Page 9 of Adrian (Love Under the Lights 3)

“I could take him back to my place, if you want,” I suggested.

“It’s not a problem? The restaurant allows dogs, and everyone loves Duke. Even Dane,” he reassured me. “And I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

“I really don’t mind.” I wrapped my fingers around the top of Duke’s leash and tugged. “He can fill in for the mice and the birds when Jen acts like my fairy godmother and dresses me up like Cinderella tonight.”

“I guess you’d better take Duke then. I’m already taking you out on the cheapest date in history, so I wouldn’t want you to miss out on any of the Cinderella experience.” He handed the leash over to me. “If you don’t mind, I can pick him up after our date.”

“I don’t mind extra time with Duke at all.” And I also liked knowing that Adrian was going to walk me up to my apartment after our date, all gentleman-like.5AdrianMy blood pressure spiked as the chauffeur-driven Escalade I’d hired for the night pulled up in front of Casey’s apartment. The building appeared to be an untouched relic from the sixties and the area was shit. The sinking feeling in my gut worsened after I got out of the car and made my way to the building. The lone security feature was an ancient gate that didn’t latch properly. Since finding a deranged superfan in my house, I had a new appreciation for locks, alarms, and guard-gated communities. Casey’s apartment felt like one giant security risk, and that didn’t sit well with me. It was crazy that my first thought was to have her move in with me, considering we’d met for the first time earlier in the day and had spent less than an hour together.

I tried to push those thoughts away as I walked through the gate and headed for her apartment, biting back a curse when I noted that she lived on the bottom level. Everyone knew break-ins were more common in first-floor units. All thoughts I’d been having about the safety of her building were wiped clean from my brain when she opened the door to her apartment. I was stunned by her beauty. She’d already been gorgeous in the park without even trying, but dressed to the nines with her hair done up and makeup enhancing her features, she truly was a knockout. Her dress was red, and she looked sexy as hell. My eyes trailed over her hungrily as I took it all in.

I’d gotten sidetracked checking the way her strappy black heels accented her perfect legs. My heart beat faster as I imagined her lying on my bed wearing nothing but the heels.

“Hi,” she said, humor evident in her tone. “I’m up here, by the way.”

Busted.

Clearing my throat, I looked up at her and grinned. “I can’t help it. You look fucking incredible.”

The blush that spread across her cheeks only made me want her more. I wondered how the fuck it was possible she appeared to have no clue about how stunningly beautiful she was.

“Thanks,” she whispered shyly, the blush on her cheeks deepening. “I owe it all to Jen. She took her role as my fairy godmother more seriously than I expected. Not only did she find this amazing dress, but she also had someone do my hair and makeup.”

“My assistant is damn good at her job, but she doesn’t deserve all the credit here. You were already gorgeous when I saw you in the park earlier.” Duke chose that moment to trot over to the doorway and bark at us. Bending low, I gave him a good scratch. “See, Duke agrees, too.”

I straightened back to my full height, and her blue eyes filled with feminine appreciation as she returned the favor and took in my expertly tailored Brioni shirt and pants. “He could’ve been barking at you since you don’t look half bad yourself.”

“Unfortunately for me, not half bad won’t cut it,” I teased back, the heat in her gaze letting me know that she thought I looked a fuck of a lot better than she was letting on. “My agent will rip me a new one if my red carpet pictures look shitty.”

“I might’ve downplayed it a teensy bit because I didn’t want you to get too big of a head,” she admitted as she stepped outside.

Duke went to follow her, but when she crouched down and set a few tiny homemade dog biscuits on the floor for him, he happily trotted toward them. Seeing how she’d thought about how he’d react to us leaving without him made me want her even more.

After she shut and locked the door, I settled my hand just above the curve of her lush ass and guided her down the sidewalk to the waiting SUV. “Should I be worried?”

She waited until we were safely tucked into the back of the vehicle to ask, “About what?”

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