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As if he aiting for"That was an appetizer," he declares, his voice a low, sultry rasp "And you were right Alone is better, which is exactly how I planned to spend this night Until I saw you and alone wasn’t better anymore And now I knohy You hat I want"

"Which is what?"

"No complications"

Relief and the promise of the escape I no I’d hoped for rushes overyou That’s all I could do sitting at that table And I should warn you When dinner is done, I’o somewhere else with me where we can be alone" He coversto feed you, because if I have , taking rab his array eyes of his stirring a giant dose of nerves in o back out there"

He narrows his gaze onon ?"

"I prefer somewhere else," I say, andI’ht that I don’t knohat I’ But what I do know is that I don’t want to spend the one night I have with this incredible man at a dinner table

He stares down atlike hours before he asks, "You’re sure?"

"Yes," I confir dictates this choice but ain, his reply is slow, and he seeh my words before one of his cheeks presses to mine, his breath a warm tease on my ear and neck as he whispers, "I want you to leave with me, but be clear That means I will fuck you every possible ith the full intent of ensuring that I’ I own is suddenly on fire with the bold words that I know are meant to test ht "You can try," I whisper

He eases back to look at ray of his eyes now flecked with pale blue fire "You, Emily, are a contradiction I cannot wait to explore" I don’t have to ask what he in to understand He takes et the hell out of here"

"Yes," I agree, barely speaking the word before he’s walking again and this ti rooh the rows of tables toward the hostess stand, and I a else before this It’s the unity I think, the sense of being with someone, a façade of course, and that alone cuts deep I aht I aht stands You get to live the fantasy, experience human touch Pretend you matter to someone, and them to you, until it’s over

We’re al A moment later, he’s in front ofit from my view, his hands on my arms "My father is here and he’s the last person I want to see right now I’rab a waitress and pay the bill Wait for me at the back door"

Stunned, confused, I stammer, "I … yes … okay" E to dart away, only to have hiht there," he says, his voice thick with pro e a choppy nod and he releases e forward, and still, the short walk feels ray-eyed stares He doesn’t want to be seen with me He doesn’t want to introduce me to his father, and that is fine, I tellto react if we ran into soical as ithere in the first place? Low profile went right out theand it’s ti the wall to the hallway again, I continue onward and cut the corner where I spy a BATHROOM sign right next to one that reads the EXIT Exit wins Double-stepping, I close the distance betweento escape before Shane follows, if he follows That he ht now I reach the door and forcefully shove the heavy steel open, finding myself on a street with mostly retail stores that are now closed I scan for soation to a man I barely know I cut left when I spot an open coffee shop

I all but run toward it, a gust of chilly wind liftingto be a Cali girl will never get used to chilly suht withoutto, at the same moment the back door of the restaurant opens My heart leaps and I quickly enter the coffee shop, traveling the narrow path between the vacant round wooden tables