Chapter 15: Flashback

I felt a lot better about myself and my outfit when I stepped out of Kemar’s car.

Then, like a true gentleman, he led me to the entrance of the restaurant, which looked elegant and inviting from the outside and even better on the inside.

Beautiful champagne-colored walls and ornaments delightfully combined with darker wooden furniture.

It was a bit minimalistic but without looking too sterile, and there were small pieces of what looked like Greek sculptures placed here and there as well.

A mix of styles that actually worked. And with candles on every table and a calm atmosphere, it made the whole place ooze class and luxury.

A bit self-conscious, I straightened my dark-gray button-up. I actually felt a bit underdressed now, which was a paradox since Kemar had approved this outfit.

But I trusted him and hoped nobody would stare at me for looking like a gray mouse.

Still, I couldn’t help but to notice that several of the other women in the restaurant wore both really short miniskirts, halter necks, or other tops that showed off really deep cleavage.

We were led to our table and got our menus, and Kemar ordered a glass of white wine for himself and water for me before the waiter left. He wasn’t especially talkative.

He hadn’t been in the car either, but since the radio was on it felt all right. But now? It felt unbelievably awkward.

Especially when I heard how lightly the conversations floated around every other table but ours.

“So…,” I started and writhed uncomfortably in my chair. “What’s the specialty at this place?”

“Florida stone crab,” he answered without looking up from the menu. But then he suddenly smiled and closed it. “You like crab, don’t you?”

I hadn’t even tasted crab before, so I didn’t know whether I liked it or not. Then again, he was paying so it was only fair that he decided.

Then I got nervous about whether he actually ~was~ paying. We hadn’t really discussed that beforehand, so I didn’t know. I only knew that this place was far too expensive for me.

“Yeah…,” I answered hesitantly and looked at my hands resting in my lap. Then Kemar leaned forward with his elbows on the table and smiled at me while tilting his head.

“You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

My cheeks heated up and my chest swelled when my eyes met his steel-gray ones, eyes that held such an intensity that it knocked the air out of me.

His full lips were curved into his typical smirk that made him look so damn kissable that I spontaneously shifted in my seat. Then I was embarrassed by the reason I reacted that way.

“Look around you. We’re in this beautiful place, with beautiful people dressed in their finest clothes. Yet you shine brighter than all of them.”

He paused and reached across the table to take my hand, and I gladly took it and loved how his thumb stroked my knuckles.

“You truly are, Skylar. You’re the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen, and I’m so proud that you’re mine.”

Wow! Did he really say that out loud? It wasn’t just me imagining things? Did he really think that about me?

“Thank you,” I answered coyly. I had no idea what more to say. Likewise? Or maybe return his compliment and tell him how handsome he was, or that he looked incredibly good in a suit?

Or would that sound lame? No matter what I came up with, I found it best not to say anything. But there was one thing I needed to get confirmed to avoid overthinking and misunderstandings.

“So…,” I mumbled, before I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. “We’re together? Like…”

I scolded myself for being so insecure and looked down at our hands.

“Of course, sweetheart. What’d you expect? I’m not like other guys that just take you out and then kick you to the curb when I’m done. I’m not that way at all.”

He paused for a while, and I drowned in his gaze just the way you read about in novels.

“You’re absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and we’re destined to be together. Don’t you agree?”

I nodded and was unable to look away from his mesmerizing eyes. Even when the waiter came with our drinks, we still didn’t take our eyes off each other.

Kemar was simply so handsome and captivating that I felt paralyzed, almost like he’d cast a spell on me. But then I remembered something and cleared my voice.

“Uhm. Keesha wondered if we could go on a double date.”

His expression changed into a frown. “A double date?”

“Yes,” I replied and nodded briefly. “You and me, and Keesha and her boyfriend. And we go out together and…”

“I know what a double date is,” he interrupted in a rather harsh tone, and I regretted asking. I didn’t mean to ruin our special moment.

“I…,” I started, then swallowed involuntarily. “I just promised her that I would ask, that’s all. She’s my best friend and she wants to get to know you, and then we thought that…

“Or she did, and I agreed, that we can have a great time together. Maybe go to see a movie or…”

He interrupted me again. “Sweetheart. You’re rambling again, and we don’t need that on such a wonderful evening like this. You’re my princess, and I’m going to treat you like the wonderful woman you are.”

I blushed at him calling me a woman. I still considered myself an inexperienced girl who didn’t know much about anything. Probably because I was still living a sheltered life at home instead of the dorms at school.

But what I ~did~ know was how madly in love I was with this man, and him being quite a bit older than me only made him more attractive.

He was protective, like he showed when he came to check on me at Christian’s party. He was a gentleman, like he’d shown tonight. He called me his girl and his princess.

And if I read the signs right, he indirectly showed me that he wanted me. At least judging by the way he bit his lip and cocked his left eyebrow, and his facial expression was way beyond suggestive for a moment.

Then he composed himself just in time to keep me from freaking out.

“If you really want to go, then of course I will, sweetheart. I’ll do anything for you.”

He gave me a charming half-smile and a wink, then leaned back on his chair when the waiter came to take our order.

