“They do have some nice things. Who knows, we may find a treasure or two.” He laughs, and it makes my heart soar that he’s finally letting go of some of that tension.
I turn to face him, knowing it’s now or never and that this is either going to go really well, piss him off, or set him back in his progress. I’m a semi gambling man, so I’m willing to see where my odds land. Letting go of his hand, I reach up and let my fingers run through his hair before taking hold of his head and pressing our lips together. He resists at first, his body tense, before giving in, slipping his arm around my waist, pulling me into him.
Time seems to pass in slow motion. Our kiss is full of passion and when we break apart, we’re both breathing heavily.
“See, the world isn’t ending. No one’s staring and if they are, they're thinking how hot we looked and wondering how they can join us.”
I let go of him and can see him scanning around the area. A heaviness lifts from his face when he sees I’m telling him the truth.
“Nothing bad happened. You can do this, Malcolm. All you need to do is take the next step and tell your family, your friends and get your man.”
“Let’s go,” he says. “I’m hungry.”
When he takes my hand this time, I want to do a fist pump. Malcolm initiated the contact and we’re in public. This is huge. I want to tell him that I’m proud of him, but I don’t want to draw attention to it.
We walk the rest of the way in silence and when we get to the door of the restaurant, he stops and turns to face me. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m glad I can help you. There’s nothing I want more than to see you happy.”
He grabs the handle of the door, and we step inside. I love that he chose this place. It’s more of a sports bar than a restaurant. There are televisions on the wall, all playing sports, and I get a little bit excited when I see a Savannah Bananas game playing.
“Is this okay?” he leans in and whispers, his hot breath dancing along my skin.
“More than okay. This is amazing.”
We step up to the hostess, and Malcolm flashes her a smile.
“Table for two, booth preferably.” He glances over at me. “One that has a good view of the game.”
She smiles, picking up a couple of menus. “Of course, sir. Follow me.”
We fall in step behind her, weaving through the tables as she leads us to the one we will be sitting at.
I sit down in the booth and Malcolm slides in across from me, as the hostess places the menus down in front of us. “Your server will be with you shortly. Can I get you started with a drink?”
“Can I get the Rock Hard Red on tap?” I ask, not missing the slight curve of her brow.
Malcolm chuckles under his breath. “Make that two.”
She nods her head and rushes away, leaving us alone again. Well, as much as we can be in a restaurant.
“Should we start with an appetizer?” I ask.
“Cheese fries. They’re my guilty pleasure. But if you want something else, then get it.”
Cute. He’s really fucking cute. I take a minute to really look at him. Thick dark hair and eyelashes that would have any woman jealous. Chiseled jawline with a five o’clock shadow that tickled my skin when we kissed. Lips that look like they’d do dangerous things in a dark room and suddenly I’m praying for a blackout.
Malcolm Knight is a god. One that I could only ever dream of having.
“So, plans for talking to your family. Are you telling your parents and children at the same time or doing more of a divide and conquer method?”
“Not sure. In a way, I’d rather get it over with. That way I can cut down on some of my stress, but I’m still not sure.” His voice hitches, but I pretend that I don’t notice.
Before I can say anything else, the server shows up with our beers, ready to take our order. Appetizers and main course taken, she scurries away, stopping at a nearby table, no doubt to check on them.
“Is your ex going to be with you?”
“No, I don’t think having him there will make it easier, especially with my parents.”
