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I let my eyes travel over her before looking back up at her face.

“Damn, baby. You look good as fuck.”

“Thank you, and I’m not your baby,” she replied.

“Damn, ma. It’s like that?”

“Yup, it’s just like that.” She smirked before walking past me.

I chuckled, licking my lips as I watched her walk away. Shorty was mean as fuck, but she was fine as hell too. I wasn’t about to argue with her over what I called her. She could keep telling me she wasn’t my baby, and I’d keep calling her that shit anyway.

I grabbed my keys, and we headed toward the front door. I held it open for her before following her outside. Once we reached the truck, I opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb in, then closed it behind her and walked around to my side.

After getting settled, I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

The ride was quiet for the most part. I had some music playing low, and every now and then, I’d glance over at Kaylen. She was looking out the window, occasionally checking her phone, and I could tell she was still tired from work.

“You sure you ain’t too tired to be going out?” I asked.

She turned toward me. “I’m fine, Cassian.”

“Aight. I’m just making sure.”

“I know.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to the road. I wasn’t trying to drag her out somewhere if she wasn’t feeling up to it. But since she’d gotten dressed and agreed to come, I figured we might as well enjoy ourselves.

About twenty minutes later, I pulled up outside The Vesper Room, an upscale rooftop restaurant I’d been to a few times before. The food was good, the atmosphere was laid-back, and it was the kind of place where we could sit and enjoy ourselves without a whole lot of noise.

I handed my keys over to the valet before walking around to help Kaylen out of the truck.

She took my hand as she stepped down, and once she was standing close beside me, I closed the door.

“You ever been here before?” I asked.

She looked up at the building. “Nah, but it looks nice.”

“Food good as fuck, too. Come on.”

I placed my hand against the small of her back as we headed toward the entrance. Once inside, we made our way to the hostess stand to get seated.

Iwas still a little disappointed that my boy wouldn’t give me Lha’Kayla’s number. His excuse was that he didn’t want anything happening between me and her that could fuck up whatever he had going on with Kaylen. I understood where he was coming from, but that shit didn’t have nothing to do with me. Whatever happened between me and Lha’Kayla was our business, and I wasn’t about to drag him into it.

Grabbing my keys, I headed out of the house. I didn’t feel like cooking, so I figured I’d go grab something to eat. After locking up and setting the alarm, I climbed into my truck and headed toward Big Moe’s Kitchen.

It was a little hole in the wall spot Cas and I had found a while back. The food was good as fuck, and the portions were worth every dollar. We used to stop by whenever neither one of us felt like cooking, sometimes grabbing enough to take back to the office. Lately, though, Cas hadn’t been eating out nearly as much. Kaylen had been in the kitchen feeding my boy, and I wasn’t mad at it. That nigga needed somebody to make sure he ate something besides takeout all the damn time.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I found a spot near the entrance and headed inside. I already knew what I wanted, so I went straight to the counter and placed my order before finding an empty table.

I had been sitting there for a few minutes, scrolling through my phone, when I heard the door open. I glanced up out of habit, but the second I saw who’d walked in, I forgot all about whatever I was looking at.

Lha’Kayla. Shorty was looking good as fuck, too. I couldn’t help but smile because Cas had just refused to give me her number, and here she was walking into the same spot as me. I guess I didn’t need that nigga’s help after all.

I watched her make her way to the counter, then got up. Cas couldn’t say shit about me running into her on my own.

Once she’d finished telling the cashier what she wanted, I walked over and pulled out my card.

“I got hers, too,” I told the cashier.