Page 289 of The Perfect Spiral
“Will you be proposing officially to her, Carter?”
“Are you planning for a baby?”
“Will you move in together?”
I stop and face the voice that asked the last question. I don’t hear any more voices, and Knox looks back at me from the corner of my eye.
“I do,” I say to the paparazzi, surprising myself. I usually ignore them, but he announced on live
TV that he loves me.
I look back at him, smiling down at me, and we continue to walk inside the restaurant. I feel the cold air hit me hard, and Knox turns around, pressing his lips to mine.
Cupping my face delicately, I smile into the kiss and he pulls back.
“I love you so much, Alex,” he says. I bite down on my lip and he leads us to the hostess. She beams at us and tells us to follow her.
The clicks of her heels draw attention from the other customers dining tonight, and I feel many of the women’s eyes on Knox. All of them are staring at him lustfully. My boyfriend.
Every single woman I walk by is staring hard at him, devouring him with their eyes.
“Here’s your table, Mr. Carter,” the hostess says, placing two menus down in a secluded part of the restaurant. Knox pulls out my chair, thanking her, and I sit down. He bends down to kiss my cheek and sits adjacent to me.
Even though we’re in a secluded part of the restaurant, I can still see people looking at us. He starts to notice them too, laughing while he takes a sip of his water.
I feel his hand slip onto my thigh with a squeeze. Leaning on his elbow with his chin resting on his hand, he studies me. He shuffles his chair closer to me.
“You just couldn’t sit across from me like a normal guy, no?”
“Hell no!” He bellows out a laugh. “I just can’t stay away from you,” he says, his thumb making circles on my skin. His eyes look up and scan the room, and I follow them.
I see every single woman in this building staring at him like I’m not sitting here. Not again.
I feel his hand slip off my thigh and onto the back of my head, making me turn around to ask what he’s doing. His lips softly meet mine and kiss me gently. I feel his tongue tease my lips and I open, allowing him entrance.
Our tongues dance together gently, and I lean into him, my hand resting lightly on his chest. His low moan sends a shiver down my spine.
His hand covers mine, and we break away from our kiss. He pecks my lips once more before leaning back slightly and pressing a kiss to my hand.
He releases my hand and slides my chair across the floor, the squeak of it making me laugh and hide my face in embarrassment.
His arm drapes over my shoulder, pulling me close to him as he lifts the menu for us to peruse. “What are you doing?” I laugh into his shoulder, causing his nose to brush against my head as he turns to look at me.
“I want to show everyone that I’m yours and you’re mine. I want you to feel comfortable, baby doll. We’re official, and I want everyone to know that.”
His words fill me with happiness. I had feared that tonight would be like the day we went shopping for his mom, when everyone ignored me and flirted with him. But it’s not like that at all. He’s paying attention to me, and only me.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him, leaning in to kiss him once more. We just can’t seem to stop kissing each other.
“Anything for you. So, what does my beautiful girlfriend feel like having tonight?” I scan the menu, sneaking a glance at the women who are still staring at us, their glares directed at me.
Oh well, this is what I signed up for, I suppose.
“Carbonara?” His teasing tone makes me smirk at the elegant calligraphy on the menu. This place is very upscale. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the outside. Gleaming white tiled floors and tables draped with white tablecloths. Black leather seats with high backs for support and extravagant glasses for water. Spotless cutlery that shines when the light hits it just right.
“I feel like the cod and vegetables. I’ve been lacking in some omega three,” I try to keep a straight face but fail when I hear his breathy chuckle.
We order our meals and start chatting away as if we’re the only ones in the room. He hasn’t looked around since we walked in, which I take as a good sign.
