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He led me over to a booth at the back that was a bit out of the hustle. He grabbed a menu and sat down beside me, opening it so I could read it along with him. I scanned down the prices, chewing my lip worriedly while also taking in the powerful aura of his close proximity. I hadn’t budgeted much for tonight. I was still catching up with a few bills and I didn’t have a lot to work with. I struggled, trying to find the cheapest thing on the menu.
“I’ll just have a basket of fries,” I said bashfully, and he lifted his eyebrow.
“Nonsense. Why don’t you look this over a little bit, and I’ll come back to take your order in a few minutes,” he offered, and I nodded, blushing.
He pushed up out of the booth and smiled warmly in my direction. I watched him walk away, admiring the way his pants cupped his ass. Thankfully, he’d looked away at that point and didn’t catch me admiring his form so salaciously. Eventually, I settled to look back down at the menu, but I was quickly distracted by the sound of singing in the pub.
I furrowed my brow, finally glancing up to see that it was Kieran. I sat back, amused as he served several other tables and sang a song about a drunken sailor. His voice carried throughout the pub and the crowd sang along with him during the chorus.
When he made his way back to my table, I realized that I hadn’t really looked at the menu very much. He slid a glass of red wine in front of me.
“I didn’t order that,” I mumbled.
“My treat,” he winked.
“But I…”
His face hardened just a little and I shrank back.
“Enjoy it,” he replied firmly.
“Okay. Thank you,” I blushed.
“Now did you pick out something more to eat than just a basket of fries?” He raised a brow.
“I didn’t,” I confessed. He slid back into the seat with me and gently took the menu from my hands.
“Our fried chicken sandwiches are really good and come highly recommended. Our seasoned sweet potato fries are a crowd favorite as well as our homemade waffle fries. The burgers are also really good,” he began.
“Those all sound delicious,” I replied. I stared down at the menu, cocking my head a little and scanning the various options.
“Tell you what. Why don’t I choose for you? Is there anything you really dislike before I settle on something?”
His voice was soft. I thought he might have been aggravated by my indecisiveness, but all I could see was patience in his relaxed gaze.
“Mushrooms. They’ve got a weird texture to me,” I explained, crinkling my nose when I thought about it.
“I’ll have the cook whip up something special for you,” he winked.
“It doesn’t have to be anything like that,” I protested, and a mysterious firmness came over his face once more.
“Drink your wine and I’ll be back with something for you to eat in just a little bit,” he insisted.
Feeling self-conscious, I reached for the glass and took a small sip. It was even tastier than the bottle that he’d sent along with the groceries, and I made a small sound of surprise, which only made him smile even wider.
“Yes, sir,” I answered cheekily, and his icy blue eyes darkened dangerously for a moment before they cleared. He stared back at me for a long moment like he was trying to figure me out. With a lopsided grin and a shake of his head, he finally turned away and headed back to the kitchen behind the bar. There were several curious gazes that looked in my direction, but I tried to ignore them. I pulled my phone out of my purse and mindlessly dug into the side pocket, counting out the forty dollars I’d stuffed in there for the umpteenth time.
I didn’t think it would be enough to cover what I needed today and include tip. I started when Kieran slid a plate in front of me. I quickly tucked my cash back inside my purse and tried to cover up the worried expression on my face. If he saw my concern, he said nothing and started to sing for me.
If you’ll listen, I’ll sing you a sweet little song
Of a flower that’s now drooped and dead,
Yet dearer to me, yes than all of its mates,
Though each holds aloft its proud head.
Twas given to me by a girl that I know,
