Page 78 of Marrying the Billionaire

He blinks at me a few times, then smiles. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I want all of that. Everything you said.”

“Even the dog?” I sniff.

He nods again, his beautiful blue eyes crinkling at the corners, as he brings me in closer, his lips still smiling as he kisses me softly at first, then more deeply, his hand moving around to cup the back of my head in a gentle hold.

What’s happening right now? Did I just confess I wanted a real relationship and he… agreed?

There’s a knock at the door and the server enters once more. “Are you ready to order?”

I lean back in my seat, flustered, as she pours water for us and Archer orders a balsamic steak salad. When she asks me, it takes me a moment to focus on the menu, my mind still racing. “Um…”

“What do you have that’s vegetarian?” Archer asks.

“Oh, we have a great beet salad with arugula and goat cheese.”

“That good?” he asks me.

“Yeah, that sounds delicious. Thanks.” I hand her my menu, waiting till she leaves before turning to him. “I never told you I’m a vegetarian. Did Lori tell you?”

“No, I just noticed you never eat meat.”

A delighted smile creeps over my face. “You noticed that about me?”

“I notice a lot about you.” He glances down, straightening his knife and fork. “How generous you are, always doing things for me.” He looks at me again, warmth in the beautiful blue of his eyes. “How passionate you are about your shelter. I admire that. How brave you’ve been with all the shitty stuff your parents have put you through.”

He reaches out and grips my hand. “But I didn’t see all the obvious stuff, apparently. That you wanted all those things, that you felt so strongly about it. I don’t know how I missed it.”

I shake my head before he’s even finished talking. “No, it’s not your fault.” My palms dampen, a fluttering sensation in my stomach threatening to escape. “I haven’t been entirely truthful.”

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