Gabe’s face pinched whenever Christmas was mentioned, and right now was no different. But, ultimately, he relaxed and said, “That sounds fine. We’ll do that next.”
I shifted my attention back to the menu. “Do you want to get an appetizer to start?” I asked. “The burrata is really good here and so are the meatballs. Oh, and the focaccia is to die for.” My stomach growled on cue as I listed off food—and thought about the pizza and pasta options.
“Are you two ready to put an order in?” Teresa asked. “I’ll take care of you two lovebirds tonight, since you scared my other servers away.”
“Oh, no, we’re not—” I said at the same time Gabe said, “This isn’t—” We looked at each other and both let out a laugh.
Teresa, who looked between us, had a grin that was far too amused. “First date?” she asked.
I shook my head, my cheeks getting hot. “It’s dinner with a…friend,” I said, looking from Teresa to Gabe and giving him a hesitant smile. “Does one of those I mentioned sound good to you?”
Gabe looked up from the menu, first at me and then at Teresa. “Yeah, why don’t we start with an order of the burrata, meatballs, and the focaccia. And a bottle of your nicest red, please.”
Teresa’s brows raised. “You got it,” she said while writing down on her notepad. “I’ll get that right out to you.”
“Gabe,” I whispered once Teresa was gone. “What are you doing?”
“I ordered us appetizers,” he said simply, casually. Like we did this regularly.
“But the wine—” I started.
“I saw you looking at the list when we were at our other table. Plus, isn’t this dinner on your list to treat yourself? We might as well go all out. You deserve it.”
He remembered that? My expression softened, and a grateful smile crossed my lips. “I appreciate that. Thank you. I’m glad we’re able to do this together,” I admitted.
Gabe looked at me, adding, “And if we’re celebrating on ourfirst date, I want to make sure my girl gets what she wants.”
Heat unexpectedly flared in my stomach.My girl. Those two words shouldn’t have had the impact on me they did. I wasn’t his girl—not even close—and he was just playing off of Teresa’s joke, but then why did those words coming out of his mouth sound so good?
21
GABRIEL
Every inchof our small table was covered by plates of food once our appetizers and wine arrived. Warm smells of basil, marinara, and freshly-baked bread wafted into the air.
Lily’s eyes brightened at our spread as Teresa poured us each a glass of wine before setting the bottle off to the side—in the last remaining free spot on the table.
“Enjoy, and let me know if you need anything,” she said before walking away.
Lily reached over to grab a piece of focaccia to dip in the fresh burrata, urging me to do the same. I followed suit, about to take a bite when a satisfied moan escaped her. Her eyes were closed, and she was blissfully unaware of what that noise had done to me. Of the shot of desire going straight to my cock. No…no way. Lily was beautiful, but I wasn’t attracted to her in this way. She was the one person I couldn’t be attracted to. The one person standing in my way.
“Oh my god,” she said, taking another bite. She opened her eyes slowly. “Better than sex.” She grinned, and I nearly choked.
While Lily might’ve started out nervous during our dinner, she appeared to be more relaxed at our new table and after sheshared what had been on her mind. I was surprised that it had been a while since Lily had been on a date, because she was so welcoming to be around, so easy to talk to, and so thoughtful. For a moment, I found myself thinking about what it would be like if thiswasa date. How easy it would be to let her in.
Concern flashed over her features as I coughed. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking around for help.
I waved my hand to dismiss her concerns. “I’m fine,” I choked out, grabbing my glass of wine to wash the food down. “I’m fine, see.” I repeated more convincingly this time, trying to calm her worried and skeptical expression. At my secondI’m fine, Lily relaxed into her seat. “Nice to know you’re concerned about me, though. Couple weeks ago I would’ve thought you’d be the one to poison me.”
“You were thinking thatlastweek,” she pointed out, raising her brows.
“See, look how far we’ve come.”
Lily rolled her eyes, and I saw her trying to fight her smile. Eventually, it won out. She dipped her bread again, but this time—thankfully—there were no moans involved.
“So, you live in Milwaukee, right? What’s that like? I haven’t been.”
“It’s great,” I answered honestly. “I love living in the city. How close everything is, all the opportunities and people. Meeting and talking with people in the line for lunch or at the grocery store who I might not get to interact with otherwise. I like hearing what people are working on, what they’re passionate about. My apartment and the building I work in are right next to Lake Michigan, which makes for a great view. Lots of sporting events and concerts. There’s always something to do.” I picked up my wine glass to take another sip, but not before saying, “We’ll have to visit, since it’s on your list, and I’ll show you my favorite spots.”
