Page 147 of My Rules

He nods.

“That’s not creepy at all.” I smirk.

He smiles bashfully as he rearranges the napkin on his lap. “Maybe a little.”

“So ...” I shrug as I look around. “What happens now?”

“You drink red wine while I try my hardest to charm you.”

“What if I’m already charmed?”

“It’s not nearly enough.” His eyes search mine, and I smile over at the beautiful man opposite me. He’s just as nervous as I am.

A waitress arrives with a bottle of red, and she begins to uncork it.

“Thank you.” He smiles.

She fills our glasses and brings out her notepad. “Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have the beef ragù,” I tell her.

Blake smiles softly over at me as the air crackles between us.

“I’ll have the fettucine,” he replies, his eyes not leaving mine. “Thank you.”

The waitress disappears, and Blake reaches around and grabs the side of my chair and pulls it toward him so that we are sitting together. “That’s better.” His eyes hold mine, and there’s an intensity to them that I haven’t seen before.

“Is this where I get to experience the Blake Grayson A-game date?” I ask.

“No.” He rolls his lips, as if unsure what to say next, and an awkward silence falls between us.

“Can I?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think the best way to not let nerves get the better of us is to ...” I shrug. “Pretend that we don’t know each other.”

He smirks over at me.

“Maybe we could pretend that we just met on Bumble?”

“You know we were matched last weekend,” he replies.

“What?” I frown. “How do you know?”

“Because I swiped on you.”

“You did?”

“Uh-huh.” He smiles. “Don’t pretend you didn’t see it.”

“I honestly didn’t. I haven’t been on the app at all.”

“Swipe on me.” He sips his wine, and he has that mischief in his eyes that he gets.

“What, now?” I smile.

“Why not?” He shrugs.

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