Page 18 of Fire

He paused, and she had to admit, she was enthralled by what was to come next. Gwen waited in silence, her fingers squeezing his, only to relax when she realized how firm her grip had become.

His eyes finally moved to hers. The intensity of his gaze so fierce, the green in their hazel depths had bled to mostly brown. “You fascinate me in ways I never thought possible. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want to fuck you, but for the first time in my life, that’s not all I want.”

She didn’t know him well, but unless he was an exceptional actor, it was hard not to see the truth behind his words—not only in his eyes but in his body language as well. The way he’d cut the distance between them, leaning toward her, body stretched as if silently reaching for her. The tight grip he had on her hand, squeezing their fingers together almost as if he were trying to fuse them so he would never have to let go. With his words and deeds, he was making it hard for her not to feel special.

“You fascinate me, too.” She regretted the softly spoken words as soon as they’d left her mouth. His eyes had instantly heated, darkening further, and she knew she’d given him more power. And with a man like Blake Stone, power was what she desperately needed to keep tucked close.

“Come home with me.”

His eyes were hypnotizing, but she resisted their pull. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Not to the club apartment.Myhome.”

Speaking of… “It’s Saturday, shouldn’t you be at the club?”

“I have a manager. Between him and my head of security, they can take care of things.” He smirked. “Now, quit changing the subject and tell me you’ll come home with me.”

Their waiter arrived with dessert, saving her from responding. She dipped her spoon through the chocolate mousse and let the whipped, creamy concoction melt on her tongue.

All the while, Blake didn’t even attempt to disguise the fact he watched her mouth, nor did he make a pretense of digging into his cheesecake dripping with cherries. Hell, he didn’t even bother picking up his fork.

He gave her a few more bites reprieve before he said, “You don’t answer my question, I’ll take the decision out of your hands and do whatIwant.”

Setting her spoon down, she used the napkin from her lap to blot her lips before placing it on the table, too full to eat another bite no matter how deliciously tempting the mousse was. “I already said it was a bad idea.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you won’t do it.”

She couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out.

Blake smiled, picking up his fork and scooping a large bite of cheesecake. “You’re coming.” He popped the bite in his mouth and chewed.

“I didn’t say that.”

Swallowing, he pointed out, “But you never said no, either. And if you didn’t really want to go, you’d have said so by now.”

She squinted her eyes, glaring at him.

Darn him for being right.

To be contrary and prove to herself she could do it, Gwen had Blake take her home after dinner.

Toherhome.

It was his smirk, illuminated each time they drove past a streetlight, that drew her attention and had her asking, “Why are you smiling?”

“I’m wondering what excuse you’ll give me as to why we’re a bad idea when I get you home and ask to see you tomorrow.”

“Sundays are my sweats and ponytail day.”

That made him laugh. “What?”

“My lazy day. The most strenuous thing I do is brush my teeth.”

He nodded as if he understood, but she didn’t think he could. After working all week, Sundays were her day of rest, and she took that very seriously. After sleeping in, she would spend hours in bed with a book until she grew hungry enough to brave the kitchen for food. After which, she would veg on the couch, catching up on her favorite shows. It was a ritual and one she rarely deviated from.

“What about Monday?”

“That’s my day for errands.”

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