Page 76 of Need

Then I saw him nod his head in my direction before turning back to Stephan. I didn’t hear what he said, though, because Lily edged her chair a little closer to me and whispered, “I’m glad I didn’t get myself into too much trouble tonight. I was hoping we could talk during dinner.”

“Do you... do you get in trouble a lot?”

“Sometimes.” She frowned. “Most of the time it’s about running late because I can’t find the right thing to wear. You’d think I’d be better at time management given what I do for a living, but there is always one more thing that needs to be done before I leave. Only seems to happen when he’s home, though. I guess I get distracted.” She giggled.

I thought about that, and I guessed it made sense. She was an event planner, so she was used to details.

“But enough about me,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “How are things going with you and Stephan?” I felt my cheeks heating again. She laughed. “That good, huh?”

“Yes, and... and I wanted to ask...” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Is it normal?”

“Is what normal?” she asked when I didn’t continue.

“To feel warm. And... jittery?”

She looked confused. I hated when I wasn’t explaining things well enough. “When do you feel warm and jittery?”

“When he holds me. When he kisses me. And... and when he... touches me,” I whispered the last part.

Lily smiled and took hold of my hand. “That’s great,” she gushed.

I jerked from the sudden movement, and saw Stephan look in my direction. “Is it?”

“Of course it is. Don’t you like the feeling?”

“Yes.” I smiled shyly. “It’s nice. I like when he kisses me.” Then I asked the question that had been burning in my mind this afternoon. “Does that mean I’m... attracted... to him?”

She laughed. “It does.”

I smiled back at her and felt a weight lift off my chest. It felt good to understand what I was feeling and relate it to what I’d read in books. My gaze drifted over to where Stephan was in deep conversation with Logan. He’d angled his chair in a way that I knew he was still paying close attention to me and my well-being.

“So have you seen him naked yet?” Her abrupt question had me staring wide-eyed at her. When I didn’t answer, she prompted me again. “Well?”

“I...” I felt another blush spread across my cheeks.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said. “What did you think? See anything you liked?”

It felt weird to be talking about this, even with Lily. Thankfully, I was saved when Stephan asked, “What are you ladies over there giggling about?”

“Just girl talk,” Lily said.

“Hmm,” Stephan said.

As if on cue, the waiter came with our drinks. I’d somehow missed him coming to the table the first time.

Stephan

I loved watching Brianna relaxed and enjoying herself. It was rare, especially when we were out in public. She’d been nervous at first, which was understandable, but it seemed that whatever girl talk Lily had engaged her in significantly distracted her from her nerves.

The waiter set our drinks down in front of us, and I informed him we would need another minute.

“Do you know what you’d like, Brianna?” I asked, motioning toward her menu.

“No,” she said, quickly picking it up.

Turning my attention to my own menu, I looked over their steak selection. Logan loved his steak, which was the sole reason we were at this restaurant. Apparently, they had the best steaks in town. They had a decent selection, from prime rib to a chopped sirloin. I decided, however, to go with a nice rib eye since I’d never eaten here before.

Having made my selection, I looked over at Brianna. “Did you decide?”

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