When I dared glance back, he was still staring at me, his smile flirtatious and his gaze soft. My attention travelled to Asher, who watched me with an intensity that suggested I was in big trouble.
A flip in my stomach sent the grin on my lips curving upwards. He was jealous.
“My wife here would love theOrto di Lumacheto start,” Asher said with an authority I had never heard before, his words sending a shiver down my spine.
He was claiming.
The waiter cleared his throat and nodded. “Of course, right away.”
As he turned to walk away, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Your wife?”
“I’m sorry,” Asher said, his voice low and playful, “did you just roll your eyes at me?”
I giggled. “And what are you going to do about it, hmm?”
He extended his hand across the table. When he noticed confusion brushing my features, his voice dropped, firm and unyielding. “Hand ‘em over.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Hand what over?”
Leaning closer, he hissed, “The underwear you’re wearing.”
I scoffed, splaying a hand over my chest and enthusiastically drawing in a sharp breath. “Well, I would, but that would mean I’d have to be wearing them in the first place.”
The expression that flitted across his face was enough to send me off the ledge of pure bliss. He loved these games, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just as intrigued. The silence between us was a brief, charged pause—both of us contemplating the next rebuttal.
“I was going to give them to the waiter to remind him who’s in charge here, since he couldn’t keep his fucking eyes off of you,” he began, his voice low and cruel. “But I supposementioning that I’ll be taking you to a luxury hotel with the finest bed in the city will have to do.”
My belly did a flip.
“Why would you do that?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended, the edge of my voice cutting through the moment.
Asher met my eyes, anticipating my resistance. “What? You didn’t think you’d be getting off that easy, did you? No, little siren, I plan to take my time with you. I’m going to pamper you, give you all the space I can to make sure everything you need—or want—on that list in that beautiful brain of yours is taken care of.”
I was taken aback. Sometimes I forgot he was someone who lived a life where people treated others the way you always dreamed of being treated. The kind of romance you saw in movies, where the hero was the Prince Charming—the one you rooted for.
But me?
I wasn’t destined for Prince Charming…
So why was there a part of me that craved to see where this would go? What did I expect would happen in the long run? These mere tidbits—things I’d never experienced—were offering a sliver of light in the deep, dark tunnel I had unknowingly walked into.
He was making me feel…more.
“Nova?” I asked, barely a whisper.
Without a blink, he replied, “Duke’s already on his way to pick her up.”
I chuckled sarcastically. “So, you allow your driver to commit breaking and entering on a whim? Just like that, huh? What else have you planned?”
The smile on his lips was dark, sadistically sexy. In that instant, I wanted nothing more than to be all over him.
The waiter returned with the appetizers, bread, and topped up our wine glasses. Time seemed to stretch endlessly between us as we locked eyes, neither of us willing to be the first to break the spell.
“More house red, miss?” the waiter asked, holding the bottle poised to pour.
Without breaking eye contact with Asher, I said with fierce undeniability, “The only thing I want more of in my mouth right now is him.”
The waiter and Asher both froze, suddenly choking on air. Asher’s dimples appeared, lighting up his face, and before I could stop him, he raised his hand. “Cheque, please.”
