"How do you know? You’re not even looking at me."
"Don’t need to look at you to know what you’re doing, or what you’re thinking, for that matter."
"Oh?" I lean back in my chair. "What am I thinking of now?"
"That you want to pour chocolate over my face and lick me up."
"What the—" I gape. "How did you?"
He glances up from his perusal of the menu and smirks at me. Whoa, that’s so hot. Why does this bad boy persona of his turn me on so much? I cross my legs, and no, it has nothing to do with the slow throbbing that’s flared to life in my core.
His nostrils flare, and he looks so pleased with himself. Damn him, but he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
"The other two tables are empty. You could have invited the bodyguards to eat with us," I point out.
"Then who will protect us?"
"So, you’ll make them starve while we eat?"
He looks askance. "Is that a problem?"
"Of course it’s a problem."
"If something were to happen to you... Nowthatwould be a problem."
I fold my hands in my lap. "I know you want them to do their job and protect us, but it feels weird to be eating when they are starving out there in the cold."
He stares at me. "You're too soft."
"Well, yeah." I scoff. "I’m a mother, after all. Besides," I bite the inside of my cheek, "sometimes we get so caught up in our daily lives, we forget to take the time out to enjoy the beauty in life.”
"Don’t tell me, that’s another quote by The-Actor-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?"
"Yep," I laugh. "You’re getting into the spirit of things."
"The only way I agreed to bring you out today is if our security stood on guard the entire time."
"If they are inside the restaurant, surely, they could do a better job of protecting us?"
He looks like he is about to protest, then shakes his head. "No winning this battle with you, is there?"
"Nope."
"I suppose you are not going to eat unless I invite them in?"
My lips twitch. "Nope."
"In which case, I’d better take care of my appetizer before I ask them in."
Something in the way he says it, I know he doesn’t mean food.
"Wh-what?" I clear my throat. "What do you want for your appetizer?"
"You know what, Princess." He leans back in his seat. "Get your ass up on the table." He pushes away the place-setting and pats the space in front of him.
"Wait, what?" I glance around the space.
"No one’s watching us."