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“You are giving me a gift.”
The money… right.
“DeAndre mentioned a beer flight you put together for me, and I don’t know about you, but I can use a drink or two after the day I had.”
“Did you bomb your molecular genetics exam? I know you had a day of exams, but you seemed particularly worried about that one.”
“I don’t think I bombed it, but it’s all in God’s hands now,” she replied with a shrug.
“I’m sure you did great. Excuse me. I’m going to check on that first aid kit.” I left the patio before she could respond and found DeAndre in the kitchen, barking orders to the cooks with the first aid kit tucked under his arm. I snatched it from him and flipped open the white metal box.
“I can’t believe I did that,” I said, groaning as I rifled through the supplies.
DeAndre sighed. “I get it, man. She’s smoking. I didn’t try to sever her toe with glass, but I stuttered when I introduced myself.”
“This is a fucking mess.”
“Or… hear me out… this is one of those meet-cute shits I’ve heard of. Imagine telling your children how you met their mother. And then, kids, I broke glass all over her feet, and we lived happily ever after.”
“Go fuck yourself with Edward Scissorhands’s glove.”
“Ouch,” he said, chuckling at my response. “But seriously, Hart. Relax. It’s not the end of the fucking world. Go be a gentleman, fix her up, and I’ll be out with the beer flights in five minutes, and the appetizers will follow.”
“Thanks, man.”
“You got it.”
I drew in a slow breath and released it before returning to Vera. In my absence, she’d shed off her jacket, revealing a little black satin number that I was itching to run my fingers across. A diamond tennis necklace rested on her delicate neck, and diamond studs dotted her earlobes. She looked so… ethereal, and it was a shame I couldn’t spend the entire night staring at her like a portrait on a museum wall.
“I’m sorry it took so long,” I apologized, pulling a chair in front of her before sitting down. I reached down, grabbed her ankle, and placed her open-toed heel on my thigh.
“You don’t have—”
“It’s my fault for being so clumsy. Please, let me take care of you.”
The corner of her lips twitched into a playful smirk, and I knew she was about to put me through the fucking wringer.
“Please… take care of me,” she purred in a way that made my dick perk up.
I don’t think I’ll survive this dinner.
“Have you dined at Andre’s before?” I asked, needing a distraction while I doctored up her white-painted toe. I liked the color on her; it popped against her rich skin tone.
“I have, several times, actually,” she confessed, blessing me with a bright smile.
“Well, I’m eager to hear what you think,” I said, wrapping a small band-aid around her toe after thoroughly disinfecting it. I should’ve placed her foot on the ground and put some distance between us, but the thin string of diamonds around her ankle begged to be touched. I caressed the anklet and waited for an objection. “Is this okay?” I asked when I didn’t receive one.
She cleared her throat and squirmed a little in her chair.
Finally, it’s me unnerving her and not the other way around!
“It’s fine. I actually left a review a few months ago.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Let me guess—four stars because you never leave five stars because there’s always room for improvement.”
She smacked her lips and dramatically rolled her eyes.