And as expected, Kemar ordered stone crab, with a little comment about how he looked forward to feeding me. I bit my lip.

That was something I’d only seen in movies and always wanted to experience myself, and since tonight was all about romance, I couldn’t be happier. Then the waiter left, and Kemar took my hand again.

“Do you mind staying with me tonight?” he asked, and his voice sounded a bit deeper than normal. That made me stiffen and hesitate to answer. Did he mean stay with him as in sleeping with him?

“Relax, sweetheart. I wasn’t thinking about having sex,” he chuckled, as if he’d read my mind, and I let out a breath of relief.

“I only want to spend as much time with you as I can, that’s all. I’m going to be a bit busy next week, so I won’t be able to see you as much as I want. So, what do you say?”

Oh. How silly of me. Of course, he would wait for the right moment when both of us were ready. But what should I tell my parents?

Maybe I could lie and tell them I was with Keesha? Yeah. That would probably be best. Keesha would definitely not mind being my alibi in exchange for the biggest cup of tea later.

Besides, it was Saturday tomorrow and no school, so why not?

“Yes. I’d love that,” I replied, blushing.

“Good.”

He lifted my hand up to his mouth and kissed it, and I felt my cheeks heat up even more. I had never spent a night with a man before, and the thought made me nervous.

But the way he treated me made me feel like I was the only girl in the world.

His intense gaze and steel-gray eyes made my stomach tickle and veins sizzle with tiny explosions that gave me goosebumps and a need to giggle.

I felt both exposed and giddy at the same time. But most of all, all the small gestures, his hand on my lower back when he guided me to the table, and the way touched me made my heart skip several beats.

And his smile…Oh gosh, his smile. I couldn’t even describe how special I felt every time I saw it, and tonight I was spoiled rotten.

We got our food, and I must admit that it looked delicious. It actually seemed like the chef had made an artistic portrait designed just for me. But did it taste as good as it looked?

“Dig in,” Kemar said with a wink, and I immediately smiled back before I took my first bite at the same time he did. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

I chewed slowly while I took in the sensation of how this new texture felt against my tongue. It was like chewing the way-too-ripe fibers of apple bites in my mom’s pie made on a bad day, except with the taste of ocean and salt.

I swallowed and took a large sip of my water. Then I nodded and forced a smile on my lips. This was obviously one of his favorite meals, so I wanted to put some effort into trying to like it.

With greater enthusiasm, I took a second bite and added a piece of salad. That helped.

“No, no. You’re doing it wrong, sweetheart. You take a little piece, then dip it into the sauce, and eat. Here, let me help you.”

He took a piece of crab from his own plate, dipped it in sauce, and gestured for me to open my mouth. So, I did.

And I honestly tried my best to like it, too, but the sauce only made it worse. Nevertheless, I managed to smile politely, chewed, and swallowed.

“Good, right?” he said with a smirk, and I hummed a little in confirmation because I didn’t want to ruin his joy. But I obviously wasn’t a very good liar.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Don’t you like it?”

“No, no. It’s okay. I just have to get used to it, that’s all.”

I stared at my plate and was relieved when he continued eating his own food and let me eat the salad instead. However, I couldn’t help but notice his poorly hidden disappointment in me.

Luckily, everything changed when we got the dessert a little later—key lime pie, which was another specialty they had.

“Ahh. Someone has a little sweet tooth here?” he asked while he watched me take the first tiny spoonful. “That’s good. Let me feed you.”

I was just about to object, but he’d already taken a large bite from his own pie and held the spoon up in front of my mouth.

And rather coyly, I opened up and let my taste buds get overflowed by the sweet but slightly bitter cream and chewed.

“Swallow,” he said, and I saw a different glow in his eyes when he saw me obey. And within seconds, he had already prepared another spoonful.

The whole situation made me a little nervous because of the way he was looking at me when my lips closed around the little piece of pie.

His gaze was locked on my lips and his mouth was slightly open, just the way parents do when they feed their child, and I couldn’t help but to giggle a little even though it was mostly to ease the tension.

“What?” he asked with a playful frown, and his characteristic smile made my heart flutter. “I just like to make sure that my princess is well fed. And now you’ve got something here.”

He pointed at the corner of his mouth, and it immediately made me lick my lips and reach up. But he stopped me by quickly reaching out his arm to block mine, and used his thumb to remove the cream I’d obviously missed.

“There you go,” he said with an unreadable expression. Then he said something I didn’t expect. “Suck.”

My eyes went large, and I gulped. “S-suck?”

“Yes. Be a good girl and suck my finger.”

My eyes immediately searched the room to see if someone was looking at us, and I was somewhat relieved when I found that most of them didn’t even notice we were there.

Maybe I was just being overly sensitive? I’d never been in a relationship before, so perhaps I was just being a baby. Therefore, very reluctantly, I did as he said and formed my lips around his finger.

However, all I could feel was the strange taste of his skin, which put me off a bit. No cream. Nevertheless, his half smile told me that he was satisfied, so that meant that I was too. Then he cleared his voice.

“So…are you ready to leave, sweetheart?”