She appeared confused for a beat before she pressed even closer and said, “Thank you for that, but no…I mean, this. Us. Here. Finally. And just, well…us. Which is special. And important. And thank you for knowing that, showing that and giving it to me.”

All right.

He was done.

The dress, the shoes, the hair, the made-up eyes, the perfume, and her being so fucking sweet?

He couldn’t take more.

So he slid a hand up her jaw, into her hair, turned to her at the same time pulling her up to him, and he kissed her.

And it was not fitting his lips to hers and then tasting them briefly with his tongue.

He didn’t make out with her, but he didn’t leave her in any doubt about how he felt about what she just said.

He kept his hand in her hair and Hattie close when he ended it.

“Never been so proud to have a woman on my arm as I was walking that two and a half blocks with you.”

Her eyes grew large.

“Same, sitting right here…with you,” he continued. “So, in case I forget later, bein’ here beside you, the food, booze and atmosphere, thank you for giving me that.”

“You’re awesome,” she breathed.

He smiled. “Love you think that.”

“It’s true.”

“Love you think that.”

Her eyelids went half-mast and did a fluttery thing, not flirty, more semi-annoyed, semi-perplexed.

“Axl, you are,” she stressed.

“Okay, baby,” he replied, still smiling, but unfortunately having to slide his fingers out of her soft hair seeing as he could probably keep them there for a fuckuva long time, but it’d be hard to eat if he did.

“Do you not think you’re awesome?” she asked hesitantly.

“Do you want a guy who thinks he’s awesome?” he asked in return.

She tipped her head a little, her curls sliding over her bare shoulders when she did in a way he felt in his dick almost more than the dress, then she turned more fully to him, which meant her breast was now pressed full into his arm.

Jesus.

Dinner was going to be agony and ecstasy, he already knew that.

But he didn’t know just how deep that would go.

“I see your point,” she relented.

“So I’m awesome and you’re the most beautiful woman in this room,” he remarked,

She lifted up and gave him a smile that was absolutely flirty, as well as cock-hardeningly playful, and said, “I totally am.”

He burst out laughing.

And then their cocktails came.

Chapter Eleven

B

Axl

So, how’d it go?”

It was late the next morning and Axl and Auggie were in one of the company Hummers.