Page 24 of Blades of Obsession

“I’ll have a waiter come in two minutes for your orders. Enjoy the array of drinks at the table,” the hostess says before scurrying off.

I take a subtle look around the private room. The expensive decor is decked out in white and gold, with soft ambient lighting that creates the mood of a five-star hotel.

Suddenly my nerves kick up.

I hate ordering. I hate ordering. I hate ordering.

The waiter—a different one from earlier—comes through the door and approaches our table. Blade orders a bland grilled chicken entrée with sides. I didn’t take him for the healthy type. But then again, his nice physique didn’t come out of thin air.

“She’ll have a lasagna entrée, no bread,” he says, gathering both menus and handing them to the waiter.

The waiter doesn’t even confirm if that’s what I actually want. Hell, he doesn’t even glance in my direction once before walking out of the room.

“I guess my menu was just for show, huh?”

“I guess so.” There’s amusement in his tone.

“I’m gluten-free. I can’t have lasagna.”

He chuckles. “They make a gluten-free lasagna.”

“Oh, well, I guess you got lucky.”

“Lucky? Or did I specifically order that because it’s your favorite food? Or did I bring you to this restaurant because they have the best gluten-free lasagna in town? Or did I order for you because I know you’re nervous about ordering at restaurants? I don’t believe in luck, I believe in preparation.”

He’s right, lasagna is my favorite food. My mom used to cook it for me all the time before my gluten-sensitivity diagnosis. She’d use a big cookie cutter to shape my piece into a heart when I was little.

“How do you know all that?” I ask.

He smirks. “It’s amazing what information people will give up with the right motives in place.”

“My dad...” Did he give Blade a whole rundown of my life? He’s the only one who knows all that.

“Your dad did several things he had to do to stay out of trouble for taking you to John’s house.”

My eyes widen. “How do you know about that?”

“I told you, I know everything about you . And I’m going to have fun punishing you for it.” He licks his lips, and the action fires something inside me. Curse him for having perfect, plump lips.

I clear my throat to bat away the obscene thoughts about to cross my mind. By punish does he mean…

“Ask me anything. This is our official first date. So you can get to know me like you wanted.”

“I didn’t say that. All I said was I didn’t know you.”

“Right. Which implies if you did know me, you’d give me a willing chance.”

I mean, I don’t have a choice but to give him a chance, do I? But he doesn’t know about John’s threat and I’m sure as hell not stirring up any trouble by telling him.

He places his hand over mine and uses his thumb to caress the area. When I try to pull my hand away, he tightens his grip to hold it still. Instead of protesting further, I think about what type of question I want to ask him. Although, I don’t know if I want to get too deep, the less I start to know about him, the better.

“What made your mother come up with a name like Blade?”

He tenses for a second. It’s so subtle I almost miss it, but I feel it in the way his hand tightens.

“Shedidn’t name me that. It’s a nickname.” His emphasis on the word ‘she’ seems like a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Really? So what’s your real name?” I’m curious now. All this time he’s known every detail of my life, while I don’t even know his real name.

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