Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Astrid
“You tricked me into wearing a suit, didn’t you?” Berk laughs as he looks me over.
I’m dressed for our second date in a pair of jeans and a white sweater.
It’s an off-the-shoulder creation courtesy of my cousin.
She knit it last winter, and when I slipped it on so she could take a photo, she grimaced.
She claimed that she had made a mistake with the neckline, but I pushed it off my right shoulder and told her it was a keeper.
A few weeks later, she handed it to me wrapped in pretty holiday paper.
She told me it was a catastrophe, but if I wanted it, I needed to accept it as a Christmas gift.
I did with a smile on my face.
“I love how you look in a suit,” I confess. “I can change into something more formal if you want me to, but…”
I spin and wiggle my ass because I know how phenomenal it looks in these jeans.
“Jesus, Astrid,” he growls out the words. “Never take those off.”
I turn back around and drop my hands to the waistband. “Never?”
“I didn’t mean that literally.” He chuckles. “I want you to take them off.”
I play with him more by sliding my hands to the button on the jeans. “Now?”
“Yes.” His voice is hoarse. “I’m not hungry.”
I let out a small laugh. “I am. I want to take you to one of my favorite places in Manhattan.”
He studies my face. “I want to go there with you.”
“You don’t even know where it is,” I point out as I step closer to where he’s standing near the entrance to Vinyl Crush. “You’ll blindly go with me?”
He closes the distance between us with steady, sure steps. “I’d go anywhere if it meant I’d get to spend time with you.”
I pat a hand in the center of his chest. It’s rock solid. I imagine all of him is.
I shake that thought off because I can’t be daydreaming about the man’s cock. I have our evening planned out, and sex comes later after we’ve eaten and shared a drink.
He places a hand over mine and lowers his head to give me a soft kiss on the cheek. “Where are we headed?”
I tilt my chin up to offer my mouth to him. “It’s a surprise.”
He takes the hint and presses his lips to mine for a lush kiss.
When it breaks, I open my eyes to find him staring at me.
I could get used to this. To the kisses and the way butterflies flutter inside my stomach when he looks at me.
“I’m going to lock up,” I whisper. “Don’t move.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he says before bringing my hand to his mouth to kiss my palm. “Take all the time you need.”
Berk glances around the interior of the small restaurant we walked to from my store. “How long has this place existed?”
I shrug a shoulder. “All I know is that it’s been here for at least fifteen years. My mom brought me here during my first trip to the city.”
His gaze lingers on my face before it falls to the paper menu that was on the table when we sat down.
This isn’t the type of place that has a dedicated employee at the door waiting to seat people who arrive. There is no reservation system in sight, and you have to whistle to grab the attention of the woman who has been handling the server duties for as long as I can remember.
“The Cheddar Grill,” Berk reads the top of the menu. “I can’t believe there’s a restaurant that only serves grilled cheese sandwiches.”
“And fries, onion rings, and one of the very best cocktails in the state,” I say boldly.
His eyes dart up to meet mine. “I take it you’re having an Astrid Rehn special tonight? Lemonade with a couple of ounces of gin in it?”
I motion to the space between us. “We are having that. We’re going to share one.”
He leans back in the wobbly plastic chair he’s sitting in. “I’m game. I want you to order dinner for me.”
“Me?” I dart a finger into the middle of my chest.
“You’re the regular,” he points out. “Order me your favorite. I know I’ll like it.”
“You’ll love it,” I say with enthusiasm. “It’s a five cheese special with fries on the side.”
He unbuttons his suit coat. “I will need to find a few extra hours to work out this week.”
Resting my elbow on the table, I smile. “Something tells me you’re already in tip-top shape.”
That sends his hand down to pat his stomach. It’s hidden under his white button-down shirt. “I am now, but this five cheese special thing sounds like trouble for my abs.”
“We’ll work off some of the calories when we walk back to my apartment for dessert later.”
His dark brows perk. “Tell me what dessert is, Astrid.”
I lean closer and lower my voice so no one sitting near us can hear me. “Does it matter, Berk?”
With a sinfully sexy smile sitting on his lips, he runs a fingertip over my chin. “Fuck, no.”