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“Jesse,” Tor interrupted, leaning forward from where he sat across from me at a busy café near his condo.
“Yeah?” I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin.
Tor stared at me like he was debating whether to say what was on his mind, and then shook his head and gave me a close-lipped smile. “Never mind. I think an extension and promotion are wonderful and well deserved.”
I beamed under his praise. “Thank you.”
“But I meant what I said. I can easily replace your car, though selfishly, I enjoy being the one to take you where you need to go.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Both of those options are too much. You’re not buying me a car, and I can’t let you keep playing chauffeur.”
“Mmm. That’s one we haven’t…played before.” Tor’s tongue ran across his bottom lip in a way that had me thinking about the way his tongue had teased my cock earlier, and I reached down under the table to adjust myself. An impish smile tipped up one side of Tor’s mouth as his words had the desired effect on me, but I wasn’t letting him change the subject yet again. Every time he’d brought up replacing Pretty Baby and I’d said no, he tried to convince me by using his mouth in ways other than talking. It was a good distraction, but I was already practically living with him, having stayed at his condo every night this week; buying me a car was going too far.
“Anyway. I can walk or bike or even ask Brayden, since he’s not doing much this summer.”
Tor’s jaw snapped shut and he went back to cutting apart his chicken. His silence was deafening, though, and it wasn’t long before I had to break the ice.
“I just don’t want to impose on you,” I said.
“You don’t.” He took a bite, and when he pulled his fork out slowly, his teeth scraped against the steel.
“It’s just…you’re busy and Brayden’s not.”
Tor’s piercing eyes shot up to mine. “You’re not his responsibility. You’re mine.”
With that, the conversation was effectively over, because what could I say to that? No, please don’t make me spend more time with you? That wasn’t gonna happen. Tor was like a drug, and I couldn’t foresee ever getting enough of him, so if he wanted to drive me around, I’d stop complaining and let him. The past few weeks had been the most exhilarating of my life, and every day I had to pinch myself that the man sitting across from me was mine. Sure, he didn’t call it a relationship, and I wouldn’t dare say he was my boyfriend, even if that was how I thought of him, but he called me his, for God’s sake. That had to count for something.
I took another bite of my salad, lost in thought. Maybe I was wearing him down in that way, making Tor realize he wanted more with me than just fucking. I wasn’t holding my breath over it, but there was always a chance, especially in moments like this, where we did something as simple as grab lunch together. That was what couples did, not fuck buddies, right?
“Jesse? Did you hear what I said?”
I blinked. Tor was looking at me with an expectant expression. “Uh, sorry, say that again?”
“I said I’ve been invited to a preview of the new Oceans Exhibit at New York’s Mead Museum of Natural History next month. Would you like to go?”
My mouth fell open. Was he seriously asking me to go out of town with him? Alone? For a romantic weekend? Oh my God, oh my God. I was about to jump out of my skin at the prospect, but I needed to make sure I heard him right. “You want me to go to New York with you?”
“I thought it might be something that would interest you.” He shrugged. “But if you’d rather not—”
“No,” I shouted, causing heads to turn in our direction. One woman a few booths down across the aisle seemed particularly put out by my outburst, if her stunned expression was any indication. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and tried to take my enthusiasm down a notch. “I mean, of course I want to go. Yes. Absolutely.”
That half-smile I loved so much, the one that made him look as mischievous as he was pleased, lifted one side of Tor’s beautiful mouth. “I’m glad to hear it. I’d also like to—” His cell chimed from his pocket, and he held up a finger as he glanced at the display. “I’m sorry, I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”
As Tor slid out of the booth, I admired the way he fit into the dark jeans he so rarely wore, and as he headed out of the café to take the call, I leaned out of the booth to get a good look at his ass.
