“I know enough, and you’ll find, Michelle, that there will be very little I won’t dare say to you,” I contradicted her easily enough as I leaned forward to wink playfully at her. “And you know what else?”
“What?” she questioned suspiciously, tapping her fingers against the table as her eyebrows furrowed, three little lines forming in her forehead as she concentrated on me.
“You’ll love hearing every dirty word,” I shared confidently.
“I’m so sure! You’re…. you’re….”
“Yes?” I drawled, loving the way she kept losing her words as she smacked her hands to the table.
“Impossible!” she finally shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. Wincing as she realized she’d drawn more than a few stares, she quickly pulled her hands back into her lap and glared at me. “I think you might be even more insufferable than the jerk we just got rid of,” she complained as she reached for her glass of wine and tilted it to her lips, nearly draining it with one swallow.
She was right; I was impossible. Impossibly enchanted with this fiery female. I was also satisfied.
I’d found everything I ever wanted when I wasn’t even looking
My girl had it all. She was sexy and sweet. Sassy and spirited.
Holy hell, my Michelle was the whole damn package—one I couldn’t wait to unwrap. With my teeth.
Although, right now, the way she gripped her butter knife had me believing she might be considering trying to use it as a murder weapon.
“Settle,” I ordered, choking back a chuckle when her furious little gaze landed on me, threatening to singe my ears with the heat of it.
“Okay, Colorado Kid, let’s be clear here,” she said, pointing her silverware at me. “You told me to settle once in that deep, rumbly tone of yours. Once. And I let it pass since you were trying to help me get rid of Alan the Asshat. Now, you’ve demanded I settle a second time, and I don’t like it! You’re crossing that fine line between confident man and arrogant asshole. Make the mistake again of telling me to settle,” she continued, dropping her voice to try and mimic my tone, “and you just might come up missing a couple of body parts. Ones I bet you like.”
“Is that a fact?” I asked, unable to control the amused smile on my lips. My question was one step down from a taunt, and I was pretty sure the feisty woman across from me had caught on to my mockery, too, when she asked curtly, “Exactly how attached are you to that tongue of yours, Luka?”
“Now, hummingbird, you don’t wanna do that. Not until I’ve had a chance to show you all the naughty things I can do with it,” I chided lightly, watching her expressive eyes dilate.
“Stop saying stuff like that,” she demanded through barely moving lips as I watched a shiver slide down her body.
“Why? Is it turning you on?” I asked, smiling wickedly at her.
Michelle pursed her lips as she inhaled deeply through her nose. Her blush had receded slightly, but she was still flushed. “I think it’s time for me to go,” she returned, avoiding my question as she replaced her wineglass on the table and laid her hand over her shiny black clutch. Eyeing it, I didn’t know what it was possibly big enough to hold. Surely no more than a credit card and a lipstick.
I caught her wrist before she could lift the insubstantial bag in her hand. “No. Stay,” I urged before she could escape. “You still need to eat. Have dinner with me,” I requested, lifting my free hand to signal our watchful waiter again. “Believe me. You don’t want to miss the food.”
Grudgingly relenting, Michelle sank back in her seat before slowly nodding. “I’m going to say yes because I’ve had the food before, and it was delicious. And if I dressed up this much, I might as well enjoy a great meal for my efforts. But this is just dinner, right?” she clarified firmly, offering me a serious look.
I made sure to keep my face straight when I replied, “That’s all, hummingbird,” I assured in my most solemn voice. “I just want the pleasure of your company for a meal.” Well, that’s what I was willing to admit to for now[AO4][AO5], I amended to myself. She didn’t need to know that I planned to help her relieve herself of that pesky virginity as soon as I could coax her out of her panties.
“Okay,” she consented softly. “Just so there’s no funny business.”
I couldn’t resist teasing her. “Trust me, Michelle, you won’t be laughing if and when I decide to make my next move.”
“Luka…” she warned.
“Right now, I just want the pleasure of your company for a meal. Fine food shared with a finer woman.” At least that’s all I was willing to cop to wanting for now. [AO6]She didn’t need to know that I was already imagining how sweet her pussy would taste, did she?
