“I’ll be ready to eat a cow by then,” I said mostly to myself, which raised the question of how many cheeseburgers could be made from a single cow.
Passing by a few groups of students in the lobby, Noah and I made it out of the building while I focused on not saying anything embarrassing—which translated to not speaking at all. It wasn’t until we reached the bottom of the concrete stairs that he looked my way again.
“This way,” Noah said as we reached the sidewalk, and he used a light touch on my elbow to steer me toward a sleek black car parked at the curb. He walked with an undisputed air of confidence that made me feel important walking beside him.
I liked that feeling.
I went to open the passenger door, but he beat me to the handle and pulled it open. I bit my lip at the gesture and slid less than gracefully into the seat before tugging on my belt as he clicked the door shut.
The luxurious interior drew my eye, and rich leather overpowered my nose as Noah strolled around the front before sliding in beside me.
My fingers trailed over the soft leather of my seat as I let out a low whistle.
“Gorgeous car.” I tried not to gush as I admired the paneling and navigation system. Noah started the ignition, and the car made a sound that could only be described as purring. “Don’t worry, I won’t chew on it.”
He let out a quiet laugh as the car pulled out from the curb, and I hid a smile.
“I don’t want to risk tempting you,” Noah said with a half smile, eyes focused on the road as his palms rested at ten and two on the wheel, “but I have a feeling my Audi would have a better chance of withstanding your bite than my pen did.”
“I do like a challenge,” I said under my breath while risking a peek at him.
Noah’s smile doubled in size.
CHAPTER16
A Date
The restaurant was stunning.
Like, seriously beautiful.
Drop-dead, top-of-the-bucket-list gorgeous.
Providence, the sign on the outside said. It looked like a relaxing bungalow resort, hidden away from the bright lights and noisy streets of downtown Los Angeles.
The interior was decadent. Candles shaped like swans. Three forks next to your plate. A smaller bread plate that sat next to your normal-size bread plate.
I was Alice in Wonderland.
Or Wendy in Neverland.
Or Emma in You-Don’t-Belong-Here-Land.
And the menu didn’t have any prices on it.
Thiswas where Noah took girls on first dates?
“Noah…” I sucked in my lips as my head shook dubiously. My legs fidgeted underneath the table, and I wondered if I was even sitting correctly. “I don’t know about this.”
At a place this fancy, I was bound to make a fool of myself.
“Not a fan of seafood?” Noah lowered his menu to the tablecloth, which had a higher thread count than both my main bedsheets and my backup bedsheets combined. “They have turf options as well.”
“Right.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek and went back to reading the list of luxury appetizers.
They hadmultipleoptions for caviar.
My stomach rolled, and I inched down further in my seat. I felt like a kindergartner trying to read for the first time.
