Page 37 of Awakening

“Thank you. You look handsome as well. I like this sweater,” I say, and before I know what I’m doing, I reach over and touch the soft material, feeling the hard muscle tighten beneath.

My eyes widen as I look up to meet his and see him intently watching me. He takes my hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss. “I’m glad you like it,” he says, as he lowers my hand, but keeps it within his grasp. My stomach tingles when I allow my fingers to be laced with his.

“So, where are we going?” I ask as nervous energy buzzes through my entire body.

“We’re going to a place called The Chophouse. The food is incredible.”

“Oh, have we been there?”

“We have,” he says with a nod. “It’s one of our favorites when we’re in town.”

He opens the door for me when we get to his car, only releasing my hand once I’m seated. It’s only about a five minute drive to the restaurant, which he uses to show me other various spots that he and I like to frequent together.

The restaurant is cozy and intimate with dim lighting and soft jazz music playing in the background. The hostess seats us at a booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant, and soon after we are greeted by our waiter with a cart of the actual cuts of meat featured in the evening’s specials.

“I can give you both some time to look over our menu selections,” the waiter offers.

“Actually,” Ethan says, looking at me for approval, “may I?” he asks, gesturing to the menu.

“Please,” I say with a smile. I’m very curious to hear how well Ethan knows my food preferences.

“We’ll start with the pancetta wrapped scallops, then we’ll both have the beef tenderloin filet, medium, with parmesan roasted baby potatoes, and the grilled lemon broccolini. We’ll also take a bottle of the Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon.”

“Ah, excellent selections. Very good, sir. I’ll return with your wine shortly.”

“Thank you,” Ethan says, placing the wine list back onto the white linen covered table.

“That sounds wonderful,” I say, picking up the wine list just to see what else they have out of curiosity. “Have I had Screaming Eagle before?” I ask just before my eyes land on the price. “Ethan, what were you thinking? This wine costs over forty-five hundred dollars.”

He grins and takes the wine list from my hands, returning it to its original location. “To answer your first question, no, you’ve not had this wine yet. I had it at a business dinner not long ago, and I thought it would pair perfectly with the beef. As far as the price,” he says, taking my hand from across the table, “tonight is a special occasion. You’re safe, and that’s certainly worth celebrating.”

I look at our hands as he traces circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. “Well, you did very well ordering for me,” I say, looking up at him with a small smile.

“I know exactly what you like, Olivia. I know how to please you.” His steel blue eyes pierce my own, sending the heat of arousal shooting through my core, leaving me at a loss for words. “Tell me about your day. What did you and Chloe do?”

Finding it hard to concentrate as he stares at me with those piercing eyes, I still manage to tell him about my day of shopping and reminiscing with Chloe. “It was really nice to spend time with her today. It actually felt…normal.”

Ethan nods as the corner of his mouth turns up in an understanding smile. “I’m sure it did. I’m glad you had a nice time today.”

“Here we are,” the waiter says when he returns several minutes later with our very expensive wine and scallops. Ethan remains focused on me while the waiter uses his corkscrew to open the wine at our table. He doesn’t even let go of my hand as the waiter pours a small amount into his glass. Using his free hand, Ethan swirls the glass a few times, then smells the wine before bringing the glass to his lips for a taste.

“Perfect. Thank you,” he says, returning his glass to the table.

“Wonderful, sir.” The waiter pours a glass for both of us before leaving us alone again.

Using my free hand, I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip. “Oh, wow. That really is very good.”

“I knew you’d like it,” Ethan says, taking another drink. “So,” he says with a pause, “I want to apologize for things getting out of hand with Moretti a couple of times yesterday. I should have had better control of my temper. The last thing I want is for you to think you need to be afraid of me in any way.”

“Thank you for the apology. I really do appreciate it.”

“I think I just—I don’t know, Olivia,” he says with another sigh.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I’m willing to let it go, and start fresh. I understand stressful situations can make people do things they wouldn’t otherwise, and I can only imagine how difficult this has been for you.”

“You have no idea,” he says with a tight jaw. “Thank you for understanding.”

I squeeze his hand and give him a small smile. “Of course. I should also thank you for being understanding that I need some time on my own before making a major move toward the future.”

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