Page 64 of The Thug And His Doll

I move past him, picking up my black woollen coat hanging on a hook by the front door. I’m about to put it on when he takes it from me, holding it open.

“Here, allow me,” he says roughly.

I slide my hands into the sleeves, and his hands linger on my shoulders, his body close to mine as he lowers his voice and says, “You really do look beautiful, Lia.”

“Thank you,” I reply softly, my heart squeezing as a different kind of warmth pools down low at the gruffness of his voice.

“Have a nice time, Mama,” Toby says as I step away from Drix and crouch down to draw him in for a quick hug, glad for the distraction.

“Be good for Daisy. No staying up past eight o’clock, okay?” I say, rising upwards.

“Don’t fear, he’ll be tucked up in bed eight o’clock sharp,” Daisy assures me.

“You have my number, so just call me if you need to.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Now you two go on and have a great time,” Daisy says as Drix rests his hand on my lower back, pulling the front door open. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she adds, wriggling her brows as we both turn to look at her.

“See you later, Daise,” Drix says, shooting her a glare as he steps aside so I can pass by him.

The whole drive Drix is thoughtful. My anxiety seems to increase with every mile. He’s never been so quiet around me. Automatically my hands reach for the hem of my dress, tugging at it as I pull it down.

“Drix, is everything okay?” I ask. “We could go back if you’ve changed your mind.”

“No, absolutely not,” he replies, swiping a hand through his hair. He side-eyes me, his gaze dropping briefly to where my hands fiddle with my dress, before quickly snapping his head back around. The car lurches forward as he presses on the gas.

“You’re acting strange. What’s wrong?”

“I’m good. Nothing’s wrong,” he replies tightly.

I stiffen in my seat, uncertain what’s happening. Despite my nerves, I was looking forward to tonight. Now I don’t know how I feel. An uneasiness settles inside of me, and I feel that growing confidence diminishing with every mile.

Five minutes later we’re pulling into the car park of Bandits Bar. Drix parks the car, switching the engine off. People are already gathered outside, and I see Baxter and Riley talking animatedly outside the entrance, their laughter quite a contrast to the sudden tension in the car.

“It’s honestly okay if you don’t want to be seen with me. I can get a cab back home,” I say softly, trying to hide the tremble in my voice.

“Fuck. No. Lia…” he says, shifting in his seat to face me. I force myself to look at him, and my stomach lurches at the tortured expression on his face.

“Am I overdressed? I probably should’ve just worn my jeans. I haven’t been out for a long time and I guess I wanted to put on something nice,” I ramble, pulling at my skirt, but it just keeps riding up my legs, showing off my thick thighs.

“I meant what I said, you look absolutely stunning, Lia,” he says, blowing out a breath.

“Then what is it? I don’t understand what I did.”

“You’ve done absolutely nothing. I’m just having trouble…” His voice trails off, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he grits his teeth, holding back whatever it is that’s on his mind.

“Trouble?” I hedge, turning to face him. My skirt slips higher, and his eyes drop to my legs once again.

“Keeping my hands off you, Lia,” he rumbles. “I’m really trying so fucking hard not to touch you.”

“Touch me?” I croak.

“Jesus, fuck,” he grinds out, swiping a hand over his face. “From the moment I met you I’ve wanted to kiss you, and every day that has passed that feeling has only gotten stronger. Tonight, when you walked down the stairs looking like a damn goddess… I just wanted to…” His voice trails off as Baxter notices us, waving as he approaches the car.

Heat flashes through me at his words, all that uncertainty falling away and being replaced with a warm feeling that just grows more intense as he continues to stare, his eyes rising from my legs all the way up to my face.

“The whole way here I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to get through the night with a raging hard on. It’s more than a little uncomfortable.”

“Oh…” I shift in my seat, feeling both incredibly flattered and a little unsure how to act.

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