Dane smirks. “Yes, Allie,” he says teasingly. “Steak. Sound good to you?”
My stomach rumbles loudly and I flush as Dane snickers at me.
“I didn’t think I was hungry, but that sounds really good,” I say softly. “I’d love that.”
“Good,” Dane says with a grin. “I had a feeling you might be interested.”
The air is charged with a hot, sexual tension flowing between us. Steak suddenly sounds amazing, if only because of how I can think of how it will feel to it in a secluded restaurant with Dane, dining on rare meat like animals in heat.
It might be weird to associate the sensual pleasure of food with sex, but now that I’ve had my awakening, I can’t help it.
When the limo stops, I see that we’ve arrived at a very posh French restaurant. Dane smiles as he steps out and offers me his hand.
“I don’t really think I’m dressed for this,” I say self-consciously.
To my surprise, Dane leans close and kisses me. The dark stubble on his chin brushes against my neck and I shiver with anticipation as I feel Dane’s hot lips trailing over my collarbone.
“Mmn,” I purr softly. For a moment, I forget that I’m standing in the middle of the street. It feels so good that I can hardly think.
Dane grins as he pulls away.
“For the record, you look beautiful,” Dane says. “Besides, I’m fairly casual myself today.”
All I can do is smile so widely that my cheeks hurt. “Thanks,” I say softly.
Dane puts his hand on the small of my back and guides me inside. The restaurant is filled with heavy, dark furniture with soft intimate lighting that makes everything look more beautiful than it really is. As a hostess leads us to our table, I can’t help but notice how her eyes are glued to Dane’s gorgeous frame.
A hot streak of jealousy flashes through me and I have to remind myself, not for the first time, that I have no claim on this beautiful man.
He’s probably just giving me an interview to be nice because he feels bad about the other night.
Yeah, that has to be it.
When we’re seated, Dane orders a bottle of red wine with a name that I can’t pronounce as well as an order of pâté and a hot gruyere dip with onion. The names alone sound so yummy that I can’t resist licking my lips.
“So,” Dane says as he leans back against the wall of the leather booth. “What do you want to know about the great Dane Andersen?”
I flush. “You know, most journalists get a chance to prepare their materials before an interview.”
Dane raises an eyebrow at me and smirks. “Oh? So, you would rather that I waited?”
The waiter arrives and pours a test glass of wine for Dane. As soon as he nods, the waiter fills both of our glasses and slips away silently.
Glad for a distraction, I take my glass of wine and sniff before taking a long sip. It’s delicious – fruity and tart at the same time.
“What are you thinking about?” Dane challenges me when I set the glass down. “Tell me.”
“Oh, nothing,” I lie. Of course, I’m thinking about how perfect Dane is – he’s even good at ordering wine!
Dane chuckles. “I don’t believe you, Allie. You have far too agile a mind to be idle for long.”
I lick my lips. “Well, I’m thinking that I probably should have done more research on Lockdown,” I say. Reaching into my bag, I grab a notebook and my favorite pen.
“Whatever you want to know,” Dane growls. His voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“What made you decide to go into personal security?”
Dane thinks for a moment. He purses his lips and nods his head slowly before responding.