Page 36 of The Wingman

“Can we talk about something else?”

I want to keep pushing his buttons. It’s fun to turn the tables on him and makehimembarrassed for once, but also, I need to know. It’s none of my business and it’s crossing amillion friendship boundaries, but the idea of Hayden lying on his bed with his hand wrapped around his cock races into my head. I picture his abs rippling, his face tense with pleasure as he watches a video on his phone.

“Sir, would your beautiful date like to be serenaded?” one of the band members interrupts, standing behind me.

My whole body recoils and I wrench around. “No,” I blurt out, eyes wide. “No, thank you.”

Hayden’s grin turns mischievous. “Yes. Yes, she would.”

CHAPTER 16

DARCY

“Don’t listen to her,”Hayden tells the musician, eyes gleaming. “She’s just being modest. She would love a song.”

Even as I’m giving him a death glare that promises pain, I’m smiling. The band starts playing, and the song is so sappily romantic, ridiculous, and humiliating that I clamp my mouth shut to avoid laughing. Hayden’s eyes are bright, brimming with entertainment, and something happy, warm, and liquid overflows in my chest.

The singer warbles, and Hayden grins and nods at me.

My stomach tenses with restrained laughter, but I refuse to be rude and offend the band. Hayden pulls out his phone and films while I sit there, captive. He gestures to his lips and mouthssmile, and a laugh bursts out of me. I cover it with a cough, but the musicians aren’t convinced.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell the band, who are giving us dirty looks. “We’re not laughing at you.”

They finish up—I think they skipped a few verses on account of our weird reactions—and leave to torture some other couple.

“Wow.” I beam at Hayden. “Thanks a lot. Some friend you are.”

“Worth it. You looked like you were about to crack a rib.”

Even though I’m red-faced and embarrassed, I can’t stop smiling. If this is what celebrating Valentine’s Day is like, I’ve been missing out.

We’re waiting for our bill when a server passes behind Hayden, carrying a giant cake with sparklers on it.

I lean in, thinking about my teasing him about porn earlier, and tilt my chin at the cake. “Does that turn you on?” I whisper, wincing. “Do you need a napkin for your lap?”

He groans, rubbing his forehead. “God, you’re weird.”

“I know.” I smile at him. “And you love me anyway.”

Like, I meant to say. And helikesme anyway.

I’m about to change the subject when the server appears back at our table, sliding a plate between us.

“I have a tiramisu here.” She sets two spoons down with it.

I frown. “We didn’t order?—”

“On the house.” Her eyes glow with excitement before she disappears.

Hayden and I exchange a strange look. “Maybe she’s a Storm fan,” I muse, although she was looking at me, not Hayden.

Spoons in hand, we both lean forward to dig in.

We see it at the same time.

An engagement ring.

My heart stops. I feel sick. My spoon hovers midair. Hayden’s wide eyes are on me, but I can’t tear my gaze away from the diamond ring on the plate.

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