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“No.” Reaching across the table, I take her hand and entwine our fingers. “Talk to me. What’s eating you up?”
Emotions fly across her face: contentment, anger, hurt, and the last…confusion. “To be honest, I don’t know where to start, and I also don’t want to ruin our date.”
“The only thing that could ruin my night is you walking away, Mariah.” And there’s the sweetness I’ve been missing. The way her eyes become soft and her cheeks pull up slightly while those eyes, those beautiful seafoam orbs look at me as if I’m her salvation.
It’s humbling. Makes me feel like a king.
“Thank you,” she says lowly, the delicate fingers between mine giving a small squeeze. She’s looking at them, her smile a bit wistful. “Can we talk after dinner, though? All I need right now is to pretend that everything is okay and that decisions with no turning back don’t need to be made.”
“Mariah.”
Her head pops up, eyes meeting mine. “Yeah?”
“You’re not alone, beautiful. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.” Suddenly, Mariah stands from her seat and before I can ask what’s wrong, she’s in my arms sitting astride my lap. We’re in a private corner with the perfect outside view, and I feel complete when her arms squeeze me to her. The reaction is the complete opposite of what I know of her thus far, but I welcome it and hold her tighter. Give her the comfort she needs without question. “I got you, sweetheart. Whatever it is.”
“Then I say start sharpening your knives because it seems I have enemies.”
“Say the word and I’ll kill them all. Lay their corpses at your feet.”
“I know,” she whispers and lays a tiny kiss just below my Adam’s apple. “You’re so different than what I thought you’d be, and I’ve never been happier to be wrong.” Another kiss and then nip to my chin. “Please don’t ever prove me right.”
“You have my word.” That pleases her, and she hums a cute little sound at the back of her throat before laying the next kiss on my lips. It’s small. Nothing inappropriate, although I want nothing more than to devour her. To take until there’s nothing left but my imprint on her soul.
“Thank you.”
“Never thank me for taking care of what I consider mine.” A throat clears and we look up, finding the waiter holding a large tray with our starters and salad. He smiles at us and I pat her thigh to stand, but before she moves to the opposite side, I pull her chair beside mine with my shoe. “That’s better.”
Mariah sits, but her amusement is clear and I’m thankful the darkness clouding her has receded. It’s not gone, but she’s getting a reprieve from whatever put her there. “You, Mr. Lucas, are a cheeseball.”
I wink, and she giggles a bit. “Take that back, Muñeca.”
“Can’t, Javi.”
“Why not?”
“You asked me to never lie.”
And what’s worse, my glare doesn’t affect her at all. Instead, I’m gifted a cheeky grin full of defiance. “You’re a brat.”
“Are you complaining?” No. Never. I prefer her happy and at ease; unafraid to call me out and give back just as hard as she receives. My silence is her answer, and she blows me a kiss before grabbing the spoon beside the small bowl now in front of her, dipping it into the creamy soup and bringing some of it to her mouth. The second she closes her lips around the spoon and moans, my pants tighten—cock painfully pressing against the zipper of my slacks. “This is amazing.”
I’m thankful for the long linens covering me, and I reach below to adjust myself. “Enjoy, beautiful.”
“Want to try?”
“No,” I say, and my voice comes out husky, hunger palpable in the one-word response.
“Behave, Javier. We’re in public.”
“My lack of decorum is your fault. Not mine.”
A small snort escapes her then, and I can’t hold in my laughter either. “We have issues.”
“Normal is boring.” Cutting a piece of my scallop, I bring it to my lips and pause. “Now eat, Muñeca.”
Her brows furrow then, and I raise a brow in question. “Umm, have you noticed we haven’t put our dinner orders in?”
“That’s because I called ahead and ordered for the two of us.”
