Page 17 of Sam (Eye Candy Ink)

“Does it bother you?” I ask him, nodding to the people staring at us.

“What?” Max asks and I see that he hasn’t taken his eyes off me.

“People staring at us like that. Like you should be with someone more… normal.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. I want you, Samantha. Only you.”

I smile shyly at that. “So, you like all of my tattoos and piercings then?”

“I fucking love them. Although I don’t think that I’ve seen all of them yet,” he says, his eyes heating as he looks over my body.

“You haven’t,” I say, my voice coming out husky.

Before he can respond, the waiter comes over and asks us what we’d like to drink. I let Max talk wines with him and order for both of us as I look over the menu. It’s an upscale seafood place but I don’t really like fish and I’m allergic to shellfish. I try to find a different option but it doesn’t look like there is any.

“What looks good?” Max asks as he opens his own menu.

“This salted caramel cheesecake.”

He laughs at that and I smile, loving the sound.

“We can get dessert. What did you want as a main course though?”

“Um…” I trail off, looking over the small menu for some option that I might have missed.

“Are you not hungry?”

“I’m allergic to shellfish,” I admit.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Samantha. I should have asked before I made reservations. Let’s go. We can find someplace else,” he says as he drops his napkin and a hundred on the table and stands up.

He pulls my chair out for me and links our hands together as he drags me out of the restaurant.

“Are you going to be okay? I mean you breathed it in. How does that work?” He asks as he tucks me into his car. I smile, loving how concerned he is about me.

“I have to eat it. I’ll be fine.”

He nods and climbs behind the wheel.

“What would you like to eat?” He asks as he starts the car.

We’re in downtown so there’s a lot of choices but it’s late and without reservations, we can’t really go anywhere fancy.

“There’s this crappy little Chinese restaurant by my place,” I say, leaning over the center console and placing my hand on his thigh.

Max shifts, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me. His mouth moves over mine, hungry and I moan when he nips my bottom lip. I love the way this man kisses me. Like he can’t get enough. Like he’s afraid that I’ll pull away or be taken from him at any moment. Like he can’t breathe without me.

A car horn honks nearby and we both pull apart reluctantly.

“So Chinese?” He asks.

“Yeah. Then dessert.”

I order the food while Max drives. He runs in and grabs it as soon as we pull up and I smile at his eagerness. Before I know it, we’re pulling up in front of my place. Max grabs the food and comes around to the passenger side, grabbing my hand and tugging me after him up the steps. I laugh, picking up my pace to keep up with him.

We tumble into my apartment, both of us breathless and grinning like loons at each other. We come up short when I notice my brothers and dad sitting on my futon. They put it up and are all staring wide eyed at us.

Max stiffens next to me, fixing his dress shirt that I somehow managed to undo two buttons on. I straighten my dress too, my face flaming red as I look anywhere but at them.

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