Page 198 of By His Rule

“Let’s get this straight,” he growls from behind me. His hand is resting on the small of my back, ensuring my blood continues to simmer at boiling point. “The only man getting anywhere near you for the foreseeable future is me.”

I smirk, loving the jealous side that keeps appearing.

“I think that’s for me to decide, not you.”

“We’ll see.”

As I expected, Kian leads me to a five-star restaurant on the building’s rooftop. I had no idea it was even up here. Something tells me that I’m not the only one. It seems to be something of a secret.

The second he walks up to the desk, he’s welcomed by name, and after some pleasantries, we’re guided to our table that’s located inside its own pod.

I stare upward in complete awe. I’ve never dined anywhere like it.

We have an unobstructed view of the clear night sky above us. It’s hands-down the most romantic location I’ve ever experienced.

And I’m with my boss.

“You like it?” Kian asks, his attention fully on me instead of the incredible view above us.

“It’s incredible.”

“Not always a bad thing being a flashy motherfucker, is it?”

“You said it,” I mutter.

Ripping my eyes from the stars, find his dark green ones staring down at me.

Desire continues to burn red hot within them, turning the green I’m used to almost black.

“Thank you,” I whisper, needing him to know that despite all the shit I give him, I do really appreciate all these experiences he’s giving me.

He shrugs like all of this is no big deal. I guess it isn’t to him.

“I was hardly going to take you to a McDonalds for our first date, was I?”

I frown, trying to fight my amusement. “Wait, you know what McDonalds is?”

“I’m not that out of touch.”

“Are you sure?” I ask as a server approaches to fill our water glasses and take our drinks order.

“Would you like wine?”

The sensible thing to do would be to say no and stick to water. I might stand a chance of not losing my head—or my body—to this man if I remain sober.

But sadly, my lips aren’t in agreement with my brain. They seem to have sided with my body, because the words that spill free are, “Sure. Your choice.”

I could choose the wine, but without even opening the menu, I already know that I’m not going to recognize a single bottle on the list. I also know that the prices are going to utterly terrify me.

Ignorance is bliss in this situation.

Kian orders us a bottle of red, which I’ve no doubt will probably be the best bottle of red wine I’ve ever tasted. There are certainly some perks to fake dating this man.

Not that we’re dating in any way…

As if he can read my thoughts, he sits back in his seat and sips his water with a smirk on his face.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

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