Michelle shot me a dubious look but quickly blanked her face when our waiter arrived beside our table.
“May I help you, Mr. Templeton?” the young man wearing a crisp white apron asked us courteously before offering Michelle a friendly grin.
Exchanging a look with Michelle, I nodded toward the menu in front of her plate. “Do you trust me to order for us or would you rather select something yourself?” I asked.
“You decide. I’ll eat almost anything,” she demurred graciously, shooting our waiter Kevin a pleasant smile.
I bit the inside of my jaw as I realized how jealous that smile made me feel. Kevin was a nice enough kid, but he still had a dick, and I wanted all those bright smiles of Michelle’s aimed at me and only me. I didn’t realize I was frowning until I heard Kevin clear his throat nervously.
“S-sir?” he croaked, his pen hand trembling as he held it poised over his order book.
“Bring us two of the filet mignons, loaded baked potatoes and seasonal vegetables on the side. Bananas Foster for dessert and make sure to refill my woman’s wine glass and bring me another Glenlivit on the rocks. Got it?” I ordered, glancing up at him again.
“Y-yes, sir,” Kevin returned, quickly collecting the menu he’d left with Michelle when he seated her. “What dressings would you like on your pre-dinner salads?” he asked us with a nervous look.
“I’ll take the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Thank you, Kevin,” Michelle said sweetly.
“I’ll take the Russian,” I replied flatly, my blood boiling as I watched Kevin offer my woman another bashful smile. “You may go,” I dismissed him abruptly.
Waiting until our waiter was hurrying back toward the long wooden bar along one side of the dining room to place our drink orders, Michelle glared at me. “Was it necessary to be so rude to him? He was just doing his job.”
My jaw clenched. Why was she so worried about the damn waiter? I wanted her attention on me, damn it. “I wasn’t rude; I just wasn’t….”
“Friendly?” Michelle supplied sarcastically, staring me down.
“You smiled at him,” I confessed, wincing as I realized how petulant I sounded. Like a child robbed of his favorite stuffed animal.
“Uh, yeah…I’m a nice person,” Michelle informed me as if I was an idiot.
“I didn’t like it,” I admitted gruffly, unfamiliar with this feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it made me feel about an inch tall.
“You don’t like my smile?” she yelped, her green eyes darkening to the shade of emeralds.
“I don’t like you smiling at him,’ I retorted tersely.
Michelle’s lips curved upward into a small smile at my admission. “You’re jealous,” she noted softly, as her gaze lightened to a much softer jade hue. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed. On one hand, I’ve never had a man be jealous of my attention, but on the other, evidently, men act like jackasses when the green-eyed monster catches up with them.”
“If I get to choose, I’d like flattered, please,” I offered with a rueful smile. “Believe me, I’m not any more accustomed to this feeling than you are. I don’t particularly enjoy this feeling. Do Kevin and me a favor and keep those pretty smiles aimed at me, okay? It’ll be better for my blood pres
sure and much safer for him.”
“I’ll see what I can do, but I must warn you, I’m basically a kind person. I do wild and crazy things like smile at the people who bring me food to show my appreciation. I know, I know! I’m such a food slut,” she declared with a dramatic sigh.
I couldn’t help my laughter. Not only was this woman gorgeous, but she was funny as all fuck, too. “You are gonna be quite the handful, aren’t you?” I asked, meeting her eyes across the table.
Shifting in her seat and perching a hip on the chair to slap her ass, she nodded. “A big ol’ heaping handful if you know what I mean, Mr. Templeton.”
Sinking my teeth into my lower lip as I eyed her round ass, I nearly groaned. Because I knew just exactly what I wanted to do with that particular handful.
I just hoped Michelle could handle it, too.
Chapter Three
Michelle
After spending nearly two hours in his company, I’d learned several interesting tidbits regarding Luka Templeton.
First, Luka did not lie. Maybelle’s filet mignon did not disappoint. Like at all. The cooked-to-perfection meat had melted in my mouth. It was, in a word, delish.
