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ChapterEight
GABRIEL
The moment we entered the restaurant, I deeply regretted allowing Avery out of the hotel room in that sexy-as-fuck dress. Not that I had much of a choice. I’d been pleased when she didn’t argue at my claim, but she was quite forceful when she informed me I had no say in what she wore. If I hadn’t been set on my course for the evening, I would have ripped it off of her and kept her busy in bed all night so she didn’t have a chance to wear it.
I shot daggers from my eyes at every man who looked her way as we were led to our table by the host, who was also a recipient of my quiet wrath, sending him scurrying away as soon as we were seated. After pulling out her chair, I dusted my fingers along her naked shoulders and smiled when she shivered. I’d used every excuse to touch her since the moment we left our room and enjoyed every shudder, every trail of goosebumps, and the growing desire in her beautiful, light green eyes.
Our server approached the table to inquire about drink orders. Avery asked for another white wine, but I declined, satisfied with my ice water. I wanted to be stone-cold sober for the night’s activities. Avery frowned at me but didn’t comment about my choice as she picked up her menu. When the server returned with her glass, we placed our orders, and then we were left alone for a while.
There’d been an odd gleam in Avery’s eyes ever since she came out of the bathroom, and try as I might, I hadn’t been able to figure it out yet. It hadn’t escaped my notice that she hadn’t shied away from my touches, and her smiles had been unusually warm, and her laughter easy. I liked this side of her, even if I wasn’t sure what had caused the sudden change.
“You look very handsome,” she whispered, one hand in her lap and the other toying with the stem of her wine glass.
She was gazing up at me through her lashes, making her look innocent and sultry at the same time, but the pretty blush staining her cheeks convinced me she had no idea how fucking sexy she was at that moment. My cock was well aware of it, though.
“Thank you,” I rumbled in a low tone.
Her blush deepened and she squirmed in her seat as she grabbed her wine glass and took a large swallow. My eyes narrowed as I watched her do it once more, emptying half of her glass. I wasn’t about to let her get drunk and use it as an excuse to avoid what was happening between us.
Avery brought up the client meeting, but I quickly shut down that line of conversation. “We aren’t working tonight, baby. Why don’t you tell me more about your hometown?”
She hesitated for a moment and took another sip of her drink. “You’ve known Rhys a long time. He’s never told you about Clover Springs?”
“It’s come up, but I want to hear about it from you.”
It took a bit for her to warm up to her topic, but eventually, she smiled fondly as she told me stories about her childhood. Apparently, she and her friends, Emmaline, Lottie, and Ruby, as well as her cousin Rylee, were quite the trouble-makers. “Despite being far from each other, I’m still close with all of them.”
Our food arrived and after the server left the table, I peppered her with questions, eager to know as much about her as possible. We had a slight hiccup when she finished her wine and a Sommelier appeared at our table to suggest a different pairing of wine with our meals. I dismissed him before Avery could say a word and she’d given me her most intimidating glare—I had to swallow a chuckle because she was so cute when she was mad.
“Gabe,” she huffed, “I was interested to hear his suggestions. I guess I’ll just have—”
“Two is the limit tonight,” I told her firmly. She pursed her lips as if she was going to argue, but she obviously saw the determination on my face because she sighed and let it go, returning to her meal.
I was concerned that the incident would cause her to close up again and lose our easy conversation. But after a couple of bites, I was pleasantly surprised when she turned the tables.
“You’re from Tampa, right?”
“Yes. I went to college in New York, but moved back right after and settled in Miami.”
“And that’s how you met Rhys?”
I nodded and swallowed a bite of my meal before answering. “We both played football together in college. We hit it off instantly and soon realized we had what it took to remain friends and become business partners.”
“Why didn’t either of you go pro or into sports at all?”
It was a valid question considering my brother had played for Notre Dame and was now a big-time sports agent, while Rhys’s brother Miles—whom I was also very close with—was a star Wide Receiver. “Don’t you both play recreationally?”
“I do. I still enjoy the sport, but neither Rhys nor I ever had a desire to take it beyond that.”
“Okay, your turn to share embarrassing childhood memories.” Avery switched topics with a grin and a twinkle in her green orbs.
“I was pretty much your typical boy. Although, according to our mothers, my cousin, Caleb, and I were hellions when we got together.” I relayed a few stories of our antics, one of them making her laugh so hard she slapped her hands over her mouth and her face turned bright red.Adorable.
After she’d caught her breath and calmed down, she took a long drink of water. Our plates were empty, but she leaned back in her seat and relaxed, in no hurry to leave. I indulged her for the moment, but my patience was nearing its limit.
“Are you and Caleb still getting up to mischief when you see each other?”
“No. Caleb is a Marine Biologist, so he’s not always on dry land. And, unfortunately, he’s married to his work. So while we are still as close as brothers and stay in touch through texting and email, we don’t see each other as often as I’d like.”
We stayed in the restaurant talking for another twenty minutes. It was strange how it seemed like our first date and our twentieth at the same time. We knew each other well, but not on a personal level. Now that we’d bridged that gap, I intended to keep going until I knew every inch of her on an intimate level.
