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I cleared my throat. "Let's order, shall we? I'm hungry."
"Deal. Wouldn't want to start a fight with you on an empty stomach. Though you can hold your own no matter what."
I glanced down at the menu, laughing under my breath. This was turning out to be the best Valentine's Day I’d had in years.
"Oh, will you look at that?” I exclaimed. “We don't have to choose. They have a fixed menu. We just have the option to choose a vegetarian or vegan entrée and point out any intolerances.” They even suggested a wine accompanying every course.
"I'll just need one glass of wine," I told him.
"Me too," Drake said.
The waiter must have sensed we were ready because he immediately approached us. He put a basket with bread and butter between us before taking our order. The second he left, I leaned over the table.
"I never understand who orders the whole accompanying list. If you drink four types of wine, you're bound to get drunk. I can barely hold my liquor after two glasses."
"You can go wild, Kimberly. I promise you're safe with me.”
I leaned back in my chair. "AmI safe with you? It doesn't seem that way."
He tilted his head. "As safe as you want to be."
I crossed and uncrossed my legs, then pressed my knees together. Drake was affecting me in all kinds of ways. I felt good tonight, wearing some seriously sexy lingerie.
But you always wear that, Kimberly,a voice said in the back of my mind.You love feeling sexy.
I did, but dressing up tonight had felt as if I was doing it for him.
I never learn from my mistakes, do I?It was bad enough that we kissed, and now we had to tiptoe around each other. Doing anything else would spell disaster.
"This is the second time tonight that you’ve seemed to be fighting with yourself. Why don't you let me help you out?" Drake asked.
I laughed nervously, taking a slice of bread and smearing it with butter. "I'm not sure you’d help. I think you would encourage the devil on my shoulder."
“If there's an angel-and-demon type of situation, I'm going to encourage the demon.”
I stretched my legs under the table. "Why? When you arrived in Chicago, you couldn't stand me."
"That's not true, Kimberly."
His leg touched mine under the table, and I didn't pull back. I needed the contact. I craved it.
"I had a biased opinion of you. That first evening, seeing you with that guy rubbed me the wrong way. But the more time passes, the more I think it's because I already considered you mine."
I gasped. "What?"
His eyes flashed. "I can't help myself. I can'tnotwant you. I’ll thank Reese for finding an excuse not to join us."
I bit into my bread, keeping my eyes on my plate. "Figured that out, did you?”
“Your family isn't subtle.”
"They’re not," I replied. "Just thought it might take you longer to catch on."
"Kimberly." He sounded serious, so I looked up. "If this makes you uncomfortable in any way, I want you to tell me."
"It doesn’t. It's just... I don’t say this very often, but I don't know what to do."
He trained those green eyes on me, and I felt like I might melt from the sheer heat radiating off him.
