Page 80 of The Sweetest Devotion

“Coming right up. My good friend Donald will be your server this evening and he will be right over with your wine and water.” The young man bestowed the same hospitality as Draya had before he walked away to turn in our drink orders.

An awkward silence befell the table. Goose bumps covered my arms and I ran my hands down them to try to gather warmth from the sudden chill I felt.

Cain sat up straight and undid his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. His cologne and dark scent enveloped me with his heat.

“Thank you,” I spoke up.

“If I ask you to put my gun in your purse, will you freak out?” he seemed to be joking as he was left in his dress shirt and dress pants. No one was watching as he undid his holster and tucked his gun onto his lap.

If he folded up his holster, everything would fit into my Chanel.

The thought of holding his gunforhim made me blink and squirm.

Cain shook his head. “Thought so.”

He left his gun on his lap and didn’t push the issue as we began to scour the menu.

“The baked cod in white wine sauce sounds amazing,” Cain said as he pointed out the item on his menu.

The dish did sound good, but I already had my eyes set on another entrée. “It does, but I’m going to get the pizza with the smoked salmon.”

Cain found the pizza on his menu and I watched as intrigue peppered his face. “Salmon on pizza? Huh.”

“It’s good,” I swore.

“I’ll let you taste my cod if you let me have some of the pizza,” Cain bargained.

“You eat fish?” I was surprised. The last two times we’d dined together, he’d gotten meat.

Cain nodded as if it were nothing. “Once in a while. Tonight seemed as good a time as any.”

I knew what he was doing, and I refused to let it work.

“Fine,” I decided as I shut my menu and sat back. “One slice.”

Cain shut his menu as well. “Fine by me.”

Donald came with our drinks and I was quick to take a big gulp of my water, needing to cool down my body suddenly. Cain’s proximity was too overbearing.

“You could’ve gotten whatever you wanted,” I said as soon as we were alone after giving Donald our orders.

“The cod sounded good, so I got it.”

“Just like that?” I challenged.

“Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic aspiring to sweep you off your feet,” Cain said with an easy shrug.

I couldn’t imagine a man like him being romantic, soft, sweet—he didn’t have the demeanor for it. And frankly, I wasn’t trying to get to know if he was capable.

Truthfully, I didn’t think I was that interesting for his pursuit. Some gossip blogs liked to mock me for being too boring, even going as far as to say that was the reason Gaius and I had split.

I jumped.

Cain’s hand was suddenly on my thigh.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Cain insisted as he pulled his hand away.

I wiped at my lap, ducking my head to focus on the task. “I’m not.”

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