What else did my insane—but gorgeous—boyfriend have up his sleeve?
Nineteen
Viper
DAMN, THE ANGEL looked fine tonight. Not that I’d expected anything less. But sitting across from me with the candlelight between us and the lights twinkling from the bustling city outside, Halo looked like a million fucking dollars. No. Scratch that. He looked better than any amount of money ever could.
Earlier this week when I’d gotten the call that Halo’s piano was complete, I’d set into motion the perfect dinner, place, and night for my man. I wanted this to be a moment in Halo’s life that he would never forget, one that blew every other night so far out of the water. And so far, so good.
We were about halfway through the elaborate ten-course meal, and when the waiter brought out the elk tenderloin and set it down in front of us, Halo grinned at me and shook his head. His eyes were sparkling, his cheeks were slightly flushed from the wine, and when the sommelier brought out the next bottle to fill new glasses for this particular pairing, Halo leaned over the table and said, “I’m going to be lucky if I can stand after this if they keep filling my glass.”
I chuckled and reached across the table, loving when he automatically met me halfway, interlacing our fingers. “I’d be more than happy to carry you if you need some help, Angel.”
“Good to know,” Halo said, and when the sommelier finished, he cleared his throat.
“I— Sorry,” he said, and offered up a shy smile as he looked between the two of us. “I don’t mean to intrude on such a lovely evening, but I’m about to switch out with a colleague of mine, and before I go, I just wanted to say congratulations to you both on Corruption hitting, and staying at, number one for so long. You must be thrilled.”
Halo aimed that winning smile in the man’s direction, and because I didn’t want to seem like a rude fucker, I did the same. But figured mine probably looked more like a semi-scowl than a smile.
“We are,” Halo said, as he sat back in his seat and looked at the name on the man’s badge. “Thanks, Edward.”
“Yeah, thanks, man,” I said with a tilt of my chin, and as Edward took a step back, he bumped into the empty table behind him.
“Oh, whoops. Sorry. And you’re welcome. Anyway, I hope you have a great night.”
Halo waved, but couldn’t help his chuckle as he said, “You too, Edward.”
As Edward hurried off, Halo looked back at me, that same genuine smile on his face. Always so damn polite, and sweet. The angel’s approachable disposition was something his fans were falling in love with as much as his music and gorgeous face, and I couldn’t blame them. They were all the same reasons I’d fallen in love with him too. I was just lucky enough that I’d had him to myself first.
“Charmer,” I said as I picked up my glass, and Halo did the same.
“Me?”
As we clinked and took a sip, I kept my eyes on his and nodded. “Mhmm. Poor Eddie practically fell at your feet just now.”
Halo scoffed as he put his glass down and inspected the meal in front of him. “I don’t know about that. I highly doubt meeting me is going to make anyone fall at my feet.”
“Are you kidding me?” As I stared across the table at that beautiful head of golden curls, the broad shoulders under a fitted black suit jacket, Halo looked up from his plate with his knife and fork in hand and froze. The look in my eye clearly conveyed just how wrong I thought he was. “Angel, if I didn’t know you already, I’d be calling all over New York trying to find out who I needed to pay, fuck, or screw over to get a one-on-one with you.”
Halo’s mouth fell open, and then he let out a soft laugh that made me smile. “You say the sweetest things.”
I shrugged as I picked up my utensils. “It’s the truth.”
“Hmm,” Halo said as he cut into the tenderloin, his eyes still locked with mine. “That’s hot.”
“So are you. Jesus. If you want the other four courses after this, you need to stop looking at me like that.”
Halo laughed at my frustrated tone but luckily took pity on me, as he popped the mouthful between his lips and chewed. The elk was tender, and something neither of us had had before, and as our plates were cleared away, Halo raised his glass back to his lips and finished off the rest of his wine.
“The food here is delicious. Have you been here before?”
I sat back in my chair but made sure to keep our feet connected under the table. If I couldn’t have my hands on him, then I wanted something in contact. “No. I actually asked Levi for a recommendation.”