Page 106 of Savage Hearts

She picked up her knife and fork. “Am not.”

There was a note of petulance in her voice that I should find annoying. I didn’t.

She was cute.

“Are too. And I wouldn’t lie to me if I were you.” I let my voice settle in the space between us, let her hear the dark promise that offered nothing butsweetpunishment.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Or you’ll what?”

“Wanna find out?”

She stabbed the meat with her fork and plopped it in her mouth. “I am not jealous. You can flirt with whoever the hell you want. And if you’re turned on by the squeaky voice of a shameless woman, then so be it.”

I chuckled and pulled her closer to me. She tried to shove off my touch. I stayed close by, leaned down until my lips touched her ear, and said, “What if I’m turned on by a sassy blonde with no sense of self-preservation?”

She gasped. “I do have self-preservation.”

“Hmm.” I gently tapped her chin. “Eat up, baby.”

She didn’t say anything as she went back to her food, and I ate my steak. I felt her eyes on me every once in a while, as if she couldn’t figure me out. I pretended not to notice her attention, giving her some time to her own thoughts, even though I was fucking ecstatic about the turn of events.

We didn’t say anything for the rest of the meal, and though I wasn’t really one for silence—it was my older brothers who loved bathing in the silence of the room—I found I was comfortable with her. It wasn’t a feeling I had ever experienced before, and a part of me didn’t want to end this lunch.

But eventually, reality seeped in. We couldn’t stay like this forever.

The server dropped off our check once she cleared the table, and I took out my wallet and dropped two one-hundred-dollar bills before standing up and holding out my hand to Mila.

She watched me warily, hesitating for a quick second before gingerly slipping her small hand into mine.

I looked at it, taking in the softness of her skin and the delicate shape of her hand, as I guided her out of her seat.

Our eyes met for two long seconds before she looked away, directing her gaze to my chest.

I tucked her close to my side, enjoying the rightness of it, and led her out to the door.

“Have a good day. I hope you come again,” the hostess called as we passed the host stand. Mila tensed beside me, and I held her a little tighter against me as we walked out the door without saying anything to the girl.

Mila grumbled something under her breath and tried to get out from under my arm. I gripped tight and laughed.

“Ah, baby, do you have any idea how happy I am to see you like this?”

She tilted her head back. “What do you mean?”

My smile widened. “Jealous.”

“I am not jealous. In fact, I would like it if you put all your energy into finding someone else to mess around with.”

I rolled my eyes andtskedher.

“Didn’t I warn you not to lie to me?” I asked, my voice low.

She understood the dangerous man she had just unleashed. She tried to take a step back, but realized she couldn’t.

I pushed her back until we came up to my car, and kept going until her ass touched the door. I rested my hands on either side of her, trapping her against me.

“W-what are you doing? We’re in public, Silas.”

“So?”

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