“Maybe later. Not now. I don’t want to ruin my dinner.”
He smiled sympathetically. “Fair enough.”
After a moment, I asked, “When are you leaving?”
“Saturday. You?”
“Same, actually.”
Three days.
It wasn’t long enough.
The waitress returned to the table. “A beer for you...” She placed the bottle in front of Tate before setting down my glass. “And your Coke.” She looked between us. “Have you guys decided what you want to eat?”
“We haven’t even looked at the menu,” I admitted. “Dad can’t figure out what he really wants. Actually, heknowswhat he wants, but he’s not sure if he should go there.”
“It’s your birthday!” the waitress encouraged. “You should splurge.”
“That’s what I said.” I snorted.
“Let me guess…” the waitress added. “It’s the lobster alfredo.”
“He’s afraid-o, yeah.” I laughed.
Tate’s jaw ticked.
“Okay, well, I’ll give you guys a few more minutes to decide,” she said before she disappeared again.
Tate leaned in and spoke low. “You’re such a brat.”
“If you treat me like a brat, I’ll act like one.”
He flashed me a devilish grin, and I got the sense that he was letting his guard down.Please, let that be. Little by little, maybe I could turn things in my direction if I played my cards right.
“What are you in the mood for?” I asked a moment later, perusing the menu.
“That’s a loaded question,” he said, still looking at me and not the menu.
“Are you hinting at something, Tate? Because that would contradict a lot of what you say.”
“What Iwanttonight and what I will allow are two very different things.”
My nipples stiffened.He wants me. Slow and steady, I reminded myself.
I forced myself to look at the menu for a minute. When I looked up at him again, I caught him staring at my chest.
“My eyes are up here, Tate.”
“Actually, your tits are pretty far up there, too. Not sure what you stuffed that dress with, but they didnotlook like that earlier.”
“You’ve becomeveryfamiliar with them, haven’t you?”
He reached for his drink and downed some beer. I watched the way his lips sucked on the bottle, feeling the muscles between my legs tighten.
A moment later, the waitress showed up again.
She flipped a page of her notepad. “Are we ready to order now?”
