“The driveway is a bit uneven.” His voice deepened. “Those shoes don’t look too sturdy. I think it’d be safer if I carried you.”
I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile.Henry has some moves.
I found myself leaning into him without thinking, and his arms wrapped firmly around me. And then I was in his arms, being carried bridal style to the car.
I hadn’t expected this more assertive side of Henry, but I loved it, and so did my omega. I felt her perk up a bit at the warmth of his skin against mine.
Much too soon, we were at the car. Henry squeezed me to his chest for a moment, as if he didn’t want to let me go, before setting me down on the ground. He kissed my forehead and helped me straighten out my dress.
“Maybe you should just forgo the shoes,” he murmured, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“You’re welcome to carry me anytime, shoes or no shoes,” I responded cheekily.
He grinned, opened the passenger side door for me, and waited until I was settled to close it behind me.
17
HENRY
Ihad to take a deep breath and steady myself against the car after closing Westin’s door.
Holy.
Shit.
I wasn’t joking when I said I wouldn’t be coherent if she wore that dress. She looked like a fucking supermodel. She was so out of my league, it wasn’t even funny.
I had no idea what possessed me to carry her to the car, but I gave myself a silent fist pump for the genius idea. I’d never been that forward with someone on the first date, but now I was addicted to having her pressed up against me. Could I convince her to let me carry her again? Or maybe I could find a shitty parking spot that required another dose of chivalry.
I walked around to the driver’s side door and got in before she started wondering what I was doing. She smiled at me, and I couldn’t stop my own matching grin.
I’d been so lonely since moving to Luna. I obviously knew things would be tough politically after the fall of the Designation Government, but I’d underestimated the impact the regimewould have had on everyone’s social lives. Everything was so cliquey and segregated.
“So, where are we going?” Westin asked.
“There’s an Italian restaurant I’ve heard good things about—Stella del Nord. I made us a reservation, but we can go somewhere else if you prefer.” I tightened my hands on the wheel, feeling absurdly nervous while waiting for her reaction.
“I’ve gone past there a couple times, but I’ve never been. It sounds good,” she said.
I breathed a sigh of relief and loosened my grip on the wheel.
I eyed her hands. They were clasped in her lap. What would she do if I reached out to hold one? Would that be okay? I reached towards her but chickened out, putting my hand on the gearshift instead. I almost lost control of the wheel when Westin’s fingers trailed across the back of my hand. I hoped she couldn’t hear my pounding heart as I threaded my fingers through hers and held on tightly, smiling like a fucking idiot as I kept my eyes on the road.
“What part of town do you live in?” she asked.
“Not far from downtown. I wanted to be close to the courthouse. There’s a new apartment complex over on Magnolia.”
“Oh yeah, the luxury apartments, right? I was thinking about going skating in the parking lot there because it’s newly paved.”
“Skating?”
“Roller skating,” she said with a grin. “It’s a new hobby.”
I found that it was easy to imagine Westin on roller skates. She seemed so bubbly and full of life.
“You should definitely come over and show me your moves.” I glanced over at her.
She snorted. “Not sure I havemovesyet, but that would be fun.”
