Dressed in jeans and a white golf shirt, Kyler strode through the restaurant, passing by the bright speckled red stools at the counter. He stared right at her, as if no one else existed.
She cocked her head, watching the way he moved. His strides were long and purposeful, speaking of power and dominance. She didn’t doubt she’d pick him out of a crowd within a few seconds, because Kyler had an element born into his sexy body that only some men owned.
Confidence.
Not simply a love for oneself, but that he lived life to the fullest. She’d needed a challenge to herself to get what he possessed, though more and more she started to believe she was getting closer to feeling what he must in his soul.
No regrets.
Pure happiness.
Once he reached her, the side of his mouth curved in his sexy way, and he leaned down, dropping a soft kiss against her lips. “You look beautiful this morning.” Then he lowered onto the bench across from her.
“Thank you.” She noticed a small boutique bag in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Something for you,” he replied with a grin.
Ella’s stared at the bag in wonderment. Before she could dig in a little deeper to that, the waitress said, “Hi, I’m Emily, and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you both some coffee?”
“Please,” Kyler replied.
Ella nodded.
The waitress added, “Do you need a minute with the menus?”
Kyler’s gaze swept to Ella. She replied to the waitress, “I’ll just take the special with scrambled eggs.” She had no clue what the special was, but in most diners that meant eggs and bacon.
“I’ll have the same,” Kyler added.
The waitress gathered the menus with a smile. “Perfect. I’ll go and grab your coffees.” Then she was off toward the kitchen.
Ella glanced to Kyler, spotting a notable difference in him. His gaze was harder, more demanding. It touched something inside her—something that wanted to burn for him. “So …”
He shook his head. “Wait for the coffees, then we’ll talk.”
That’s how they stayed, silent and staring at each other for the next few minutes until the waitress placed their coffees and the creamer on the table. Ella looked between Kyler and the bag, curious about what this test was. Her belly fluttered in excitement—half in nervousness, the other half in unquenched desire.
By the time the waitress left the table, Ella could barely sit still in her seat. Kyler took a drink of his coffee, regarding her over the rim of his mug. Another long moment passed before he said, “All right. Let’s get the talk out of the way. I chatted with Dmitri and he has agreed to let you join Club Sin.” He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. “Dmitri arranged for you to meet with a doctor tonight after work for your exams. Be there for five o’clock, all right?” At her nod, he added, “Her name is Mary. She’s a close friend of Dmitri’s and will give you all the needed physical tests.”
Ella sipped her coffee, then asked, “Which are?”
“Pregnancy, HIV, and STD. Every member must be tested on a quarterly basis, and if they play with others outside of the club they must use condoms.” He hesitated, regarding her with his watchful stare. “Are you on the pill or another form of birth control?”
“The pill.”
“Perfect.” His gaze darkened, voice got gruff. “Are you good at taking it?”
“Yes.”
“No missed pills in a while, then?”
“I take it every morning.”
His smile was as sweet as it was dangerous. “If I said we won’t use condoms anymore, would you have a problem with that?”
Skin against skin with this guy. No more interruptions to get the condom on. And knowing that he was tested often for diseases and he’d see her clear test results, too? “I would be okay with that.”
His brow arched, stern and serious. “If you ever miss a pill, or if you’re taking antibiotics, please tell me. We’ll use condoms. All right?”