Page 161 of Pucking Them
I drag D’Angelo’s hand to my chest, hoping that he can feel how fast my heart is beating and that it is beating for him. “I’ll be right there fighting alongside you.”
D’Angelo drags me closer to him. “I never doubted it.”
His gaze is piercing; I shiver.
D’Angelo looks me up and down. “The only thing that I regret is that I won’t be able to take you down to On the RACK and ravish you, after we finish these sickeningly sweet mocktails. Damn Mike and knowing me well enough to include kink in his strict doctor’s orders. I had this whole scene planned out.”
“Maybe I just want a romantic date with my hot boyfriend for once.”
“Romantic?”
Uncomfortable, I look away. Am I asking for too much?
I clear my throat. “Sorry. I know that you didn’t mean that. You want a kink scene.”
To my surprise, D’Angelo raises my hand to kiss the back of it. Butterflies flutter in my stomach.
I raise wide, hopeful eyes to meet his.
“Cucciolo,” D’Angelo murmurs, “I thought that this alreadywasa romantic date? That I took you on them a lot? Didn’t our candlelit dinners, movie nights, and stargazing count? I must be rusty at this romance thing. This is one of the most important places in Freedom to me. It took me months to be able to trust bringing Robyn or you here, sharing this side of myself. I want to bring you here more often. I only do that with someone who is truly special to me. How about I court you with poetry? Give you a lock of my hair to glue to your stick? Or how about…?”
“Before you offer any more horrifying suggestions like figure skating a love dance for me before the next game…” I laugh at D’Angelo’s shocked expression (I know that we’re both imagining it), while joy soars through me because D’Angelo has been showing me romance in his own way. He does value me in this relationship, right? “How about on our next date you serenade me on that piano?”
I point at the piano in the cocktail bar. I have been desperate to hear him play it ever since I saw it.
D’Angelo looks thoughtful. “How about we practice a duet? We could play it one evening.”
“Woah, darlin’, do you want to drive all your customers away?”
“You’ve been improving. It will be your debut. Then I will serenade you as a reward.”
It’s too tempting, both the idea of someone believing that I will be good enough to publicly perform and the chance to watch D’Angelo play a song that will be dedicated to me.
“Deal.” I turn my hand over to shake his.
D’Angelo leans closer, his lips turning up, wickedly. “Didn’t anyone teach you not to make a deal with the devil?”
My breath catches, and my dick thickens in my tight jeans. “I never was one to follow rules.”
D’Angelo holds my gaze, before letting go of my hand.
Confused, I watch as he pushes back from me and slides across the booth like he needs to put some distance between us.
My brow furrows, while I am unable to sit still in my seat. I rock forward, twirling my drink just to have something to do with my hands.
Have I said something wrong?Done something wrong?
I’m an idiot.
“Darlin’?” I try, softly.
“Your birthday is coming up,” D’Angelo says, surprising me. “Robyn and I want to offer you a special gift.”
“Oh.” My sick anxiety transforms into excitement. I still my hands, leaning across to him instead. “Did I spoil your surprise? Have you been working on a song together to serenade me? You’re playing, while Robyn is singing, right? She has an incredible voice.”
“Now I regret that we didn’t think of that. Principessa would look amazing dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, breathily singing “Happy Birthday to You”. But in fact, she and I were going to make this a surprise, before we discussed it and decided that I would talk about it with you first tonight.”
Nervous, I take a sip of my minty drink. “You’re suddenly very serious.”
