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“Say you love me.”

“What?” Her eyes widened.

“Say you love me,” I repeated.

“Gino . . .”

I smirked. “It’s okay, baby. I’m up for the challenge. Can you at least tell me how you’re feelin’ about everything I said?”

She picked up her fork and poked at the food on the plate in front of her. I looked at my own and noticed that it was shrimp in some kind of sauce. I picked one up and took a big bite. Shit was delicious. I guess they could get a small tip up out of me just for this shrimp right here.

“Overwhelmed, but I can’t lie and say I’m not interested in you. I just . . . I don’t want to be that woman who so blindly believes a married man about his failing marriage only for it to blow up in my face.”

“You’ll never be that girl. I won’t allow it. What I tell you, Yaya? You my fave. Why would I do that to my fave?”

“Wasn’t Aniya your fave at one point?”

I thought about it before I slowly shook my head. “What I had with Aniya was comfortable. We were always like homies, for real, until she changed. The thought of her being my favorite person never crossed my mind. It’s only crossed my mind wit’ you.”

Yara dipped her head, but I still saw her pretty skin tint red. “I’m still that girl.”

“What girl?”

“The girl who kissed another woman’s husband.”

“No, you didn’t. You kissed me. You kissed yo’ future husband.”

She blinked at me. “Do you always justify things like that in your head?”

“I guess, but especially if it’ll help you sleep easier at night. My marriage has nothin’ to do wit’ you. I don’t want you carryin’ that burden, Yara. You hear me? You let me carry that weight and atone for my sins. That ain’t on you and never will be. My only regret about this whole situation is putting you in the position to question the kind of woman you are, because all I see is a queen. Do you believe me when I say that?”

She looked down at her plate. I had the urge to climb back onto the table again so she would look at me, but I refrained, only because this shrimp was good as fuck and I wanted her to try it.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Tell me how else you feelin’. That shit matters,” I said as I took another bite of food.

She shrugged. “Mostly just overwhelmed, like I said.”

“What’s underneath all that, though?” I asked.

She squirmed in her seat. “You.”

I licked my lips and grinned. “Tell me more about that.”

“I don’t know, Gino. All of this goes against my morals, so it’s like I’m at battle with myself, but you’re at the core of it all, and it’s like that’s what I’m trying to get to, . . . you. That’s the best way I can explain it. I have feelings for you. I don’t know how it happened or why. I’ll be honest. I didn’t want them to happen. You’re married, but it’s like none of that mattered. I crave you . . . I have since we met, and it’s getting hard to ignore it.”

I scooted my chair back. “Come here.”

My dick stiffened when she got right up and walked over to me. Such a good girl.

I tugged her arm gently, guiding her down to my lap. I knew I needed to take things slow with her, but everything in me wanted to put her cute ass on the table and eat her for dinner.

“How ’bout this?” I proposed. “How about we get through tomorrow? You’ll see that everything I told you is true. Whether you decide to kick it wit’ me or not, her ass is goin’ down, and my marriage is ending tomorrow. I have it all set up so I don’t have to wait for no approval or nothin’. Soon as she’s served, the judge will sign the papers, and it’ll be a done deal. Once Aniya is out of our lives, we can take shit as slow as you want. It might kill me, but I’m on yo’ time. I want you to be comfortable.”

“Kill you is crazy.” She giggled.

“You think I’m playin’. I don’t think you realize how serious I am ’bout yo’ beautiful ass, but you gonna get it eventually.”