Page 47 of Captivated By You

“Wow, Ash. Must be difficult to walk with all these people trying to crawl up your ass.”

He spluttered a laugh. “I haven’t visited here for a while. I expect they’re just trying to impress me.”

I pulled a face. “Does that kind of shit work?”

His head bent to the side, almost as if he hadn’t thought about it in that way. “It doesn’t hurt.”

He reached his hand across the table, palm up, and, like an idiot, I pressed mine to his. Bad move. His eyes lit up like an overdressed Christmas tree. But holy hotness, his hands were soft and warm and evoked all kinds of memories from that night when they hadn’t missed touching a single spot on my entire body.

Great. The pulsing clit was back. I clasped my thighs together, which didn’t help in the slightest.

“I made sure the manager knew how special tonight was. I expect he’s made it clear to the entire restaurant staff that they must deliver top-notch service.”

“Shouldn’t every guest receive the same treatment? I bet your salmon en croute costs more than a kidney on the black market. The least they deserve is a bit of simpering from Emma and whatshisname. Peacock guy.”

“Peacock guy?” The lift to Asher’s lips gave away his amusement. “And you’re right; it is expensive to eat here. Not quite the cost of a kidney, but I can assure you that every customer is treated with care and attention.”

“Like anything, there’re levels, huh, Ash?”

He tugged on his bottom lip with his free hand, and the topaz of his irises glimmered in the buttery light from the lamp on our table.

“I adore it when you call me Ash. It shows an intimacy between us that you might not be willing to acknowledge yet, but won’t be able to deny for long.”

I tugged my hand back, narrowing my eyes at him. “You’re tenacious. I’ll give you that.”

“If my mother were here, she’d give you some advice that it would be advisable to take.”

“Oh yeah? And what might that be?”

“Save yourself a lot of time and trouble. The more you fight me, the harder I will pursue you. It’s in my DNA.”

“Law enforcement might call that stalking, Ash.”

“And what about you? What do you call it?”

“Folly.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “You are enchanting.”

I picked up my menu to hide my smile. Every hetero woman liked to be chased by a man who made her feel as if she had his entire focus. Those who said they didn’t were lying.

“What do you recommend?” Smile smothered, I lowered my menu. “And why doesn’t my menu have prices on it?”

“Because I want you to choose something you like rather than worrying about what it costs.”

He’d pegged me dead-on. If I saw the prices, I’d have scanned down and chosen the cheapest thing on the menu. I mean, I could guess the stuff that would come with a hefty price tag. Caviar, obvs, lobster, yep. Filet mignon, absolutely.

“I’ll have the chicken.” I closed the leather-bound menu with a snap and set it on the table.

“Good choice. I’ll have the same.”

Emma appeared out of nowhere. I mused whether she had an invisibility cloak, or a sixth sense. More bowing and scraping ensued as Ash ordered for both of us, choosing a bottle of wine whose name I couldn’t even pronounce to go with the meal.

I waited for Emma to retreat. “Y’know, if you play your cards right, the lovely Emma might offer for you to father her firstborn.”

Ash’s smile dazzled me. Damn. He had charm in spades, and the glimmer of mischief that had been in his eyes all night told me he knew it, too. I switched subjects.

“Bet the wine costs at least a liver, and maybe a limb, too. Not a leg. Probably an arm. Definitely more than a finger.”

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