That’s it. Ineedto get off his lap.
And so I do. Or at least, I attempt to. As I shift forward to get to my feet, my ass grazes something hard and alarmingly large inside his jeans.
Is that his…
I freeze.
Rowan exhales a low, strained breath. He wraps his palms around my waist, lifts me off him, and helps me back into my chair.
He runs a flustered hand through his hair. When he sees how I’m looking at him, he tugs on his collar. “What?”
“Are you… Are you hard?”
His eyes turn very dark. He reaches for my hand under the table, pulls on it, and puts it right on his lap.
And I feel… All. Of. Him.
“This is how hard you make me.” His voice is pure gravel. “Remember that the next time you’re questioning if I really find you beautiful.”
If someone put a gun to my head right now and demanded I speak, I’d take a bullet to the brain.
Words? What are words? We haven’t met.
He stares at me for a long moment, as if he wants to make sure I heard him.
Oh, I heard him. But I’m mute. Utterly stupefied.
And then the man releases my hand and digs into his pasta like he didn’t just tilt my entire world on its axis.
CHAPTER 25
NERO
Blake busies herself with her food, but whenever her gaze jumps to me, she looks a bit like a deer in headlights.
It’s fucking adorable how flustered she is. My cock stays painfully hard through the rest of dinner, and I realize Blake’s been discreetly dabbing her napkin against the sweat glistening on her neck.
It’s not that hot here. She’s just as worked up as me.
I was concerned when I saw Casey walking over to our table, but what bothered me most about the unfortunate encounter was Blake calling me a hero. I didn’t like that, nor the sharp pang of guilt that followed.
I’m no fucking hero. I’m a villain who’s working hard on rectifying the mistakes he’s made with her.
The waitress comes around and asks if we want dessert, but Blake shakes her head, saying she’s full.
“You sure?”
“Mm-hmm.” She can’t seem to hold my gaze for more than a second without her cheeks turning bright pink.
“Let’s grab the check then.”
I pay for the meal and help Blake with her coat. She’s silent through it all, staring at her feet like she’s thinking really hard about something.
Did I go too far with her? I’ve never been known for my patience, and with each passing day, I can feel it running out. I want to kiss those lips, to hold her in my arms, to burrow deep inside of her.
I think she wants it too.
But she won’t admit it, even to herself.
