He taps his finger against his chin. “I dare you to let me post any picture I want on your story with no context. And you can’t delete it—you have to let it run for the full twenty-four hours.”
Oof. My hand twitches in my back pocket and I stomp my foot when I realize I probably won’t get very far if I run. I hand him my phone. So far during this little game, I’ve had to call Victor and pay him a random compliment and I’ve had to start talking to our server in a British accent. Now who knows what he’s going to post on my social media for the world to see.
He disappears with my phone and when he comes back, he hands it back to me silently. What the hell did he do?
“Should I even bother looking?”
“Look or don’t look. You can’t take it down either way.”
Oh lord, let me mentally prepare now for all the texts and calls I’m bound to get because of whatever foolishness he’s posted. I navigate to my socials and bust out laughing when I see what he posted.
He apparently went into the bathroom and took a selfie, but the top half of his face is cropped out and it says, “Before I get attached, does this belong to anybody?”
“Have you lost your mind?” I ask.
“That is quite possible.”
“And who says I’m gonna get attached to you?” As if I’m not already.
“That is the hope,” he says as he winks.
“I’m so over you. Move over.” I bump him with my hip so I can take my turn.
Thankfully, it lands where it needs to, so I get to ask him to make a choice now.
“Hmm. I will take truth.”
“Boring.” I yawn.
“Oh, peer pressure won’t work on me, sweets.”
“Fine. Why do you think we keep finding our way back into each other’s lives?” Something keeps pulling us together despite my best efforts. It’s no coincidence that he and I would have the same mentor all those years ago. That we would bump into each other at a random New York club years later. That years after that, our friends would start dating and force us back into each other’s orbit.
“Easy. I told you before I believe we’re inevitable.”
That he did. When he chased me down as I tried to sneak out of his gallery opening, he tried to tell me that. I didn’t want to hear it then. I’m inclined to believe it now.
“You really believe that?” And if that’s true, why the hell has it been so hard?
“I believe in that more than I believe in the stars in the sky.”
I don’t know what to say. Could I believe in us that strongly one day?
We stare into each other’s eyes and the only thing I can think to do when the server walks by is ask for the check. Date night is officially over; I’m ready to have Micah between my legs.
When the server drops off our check, I see that it’s not a check at all. It’s a receipt. Because the bill has already been paid.
I squint to make sure I’m seeing this right and then over to Micah. “You paid already?”
“Absolutely. You didn’t actually think I’d let you pay, did you?”
“Yes. That’s part of the whole wining-and-dining thing.”
He stands and holds out his hand for me to grab. “And I hear you. But I have my limits.”
I take his hand, but when he moves, I don’t move with him. I hold firm in place until he turns back to me. He lets me pull him in close so I can whisper to him. “You know I have to punish you for that, right?”
His wicked grin sends chills straight to my pussy. “I’m looking forward to it.”
