Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
She cleared her throat, fumbling briefly with the menu. “So what’s good here?”
“Everything.” I didn’t bother to glance down, too busy studying the way her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat. “But the ribeye is my favorite.”
She nodded, lowering the menu and trying to focus. Her voice came out softer and a little breathless. “Then I’ll have the ribeye too.”
Our server took our orders before leaving us alone in the charged silence once again. Poppy smoothed the napkin across her lap nervously, looking up at me through thick, dark lashes.
“So what exactly is it you do, Ace?” she asked, her curiosity genuine and eyes sparkling warmly. “I mean, it’s finance, right? I’m not sure exactly what that entails.”
Something about hearing her call me by my road name didn’t sit well, but I ignored the feeling.
I leaned back, holding her gaze. “Financial analysis mostly. Investments, mergers, and consulting for some private clients. It’s less exciting than it sounds.”
I was careful to be honest, but vague.
“Sounds interesting to me.” She leaned forward slightly with open enthusiasm. “I mean, numbers are fascinating. I know it’s nerdy, but I really enjoy my job most of the time.”
“It suits you. Your energy, the way you think fast and talk faster.”
Her cheeks turned pink again, and she shook her head. “That’s a polite way of saying I never stop talking, isn’t it?”
I let a slow grin curve my mouth. “Not complaining, Poppy.”
She flushed deeply, glancing down with a soft laugh. “People usually get annoyed by it. I always feel like I’m apologizing for talking too much or rambling. It drives my family crazy. People always say I’m ‘a lot.’”
She used air quotes around the phrase, and I could see the hurt swimming in her eyes despite her efforts to hide it. I loved the fact that she wore her thoughts and emotions on her sleeve, that she was so genuine and open.
But seeing that pain in her lovely hazel orbs made my chest tighten, and a fierce protectiveness flared sharply. It made me want to hunt down every person who’d ever said that to my girl and cut out their fucking tongues. “Maybe people aren’t enough to handle someone like you.”
Her eyes flew up to mine, wide and slightly stunned. A gentle, shy smile curved her lips. “I…no one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”
“They should have.” I paused, holding her gaze deliberately. “You’re too much in the best possible way.”
She looked breathless, her lips slightly parted. “Thank you, Ace.”
“Colter,” I muttered with a frown. “My name is Colter.”
“Colter? But don’t—”
“You call me Colter.”
Before she could respond, the server returned with our food. The spell between us temporarily broke, and we turned to eating. We conversed during the meal, though I let her do most of the talking, simply enjoying the beautiful sound of her voice.
Whenever she would pause and look apologetic, I simply asked another question and encouraged her to answer. Eventually, she seemed to realize that I wasn’t annoyed by her constant chatter, but I knew it would take time before she believed it didn’t bother me at all. This was progress, though.
By the time dessert arrived, my cock throbbed painfully beneath the table. I ached to take her somewhere quiet and show her exactly how I felt about the way she kept blushing.
Dessert was a slow-burning exercise in restraint. She ordered cheesecake, and I went for the key lime pie. But I left it alone. The hunger I felt wasn’t for food.
My attention stayed locked on her as she took the first bite. Her tongue darted out to catch a crumb from the corner of her mouth, and I nearly growled out loud, fantasizing about how those lips would look sliding up and down my cock, my fingers tangled in her soft honey-colored hair.
Her eyes flickered up, noticing my stare. “You’re watching me.”
“Yes.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No.” My voice dropped lower. “Just imagining how your mouth would taste right now.”
Her cheeks flamed scarlet, and she quickly took another bite, her eyes wide, but she didn’t look away. Fuck, she was tempting. She had some kind of magnetic pull. It wasn’t just physical, either. Something deeper and far more primal had taken hold of me, tightening around my heart in a way I’d never felt. It should’ve worried me, but it didn’t.
When the meal finally ended, I stood carefully, keeping the bulge in my jeans hidden. She placed her hand in mine when I offered it without hesitation, her eyes filled with heat and uncertainty.
The ride home was thick with anticipation. She didn’t protest or even question when I took the turn toward my place instead of hers. There was a moment where I saw understanding in her expression, acceptance rather than confusion. We hadn’t talked about it, but that didn’t matter. She knew exactly where I was taking her, and she was all in.