“Come on, Dani.” I break the silence as we hold each other’s gaze.
“Right, hibachi,” she murmurs, toying with her lip ring.
My eyes dip to her lips but she catches the movement, immediately halting her actions as she releases the lip ring and hurries to my side.
“Let’s go,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me along the sidewalk until we get to the restaurant entrance next to the mall. The smell of steak and grilled vegetables hit my nose just as I hold the door for Dani. She says a quiet thank you, walking up to the hostess and asking for a hibachi table. When the hostess starts telling her our party isn’t large enough for a hibachi table, I slip out my wallet, handing a couple hundred bills to the hostess.
“We’ll take the hibachi table,” I say, daring her to argue with me. If Dani wants the hibachi table, then she gets the hibachi table. Plain and simple.
The hostess gives a quick smile and pockets the money. “Right this way, please.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Dani whispers angrily as we are led to a massive U-shaped table with a flat-top grill in the center that seats ten people.
I shrug my shoulders. It won’t be the last time I give Dani whatever she wants. She doesn’t realize the hold she has over me, this burning desire to give her the world. I want Dani like I’ve never wanted anything else in my life.
“Please have a seat and your chef will be out shortly.”
I pull out Dani’s seat for her and gently push her in before taking the seat to her left. I lay my hand just above Dani’s knee and notice her gaze at my hand before a slight blush graces her cheeks. Giving a light squeeze, I lean over and whisper, “Do you like when I touch you, spitfire?”
Dani turns her head toward me as I lean in, putting us nose to nose, our lips centimeters apart. She clears her throat and turns away quickly, smoothing her napkin across her lap and grabbing the menu.
I can’t help the chuckle that slips out as I remove my hand from her leg, situating my own napkin just as the hibachi chef makes an appearance, placing waters in front of both of us.
“Welcome! My name is Lam and I will be cooking your food today. Are there any dietary restrictions or allergies I should know about before we start?”
Dani and I both reply with a no and proceed to look over the menu. It doesn’t take long for Dani to put her menu down, so I do the same. Once the chef notices, he takes our orders.
“I’ll have the hibachi filet mignon and grilled teriyaki chicken with fried rice, no onion,” Dani says.
“I’ll have the same.”
Handing our menus back, I take a sip of my water before turning to Dani.
“So tell me, Dani. When do I get to see that dress on you, and then later, on the floor?”
She blushes. I’ll never get enough of the way her cheeks color at my forwardness.
“You seem mighty confident it’ll end up on the floor.”
“Dani, I want you and I know you want me. I know you can feel whatever this is between us.”
The sound of the sizzle from the grill lights up in the background as the chef starts breaking eggs and cooking the rice and meat.
“And what exactly is this between us, Kayden? Lust that can be tamed with a quick fuck—a one-night stand?”
“You could never be rid of me that easily, spitfire. I have a feeling once I got a taste, there would be no staying away.”
Dani doesn’t reply, just holds my gaze, searching for a lie. Not finding one, she looks away, seeming to shake herself from her thoughts. “Anyway, tell me a little about yourself, Kayden. I know a little from what Melody has told me, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
I rub the back of my neck, contemplating how much of my trauma I should dump on her. I’m not normally one to share my past. I’m normally the quiet one, but around Dani it’s as though I want to share everything with her. I’ve never wanted to be so honest and open with anyone until now. Maybe it’s because I want her to wantme, therealme.
“Where do I even start? James and I were born in the United Kingdom but were adopted by our parents as kids into the United States. Our birth parents were horrible addicts, I mean worst of the worst. James always tried to shield me from their abuse, but he was only a child as well. He could only do so much and half the time, whatever beating he saved me from was redirected at him. I never knew a kind touch until our adoptive parents took us in.”
She reaches over and places her hand over mine. “I’m so sorry, Kayden. That must have been horrible. I can’t even imagine…”
When she moves to take her hand away, I quickly squeeze her hand, gently but firmly, to keep her hand over mine. She’s not escaping me that easily. She smiles nervously.
“Nothing to be sorry for. Life was good after they took us in. A few years later they adopted Jaxon and Brooke when their parents died in a car accident, and our childhood was as perfect as it could ever be, minus my rebellious stage. I enlisted in the military straight out of high school, quickly rose in the ranks and joined an elite branch. I’m not going to go into details, but the military gave me an outlet I hadn’t realized I needed until I went on my first mission. A few years later, Jaxon came into millions of dollars from his birth parents when he turned eighteen, and he shared the wealth with all of us and taught us how to keep the money growing. He quickly learned that he had a knack for trading and the stock market. It wasn’t long until all of us became billionaires.”
