toward his. “Ye’re in an Irish mob,” he whispered. “Ye didn’t think to familiarize yerself with the bloody country?”
I shrugged. “I’m Irish. American Irish, anyway. I never thought it was that important until I met you and Cillian. I drink on Saint Patrick’s Day and if someone asks, I say I’m Catholic. I figured I fulfilled the requirements.”
He smiled. “And now ye want to know more?”
Nodding, I grinned as he squeezed my hand. The server brought out another course, and I leaned back, happy that this time it seemed like a hefty piece of chicken in a sauce that gave off the mouthwatering scent of garlic. We chowed down, and the restaurant got busier. The rest of the courses were served one after another. I stuck my tongue out at Rowen when he told the server we weren’t interested in dessert.
“Why?” I whined.
He smirked. “Because Vail will want something sweet later, and ye’ve been eating terribly since the moment Cillian stepped foot out of the house. Ye’re gonna get back on track and listen to me.”
“And what are you going to do if I don’t, huh, tough guy?” I asked, fluttering my eyelashes at him like an ass.
He tossed the silver ring at me, and I frowned down at it. “I can think of a thing or two to persuade ye. I’ve always been a fan of positive reinforcement, whenever possible.” His tone slid into a low, sexy register that made it difficult to swallow. I’d never had Rowen look at me like I was someone important to him.