Second, despite being almost a decade younger than him, I found I had a lot in common with Luka Templeton. We both enjoyed eating a great meal, binge watching The Big Bang Theory when life got rough and we needed a laugh, and going on long hikes when Tennessee’s mercurial weather permitted.
And third, if I wasn’t very careful, I was going to end up falling for a man who—regardless of the things we had in common—was way out of my league.
Putting down my fork as I fought the urge to lick the small dessert plate where minutes ago my scrumptious Bananas Foster had been, I reminded myself that I had been raised with some manners. So, as much as it pained me, I forced myself to push the delicate china saucer away and focus on the handsome man currently staring at me with a mixture of amusement and awe.
Eyeing my empty dish, his eyes twinkled as he grinned. “I take it you approved of the dessert Jean Luc prepared tonight?” he asked smoothly.
Flushing under the weight of his eyes, I fiddled with the lace edge of the tablecloth. “That was pure decadence, Luka. I think a monument of your chef should be erected in the town square,” I deemed staunchly as his low chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. I caught my breath when he reached out to capture my restless hand and bring it to his lips.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he murmured, brushing a kiss to my curled knuckles.
“I truly did.” I pressed my legs together under the table to try and ease the intense throbbing his touch created in my lady bits. How could the touch of one man make me react this way? It was like my entire body was electrified, and his touch was a live wire. When his lips lightly skimmed my flesh, it was as if every nerve ending in my body had been zapped by a jolt of pure adrenaline. I’d shared plenty of meals with men before and never had this kind of response. Although, I don’t think I’d ever shared dinner with a man quite as masculine as Luka was. What a shocker!
“I’ll definitely relay your compliment to him, hummingbird,” he promised as I withdrew my hand from his and reached for my napkin to delicately dab my lips.
“Please do,” I said quickly, nodding my head as I dropped my napkin to the table and reached out to toy with my wineglass. “I also want to offer you a thank you for tonight, Luka. You totally helped me salvage what could have otherwise been a really crappy evening,” I stated, feeling genuinely appreciative of his kindness.
“Believe me, that distinct pleasure was all mine. Sharing my dinner with a dazzling and intelligent virgin was certainly no hardship for me to bear.”
I groaned aloud. “Not gonna let that one go, are you?”
“I can’t, gorgeous. That information has been branded on my brain,” Luka imparted with a roguish smile, his obsidian eyes moving up and down my body slowly.
I should have been offended by the obvious way he was mentally undressing me, but a part of me was proud of the fact that I could make an experienced man like him hungry for a novice like me. He was eyeing me the same way I’d eyed my dessert when it had arrived at the table. Except he wanted to devour me instead of an order of Bananas Foster. “You need to try harder,” I advised as I nabbed my phone from the table.
“What are you doing?” he asked curiously as I slid my finger across the screen.
Briefly looking up at him, I smiled. “I just need to schedule an Uber home. I didn’t drive tonight so I could drink a couple glasses of wine.”
“Smart girl,” he praised with a pleased smile before reaching out to quickly extract the phone from my hands. “But that’s not necessary, Michelle.”
Furrowing my brows, I pursed my lips as I scooted forward to get my phone back. “Uh, Luka, it’s very much necessary. I don’t have my car.”
Luka easily evaded my grabby hand as he shook his head. “That’s okay. You’ve got a man now—one that won’t tolerate having you riding around in some strange car with a complete stranger. A complete stranger, might I add, that you will be giving your home address. So, no. It’s not happening. I’m taking you home tonight.”
“I literally do it all the time, Luka,” I blurted, so aghast that I purposefully ignored his announcement that I had a man now. Sheesh. A girl could only fight one battle at a flippin’ time.
“This doesn’t make me happier, Michelle,” Luka growled, a hard frown marring his handsome face.
“Oh, my God! You’re being completely ridiculous right now,” I argued, making another grab for my phone and gritting my teeth when I missed retrieving it by less than an inch.
“What’s ridiculous is a grown-ass woman who plays fast and loose with her safety,” he returned inflexibly, holding the phone out of my reach. “Trust me, gorgeous, I’m gonna win this fight because it means something.
