When he approached the table, Lawrence was bouncing in his seat and waving his hand in the air as he explained something to Raiden. Cash could tell that Raiden was trying to swallow a grin as he listened. The bodyguard had a damn good poker face for the most part, but considering how cute and pretty Lawrence looked when he was excited, Cash understood how it might be hard to keep things professional.
“What did I miss?” he asked, returning to his drink.
“I’m just complaining about my family,” Lawrence answered. “There’s a family dinner coming up that I’ll be forced to attend.”
Cash straightened in his seat. “Is that so?”
“It’s no big deal,” he answered. “I usually just sit there quietly while my father’s guests ramble on about corporate politics.”
It was like Cash smelled blood, the way his whole body came alive at that information. “Corporate politics,” he said. “Oh my…”
“I wish I could bring a bodyguard,” Lawrence laughed, glancing up at Raiden. “But I don’t think boring conversation counts as a legitimate threat.”
“How about a date then?” Cash asked. “A dinner companion is allowed, yes?”
“What?” Raiden asked sharply.
Lawrence pursed his lips together in thought. “I haven’t thought about bringing a date in years.”
“And you’re a total stranger,” Raiden objected. “Lawrence doesn’t need to drag a total stranger to family dinner.”
“Tsk, tsk,” Cash objected, waggling his finger at Raiden just to annoy him. “I’m a wonderful dinner companion and quite respectable for parents, too. It sounds fun, and if it means I get another night with this beauty…” He winked at Lawrence. “Up for a little adventure?”
Lawrence considered it, then nodded. “Fuck it,” he laughed. “Why not?”
Raiden looked like he was about to lose his shit. Instead, he tightened his lips, then threw back the rest of his beer. “Just perfect,” he muttered to himself.
In another world, Cash would have felt bad for the guy. It was so obvious he had feelings for Lawrence. But despite developing a new sense of camaraderie, now that Cash knew what Raiden had lost to Horizon Zed, he felt even more determined to charge ahead.
After all, it wasn’t just his own family he was fighting for. It was Raiden’s family, too, and a million other families he didn’t even know. He was fighting for all of them, and if that meant spending a little more time with charming, pouty Lawrence, all the better.
Cash smiled, then leaned back in his booth, draping his arm casually to the side. “It’s a date.”
