“It’s Ella, and I highly doubt that.” She looked me over with an appraising glance. “We both know your pride is safe from the likes of me.”
She couldn’t be more wrong, but I chose not to argue her point and focused on another instead. “How about a deal,” I proposed. “I’ll call you Ella, as you clearly prefer, if you agree to at least give me a chance tonight. You’ve made a lot of assumptions for someone who has only met me a handful of times. I want a chance to prove some of those wrong.”
“Yeah, I typically draw conclusions about a person after they try to drown me the first time,” she replied, not missing a beat. “But sure. I’ll let you try a second time, if it means getting my name right.”
My lips twitched. “I didn’t try to drown you, sweetheart.”
“No?” Her eyebrows rose. “Was that your version of flirting, then?”
“It was my version of protecting you,” I replied just as Belinda approached with two waters and a basket of peanuts. She read off the specials for Ella’s benefit more than mine—I wanted wings and Mrs. B. knew it—and then left us to make our decisions.
But my date wasn’t looking at the menu at all, her focus fully on me.
“You were trying to protect me by holding me underwater?” she asked, incredulous.
“If you don’t look at the menu, I’m going to order wings for you,” I warned her. “So I hope you like chicken.”
“I don’t care about food,” she returned, crossing her arms. “I want to know how drowning me protects me.”
Sighing, I braced my elbows on the table and leaned toward her. “It’s a game, Ella. One I intend to control.”
She blinked at me. “What? How? Why?”
“Because I want to keep you safe,” I replied, gesturing for Belinda. “Give me tonight and I’ll help you understand.”
Mrs. B. arrived before Ella could utter a word. I ordered a variety of wings for us both, as well as cheese fries, celery sticks, and two cherry Cokes. Belinda shook her head, muttering something about where I put all the calories, and left us to our conversation.
Ella studied me intently, that brain of hers no doubt flying through a series of scenarios. “Why would you care about my safety?” she demanded.
“Because I like you,” I admitted, leaning back into my booth. “And I don’t much care for Dash or Charlie.”
“Yet you’ve been hanging out with them all week.”
“Spying on me, dove?” I waggled my brows. “All you need to do is ask for my time and it’s all yours.”
She snorted. “Stop with the flirtatious diversions. What’s your play here?”
“Who says they’re diversions?” I countered, cocking my head. “And my play here is simple. I want you, Ella.”
“Uh-huh.” She narrowed those beautiful eyes at me. “Why?”
“Because you’re special.”
She gave me a look. “Seriously, that’s the best you’ve got? At least Dash called me beautiful and commented on my intelligence. You’re going with the bare minimum in an attempt to lure me to my humiliation.” She leaned forward, her voice pitching low. “You’ll have to do a lot better than that.”
“Lure you to your humiliation,” I repeated, mulling it over. “Now, see, I think you’re playing this game all wrong, Ella.”
“It’s not a game.”
“Everything in this world is a game, darling.” She just hadn’t realized it yet. “You’re just reluctant to take on your role. But I can help you. And together, we’ll win.”
She arched a brow. “Win what?”
“The war between you and your evil-as-fuck stepsisters.” I unbuttoned my jacket and spread my arms out across the back of my side of the booth, loving the way her eyes tracked every move. “By the time we’re done, they won’t know what hit them.”
She contemplated for a moment, distrust a heavy emotion in her features. Considering our brief acquaintance, I couldn’t blame her. And given everything she’d been through, she would need more than a few words from me to prove my point.
Which gave me an idea.