He’d learned this morning that it took a full cup of coffee for Olivia’s mind to wake up completely. She was the odd combination of realness and cute sassiness. A combo he didn’t know he liked until he’d met her. Those photographs she had taken remained heavy on his mind. There had to be more to that story, and that’s exactly why he’d surprised her this morning. He wanted to find out all there was to know about Olivia Watts, and what appeared to make her so different than every other person he’d met.
A few hours a day with her was simply not enough time. She intrigued him immensely. Enough, in fact, that he had broken a cardinal rule: Do not go out in public with a submissive.
And yet…there he was. In public. With her. All because it felt natural to do so.
Some men questioned their instincts. Noah was not among them. His instincts had paved the way of his life.
Even so, he couldn’t help but notice her glancing around all through breakfast like something was going to jump out and bite her. “Is there a reason you look ready to bolt?” he asked after taking a sip of his coffee and placing the mug back onto the saucer.
She leaned forward and whispered, “Aren’t you afraid that someone is going to take a picture of us?”
He chuckled. “And what exactly would they do with the photograph? Bore the media to death with the fact that I went for breakfast with someone?”
She shrugged, still glancing around. “You like your privacy, so I just thought—”
“I am private when it comes to my sex life,” he gently explained, bringing her attention back to him. “The media has no interest in who I date.” To completely reassure her, he added, “I’m not a celebrity, Olivia. No one really cares what I do unless it involves a scandal. Then everything changes.”
Her eyes searched his. She finally gave a resigned sigh, leaning back in her seat. “Okay.”
He wanted her to relax. To be at ease. Like she’d made him feel at ease all through breakfast. He’d discovered he enjoyed listening to her. “I’ve been asking questions about you all morning,” he said, wanting her to know him as well. “Why don’t you take a turn?”
She reached for her coffee then took a sip before asking, “Tell me about your parents.”
Of all the things to ask him, he thought it telling she asked about family. “My father was the governor of New York for two terms.”
She placed her mug down. “Oh really? That’s exciting.”
The honest surprise in her eyes made him curious. “You didn’t know about my father?”
Olivia gave a cute shrug, her cheeks turning pink. “I hate to admit this because you’re a senator and all, but I’m not into politics. I know the things I know because Paige is crazy about all that stuff.”
It’d been so long since he’d met someone who didn’t know of him or at least his father. He liked that about her. She wasn’t in his world. “Well, I know nothing about graphic design, so how about we call it even?”
“That’s fair.” She laughed.
He returned the smile, enjoying the sweet sound of her laughter. “My father retired after his second term. Now he, and my mother, spend their summers in the Hamptons, and the winters in St. Barts.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“Believe me, it is,” Noah agreed with a nod. “The Grant family comes from old money. My father is rich because of my great-grandfather’s business sense. He knew how to invest, what to invest in, and that instinct paid off.”
She sipped her coffee again before asking, “Did politics start with your father then?”
Noah nodded, right as the waiter sidled up to their table. “Will there be anything else?” he asked.
Noah glanced at Olivia. She shook her head, so Noah turned back to the waiter and said, “No, thank you.”
The waiter handed Noah the bill and he paid with his credit card using the debit machine. When he handed the device back to the waiter, the man smiled. “Enjoy the rest of your morning.”
Once he’d hurried away to deal with the table across the restaurant, Olivia barely skipped a beat, and continued their conversation. “Are you close to your parents?” she asked.
“I’m very close to my mother, Audra.”
“And your father?”
“He’s a Grant. He works. That’s what we do.”
“Sounds exhausting.”