Page 149 of Alive At Night

Which was why it didn’t surprise me when his lips spread in a cocky smirk.

“Take them off, Daisy.”

My head whipped back around at that. “What?”

“I’m solving the problem.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Take them off.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. Besides the light filtering in from the streetlamp, the car was dark. But I saw the desire and mischief brewing in Julian’s gaze all the same.

His demand was ridiculous, but I found myselfwantingto obey. After all, it would drive Julian wild knowing I didn’t have anything beneath this dress, and I loved driving Julian wild.

With slightly shaky hands, I pushed my dress up around my hips and hooked my fingers in my underwear to wiggle out of them. Julian’s burning gaze traced my every movement as I snuck them off one foot and then the other before dropping the damp underwear in his outstretched palm.

He raised a brow. It was anI-told-you-sobrow raise. Because he had been right; I’d been so disastrously wet for him. My lips pressed together, indenting with a slightly embarrassed smile in response to his expression.

He curled his fingers around my underwear, balling them into his pocket. “Good girl.”

Indecision flashed in Julian’s eyes, and I could tell he was debating skipping dinner altogether. But after a pause, he slipped out of the car and walked around to open my door for me.

“How are your feet holding up in those heels?” Both concern and humor lingered in Julian’s voice as we walked hand in hand across the street.

“Don’t you worry about my feet,” I said with a laugh. “I told you. There’s a lot I can do in these things.”

“Can’t wait to find out,” Julian murmured before swinging open the restaurant’s front door for me.

My jaw dropped at the adorable sight that greeted us when we walked in. A feeling of warmth filled the tiny Italian eatery, likely from the fireplace that acted as a focal point on the back wall. A curved ceiling hosted twinkling lights, making the restaurant feel a bit cavernous. But in a secretive sort of way—like we’d just strode through a portal instead of a door.

Based on the presence of white tablecloths and perfectly uniformed waiters, I was glad to be wearing this dress as opposed to the one I had left the house in earlier. In his well-tailored suit, Julian fit right in as he walked to the stand to inquire about our reservation.

He flashed me a smile as the hostess gathered our menus, and I wished I could conjure up something to say. I was almost too blown away to speak. But mostly, I hoped Julian didn’t think he had to spend money to impress me. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but once again, I was hesitant to bring up the cost, not wanting to offend him.

So I settled on expressing my awe instead.

“This place is really nice,” I said under my breath as I slid into our chairs across from each other. “Like really nice.”

Julian appeared to find that comment amusing, his brow quirking.

“What’s that look for?” I asked.

“It’s just…did you think I was going to take you out for a cheap beer on our first date?”

“You do love cheap beer,” I said in defense, even though I’d always known he would take tonight seriously.

Things felt serious.

But we’d never confirmed that, and tonight, that felt wrong. I wanted to know that this was precisely what it felt like.

“Julian…” I hesitated, trying to plan my words out. But a moment later, they just tumbled from my lips. “Exactly what kind of date is this?”

Julian cocked his head to the side but didn’t miss a beat before answering. “The kind that’s repeated.”

I attempted to suppress my smile, but it was a useless effort. “We haven’t even gotten drinks yet, and you already know you want a second date, huh?”

“Second date?” He chuckled. “No, Daisy. I want all the dates. Every date.”

I swallowed, knowing I needed even more of an answer from him. Just to be sure. “And while we’re going on all those dates, are we going on other dates?”

“Other dates?” Julian repeated. “You mean with other people?”

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