“No, I just figured we could use a change of scenery,” I answered. “Wanna grab some gelato next door?”
Drake pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I could eat gelato. You want some, then let’s do that.”
He paid the bill and left Tony a nice tip, surprising me since there was tension between the two all night.
He noticed me looking at the credit card slip as he signed it. “I can afford to be generous. I get to leave with you, and he gets to go home with his tip money. No contest, babe.”
I scooted out of the booth and stepped to the side so Drake could get out also. He grabbed my hand as we walked out, flashing a grin at Tony on the way. Wanting to make him realize how ridiculous he was being, I smirked at the hostess as she ogled Drake when we went past her.
“Not very good with sharing. Get used to it,” Drake responded to my action as he snuggled me into his side. It was a little cool outside, and the heat from his body warmed me. “You cold?”
“I’m surprised it cooled down this much tonight. Wasn’t expecting the change in weather yet,” I answered. Here I was, on a date with a hot guy, and I was talking about the weather. I really had been out of the dating scene too long.
“Too cold for gelato?” he asked.
“No way! It’s never too cold for ice cream of any kind. It’s kind of an addiction of mine.” I smiled shyly up at him.
Drake opened the door of the gelato shop and ushered me through. “An addiction, huh? I’ll have to keep that in mind in case I ever need to bribe you in the future. I’m sure that information will be put to good use when I do something stupid.”
“I’ll have to be careful about sharing all my secrets if you’re keeping track of them.” I punched him in the shoulder.
“Be careful all you want, Alexa. I’m going to learn your secrets one way or another. Now give me another one. What’s your favorite flavor?”
I ordered a rich vanilla swirled with caramel. Drake got the chocolate. We sat at a table near the window and watched people walk by as we ate our gelato. My eyes closed as I savored the last bite of mine, a small moan escaping. I heard Drake’s spoon clatter on the table and opened my eyes to find him staring at me with a hungry expression on his face. He’d barely touched his double scoop.
“Is it too chocolaty for your tastes?” I asked.
“No. The gelato is fine. It’s just not what I’m hungry for right now.” Drake licked his lips and flashed a sexy grin my way.
“I’m not touching that comment with a ten-foot pole!” I joked.
“How about a ten-inch pole?” Drake glanced down at his lap and wagged his eyebrows.
I laughed so hard in response that I snorted. I hadn’t laughed like this with a guy ever. Sure, I joked around with Jackson, but he didn’t really count since he was like a brother to me. “Yeah, yeah. I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
Drake just smiled and nodded. He spooned up a scoop of his gelato and held it to my lips. “Here, why don’t you have a taste of mine?”
I opened my mouth, and Drake slid the spoon inside. I’d had the chocolate here before, but I’d swear that it didn’t taste as good then as it did now as I licked it from Drake’s spoon. He gently pulled the spoon past my lips and glanced down at it. “Damn. I’m jealous of a frickin’ utensil. You’re killing me here.”
He popped the spoon into his mouth and sucked the remaining gelato from it. His eyes were glued to my mouth, and I gasped as I watched him. “Drake,” I sighed out his name.
Drake grabbed the containers off the table and pulled me to my feet. He practically dragged me from the shop, tossing everything in the trash on our way out the door. He didn’t say a word or look my way as we waited while the valet brought the car around. He just kept my hand gripped tightly in his as he breathed deeply next to me. When the valet pulled up, Drake yanked the passenger car door open and helped me into the car. After he climbed in, he clenched the steering wheel before starting the car.
The tension in the car was overwhelming. “Drake,” I said softly, looking for reassurance that I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Shhh, Alexa. Just needed to get out of there before I did something we both regretted. The sight of your lips wrapped around that spoon. Your eyes on me as I savored the taste of you mixed with chocolate. Then that damn sigh. I swear to you that you will make that same fucking sound again, but next time it’ll be in my ear with my cock deep inside your pussy,” Drake rasped.