Page 25 of Mine for a Moment

She looks into my eyes, insecurity flashing through them. “It’s just…you’ve clearly been here before. It’s silly, but my thoughts just began to spiral. I thought of you coming here with Tyra, and I just felt so guilty to be sitting here with you. It’s not my intention to take her place. I’d never dare even dream of it, and I just…”

I cup her face, the same guilt she’s feeling hitting me hard too. “I’ve never been here with her, but even if I had, it wouldn’t matter. One of the reasons I agreed to this arrangement between us is because I want to make an active effort to let her go.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “No one could ever replace her, but I don’t want to live in the past anymore.”

She nods, her expression solemn. “Me neither. When I added this place to my list, I thought that I’d come here with—”

I lean in and kiss her, cutting her off. She startles, and then shekisses me back, her hand wrapping around the back of my neck. My forehead drops to hers when I pull away, my heart racing. “I don’t want his name on your lips when you’re with me.”

She bites down on her lip when I pull away, her gaze heated, and I can’t help but smile. It’s odd, how frequently I find myself smiling in her presence. I’m enthralled by her, and I don’t snap out if it until our brunch is served by the chef himself.

“He seemed even more nervous than the manager was,” Serenity says, taking a bite of her food, the sun shining down on her beautifully, illuminating her like some sort of goddess.

“Probably because I own this restaurant and he realizes that he’ll lose his job if you don’t enjoy his food.”

She stares at me wide-eyed, and I grin.

“What?” I murmur. She’s so fucking precious, and I don’t think she even realizes it.

Serenity pouts in the cutest fucking way, and desire rushes through me. How the fuck does she do this to me? “I thought this was just a popular date spot for you and that’s why they all knew you. I’ve seen photos of you with famous models and actresses in that gossip magazine, The Herald.”

I grin as I cup her face, my heart beating wildly. “You’re jealous.” Her eyes flash angrily, and I chuckle. “What a beautiful fucking sight. Almost as pretty as when you come for me.”

“I—I’m not!”

I smirk as I lean in to kiss her, taking my time to part her lips and tangle my tongue with hers, just the way she likes it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about her body recently, it’s that her tongue is sensitive, and kissing her turns her on faster than anything else could.

“I’m yours,” I promise her when I pull away, enjoying the way she pants for me, the way her eyes fill with desire, all for me. “I’m yours forhowever long this lasts, Serenity. I don’t share, and I don’t expect you to either. While we’re together, you’ll have all of me.” I pause then, hesitating. “Besides, none of those dates were what you think they were.”

She nods and pulls back a little, clearly flustered as she reaches for her fork and takes a bite of her truffle eggs. “Tell me about the restaurant,” she says. “I never realized you owned anything other than Serenity Solutions.”

I smirk as I grab her wrist and steal her next bite off her fork. She makes me act in ways I never have before. Somehow, being with her makes me more playful, more like a version of myself I thought disappeared over a decade ago.

“My mom loves cooking, and when my grandfather disowned me for refusing to follow in his footsteps and becoming a hotelier, she began to implement weekly cooking classes for my sister and me over video calls. I think it was just her way to ensure I stayed part of our family even after I moved out and began to spend less time with them, but it resulted in me becoming a huge foodie. I wouldn’t want to be a chef, but I love the idea of having some input on menus and giving aspiring chefs a chance. Every time I find a new chef I love, I check if they’d like to run a restaurant for me.” I point at her food and smile. “I found this chef through his social media videos. He’d been cooking at home as a hobby while working three different jobs, but he was meant for this restaurant, and hiring him was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

She looks at me with a hint of pride, and it does something to me, makes me feel vulnerable. “Why doesn’t anyone know about this? I’ve never heard Ezra mention it.”

I shrug. “He knows, but he also knows I like to keep these kinds of things low-key.”

She nods, and we fall into easy conversation as we eat. I let hersteal bites of my food, and she lets me steal kisses. Everything with her is so fucking effortless, and I never knew it could be like this. I feel so free around her. I didn’t even realize how tense I was before I sat down here with her.

“What other hobbies do you have?” she asks eventually, genuine interest in her expression. “I feel like I’ve known you for half my life and I’m only just finding out that I don’t actually know you at all.”

I grin as I place my hand on her thigh and squeeze. “I’d argue that you know me better than most.”

She bites down on her lip again and throws me a flustered look.“Arch.”

I laugh and pinch her chin as I lean in for a quick kiss. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun just hanging out and chatting with someone. “I love art,” I tell her. “Food and art are the two biggest loves of my life.” I look into her eyes, my gaze searching. “I’m a huge fan of The Muse. Have you ever heard of her?”

Her eyes widen a fraction, panic clouding them for a second, before we’re interrupted by the chef serving us desserts before she can answer. I watch her as she looks at the variety of pastries and cakes excitedly, and the way she moans when she takes a bite of chocolate cake fucking drives me wild.

“Come here,” I murmur, pulling her onto my lap.

She gasps as I wrap my arms around her. “Archer,” she whisper-shouts.

“No one can see us from here, and now that we’ve been served dessert, they won’t bother us for a while.” I lean in and kiss her just below her ear, earning myself a delicious little shiver. “I vividly remember you putting one interesting item on your list when I asked you what you wanted sexually.” She wanted me to make her come in public, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Her breath hitches when I part her legs and slip my fingers between them, my cock twitching when I find her wet already. I suspected kissing her as much as I have been today would do it for her, but feeling it…fuck. Nothing makes me feel more powerful than knowing I have that effect on her.

“Eat your dessert, baby.”

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