“Whatever,” I mumbled, unwilling to be warmed by the fact that a hot guy was willing to fight with me in order to keep me safe. It didn’t mean anything, right? It couldn’t. He was just being nice. Yeah, that had to be it.
“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “Not, whatever, little girl. There will be no more Uber or Lyft or even fuckin’ roadside assistance. You got someplace to be and find that you need a ride, you call me. I’ll come get you. Anywhere, at any time,” he insisted, jerking his thumb toward himself.
Okay, his sentiment might be sweet, but his delivery sucked. AND he called me a little girl. That was just downright condescending and crossed a line I was unwilling to move for him. “Listen here, pops,” I began sarcastically, narrowing my eyes to slits as I gripped the edge of the table in a white-knuckled grip. “Last time I checked I was a free woman above the age of consent and had all the rights afforded to me as such. I neither wanted nor needed a daddy in my life since my own dad split before my third birthday. If I wanna grab an Uber, ride a bus, or take a flight on the flippin’ space shuttle, I’ll do exactly that, and I won’t be asking any man’s permission to do it. Got it?”
Luka’s jaw flexed as his eyes glittered with determination. “Listen here, you little suffragette. I support women’s rights. Hell, I love women that know their own mind, but I want MY woman safe at all times. That means she doesn’t take ANY ride with a person that might not value her safety as much as I do. So, that said, you wanna go to the fuckin’ moon? Fine, I fully support you, and I will happily buy the ticket for the seat beside you. But I’ll be damned if I allow you to wander into any situation with unknown, potentially dangerous variables. Sorry, Michelle. That’s the kind of man I am, and since there’s no way in fuck I’m gonna change, I suggest your stubborn little ass finds a way to deal with it.”
Unsure whether I wanted to laugh or scream at the extremes this guy wanted to go to for me, I fumed. “You have got to be kidding me!”
“Nope,” he returned evenly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Serious as a heart attack over here.”
“I don’t even know where to start
with you!” Flustered, I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the soft tresses curl around my fingers. “First of all, when the hell do you think I became yours, Luka?” I asked, my rattled voice raising a full octave. “I’m not yours. I’m mine. I mean, I belong to me and me alone.”
“Not anymore,” he asserted blandly, his broad shoulders lifting and falling underneath his expensive grey suit.
“Huh?” I grunted.
“I’m claiming you. In fact, I already claimed you,” he continued, looking down at my phone as he tapped his thumbs against the screen. “I’m putting all my numbers in here. I expect you to use them, hummingbird.”
My jaw dropped as I considered him across the table. He looked like a sane, rational man, but I guess the rumor was true—looks really could be deceiving. It appeared all that broody handsomeness was covering up a whole lotta crazy. “Claimed?” I managed to echo. “Do I look like an undiscovered country to you?” I yelled, for once not caring if I drew attention to myself. I had a madman to set straight, dammit!
Unperturbed, Luka smirked. “Yeah, babe, and I’ll give you three guesses where I wanna plant my flag.”
“Too bad, hotshot. This is free and sovereign land you’re tryin’ to conquer,” I retorted, holding my arms out to my sides before I could talk myself out of making a scene. Looking around at the sea of faces watching us with varying degrees of interest, I felt my stomach flutter and my cheeks get hot. I didn’t do things like this. I’d never been somebody that enjoyed being the center of attention, and this infuriating man was forcing me to make a spectacle of myself.
Luka’s lips tilted upward. “Damn, you’re cute when you’re all riled up. Those green eyes of yours are shining like a cat’s in the dead of night.”
“Yeah? Well, get ready. Because this pussy is fixin’ to claw out your eyeballs,” I hissed as I angrily bounced my foot underneath the table.
“The claws aren’t exactly a threat, hummingbird. I don’t think I’d mind wearing your marks at all. Let’s leave my eyes alone, though. I wanna see your beautiful body the first time you sink those sharp little nails into me,” he suggested with a nod to where my hands rested against the table.
Happily Ever Alpha: Until Sunrise (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3
