He smiled, although the look of it was somewhat somber and took me off guard. “That’s what makes you different,” he said after a moment. He had spoken in such a low voice though, I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear him.
“Huh?” I said.
He shook his head and averted his gaze. “My ex,” he said. “She would have relished this kind of thing.” He waved his hand around, indicating our extravagant environment. “But I guess that’s because she ultimately was with me just for my money. She was far more interested in all of this than she was in me. I guess that’s why I can sometimes be so quick to jump to conclusions about people and their intentions with me.”
I took a sip of water from the glass in front of me. We had already ordered our food, or Tobias had ordered for both of us, rather, because I’d hardly been able to make sense of the menu. Swishing the water around in my glass for a second, I took a deep breath and then looked up at Tobias. “So does that mean you’ve been testing me then? Trying to make a comparison?”
He smirked, but the somberness in his gaze remained. “Yeah. I guess I have, to some extent. Probably not intentionally though. I honestly wanted to impress you, but deep down, I think of a part of it has been to see if you…” He paused and shrugged his shoulders. “To see if your affection could be bought.”
“You don’t have to buy me, Tobias.”
He nodded. “I know that now.” He leaned across the table and took my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And for that, you almost seem too good to be true.”
I smiled. “That’s funny, because I’ve been thinking the same thing about you for a long time now.”
“The world is a funny place, I guess,” he said. “Always taking unexpected turns.”
“Tell me about it. It still trips me out to think that all of this is happening just because I originally thought you were Preston.”
Tobias laughed. “I swear, I need to meet this Preston guy, just so that I can thank him for changing my life.” His eyes sparkled and a sexy, flirtatious grin spread across his face. “In the best way.”
I grinned, a surge of adrenaline running through me as some of our more passionate moments inadvertently began replaying in my head. Feeling a flush coming over my face, I stared down at the table.
Shortly thereafter, our food arrived. My stomach rumbled at the smell of it, it was beautifully plated too.
Tobias suddenly laughed again. I looked up at him confused and then embarrassed when I realized he was laughing at the way my eyes had lit up at the sight of the food. “Have as much as you like, love,” he said. “After all, you’re eating for three.”
I chuckled. “And I’m definitely hungry enough for three, that’s for sure.” Embarrassment forgotten, I practically began shoving food into my mouth. “Oh my God, this is delicious!”
Tobias smiled. “There’s just one million-dollar question I have left for you,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows. “And what’s that?”
“Well, you know that fancy hotel suite of yours?” he said. “Are you accepting any company tonight?”
I placed my hand on my chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “Hmm…I don’t know. There’s this guy who I spent a shitload of money on me tonight, maybe just for the sole purpose of getting into my pants. So I’m not sure if having company tonight is the best idea.”
Tobias’s brow furrowed, his expression taking on a look of mock seriousness. “I think you might be right about that,” he said. “In fact, you’re damned right about that. So you might want to clear your schedule for this guy. You know, just in case…”
I tilted my head to the side. “Wouldn’t it be funny if all his efforts were in vain?” I teased.
Tobias gave a smirk so sexy that I almost wanted to leap across the table at him. “The real disaster would be if you passed up the opportunity to experience what this guy wanted to do with you tonight.”
CHAPTER 27
Tobias
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind us, I pressed Scarlet against the wall and kissed her, unable to contain myself. I was so impatient for the last hour, close to counting minutes until the dinner was over and I had her all for myself.
So I used our short ride to her room to feel her, running my hands all over her. The dress fit her perfectly, accentuating her sexy curves, and I could hardly keep myself in check. Her
scent engulfed me, and I almost snapped and took her right in the elevator.
What was it about her that turned me into this wild animal? What was about her that always made me come back to her—always wanting more and more?
Our mouths were fused as we swayed on our way into her room, both gasping for air. I barely gave her time to close the door behind her when I attacked her mouth again, working on the zipper of her dress. She looked gorgeous with it, but right now I needed her naked.
She giggled when I failed to unzip her, fumbling with the zipper. “Here let me take it off.”