Tate
I catch her keys in the palm of my hand and my grin widens. Damn—she doesn’t look like she was pinned against a wall less than five minutes ago. Clearly I’m not kissin’ her fuckin’ hard enough.
I meant every damn word I said to her, though. Stacey who? Who the fuck was that chick I just wasted forty-five minutes with? She was never getting into my hotel room anyway, and that was before Ella sat across the restaurant with Sofie and consumed my every thought.
Because—fuck. This girl is killing me. And not in a good way. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d be inside her by the time we leave Atlanta. I will fuck her within days. I can’t not. I already broke all the working-for-me rules a million times by being incapable of not kissing her.
So, yeah, I’m gonna fuck her. I’m gonna kiss her and worship her body, and I’m gonna fuck her until she succumbs to overwhelming pressure.
I slide onto the chair next to Ella, grab her fork, and put some of her cake in my mouth. She gasps and snatches the fork back, nudging me with her elbow.
“Don’t you know a thing about women?” she snaps lightly. “Never, ever, ever, ever take their cake.”
I grab her wine.
“Or her wine!” she almost growls, taking the glass back and drinking it. “Understand?”
“I understand as clear as you do, darlin’.” I smirk and flag a waiter for a beer.
“I missed somethin’,” Conner says, looking between us.
Sofie rests her hand on his thigh. “Don’t worry, honey. Don’t worry.”
Ella coughs and hands the empty wine bottle to the waiter who brings my beer. He nods his head, then disappears back behind the bar.
“That was a very self-assured move.”
She cuts her eyes to me. “Bite me.”
“I’d love to.”
Her eyes narrow.
I laugh.
Conner sits back. “I definitely missed somethin’.”
“So. You and Ella.”
“Hi, Sofie. How are you, Sofie? How’s my Mimi?” I open my suite door, and she strolls in without a care. She dumps her purse on the chair and leans against the counter.
“So,” she repeats. “You and Ella.”
“Me and Ella, what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Tate Burke. I saw y’all last night. How you were kissin’, all passionate and shit. I wish I’d have just closed the door and walked out secretly.”
“Why didn’t you?” I shoot at her.
“Because I didn’t expect to find the makings of a porn movie!” she exclaims. “Y’all were all over each other. And hot damn, the temperature in that room was through the damn roof!”
“I don’t know, all right?” I drop onto the sofa and run my fingers through my hair. “She’s fuckin’ with me, Sof. She’s drivin’ me fucking insane. I don’t do this shit—all that kissin’ and bullshit. I fuck, plain and simple. But she makes me do . . . more.”
“More . . . how?” she walks toward me slowly and sits on the chair.
“I’m so damn conscious of not hurtin’ her like he did that I want to make her want me slowly. Like, I don’t wanna hurt her, Sof. Fuck.”
“Physically?”
“Never.”
“Emotionally?”
My words get caught in my throat.
“Tate Burke,” Sofie quietly gasps. “Are you falling for Ella?”
“I don’t fall. Falling would imply it’s an accident, and nothin’ about her is a fuckin’ accident.”
“So you like her.”
“You’ve met her, talked to her. She’s sweet as fuck. How can I not?”
“No, dumbass.” Sofie leans forward. “I mean . . . you . . . like her.”
“My dick gets hard whenever she walks in the room so, yeah, I guess.”
“Dammit, Tate!” She grabs the throw pillow from behind her and throws it at my head. “She ain’t a conquest or a goddamn one-night stand. She’s your assistant. She’s lost. She’s finally finding her feet in a world that’s brand-new to her. She ain’t the chick you throw away when you’re done. She’s cute as fuck, and I swear, you fuck her around, and I’m twistin’ your balls off.”
“Whoa, Sof. I never said a thing about fuckin’ her around. Didn’t you hear me? I don’t wanna hurt her. That’s why I know I should stay away, but every time she looks at me, she pulls me in. She’s irresistible.”
The door opens and Mila runs in. She launches herself at me. She lands on my lap and wraps her tiny arms around my neck. “Ahh, Tay. My miss my Tay.”
“I missed my Mimi. Where you been?”
“Talkin’ Dadda a bunna.” She sniffs. “My want bunna.”
Conner stares at me from the doorway.
“Ask Santa,” I say. “He might make an exception for Mimi.” I wink at my brother. I’ll talk to Mom and get this kid a goddamn rabbit.
“You tink?”
“I know.” I tickle her tummy and she flops back, giggling.
“Tay!” she shrieks. “Stop.”
“Okay, okay.” I flip her back up and lean back. Mila readjusts herself so she’s sitting front on, her legs on either side of my body. “Can Tay ask Mimi a question?”
“My lub keshtons!” She claps her hands. “Go, go!”
“All right.” I eye Sofie over Mila’s shoulders. “You think Tay should take El for dinner?”
“Date?”
“No, dinner.”
“Same thing, Tate,” Sofie sighs.
“Date!” Mila claps.
“Dinner.”
“Date!” she shouts.
I hold my hands up. “Okay, okay!”
“Tay a date!” she sings, scrambling down from my lap and running to Conner. “Dadda, Tay a date.”
“I heard.” Conner looks at me over her shoulder. “You sure this is a good idea, bro? I mean, she’s kinda fragile, and you don’t really date. . . .”
“It ain’t a date,” I protest. “It’s dinner.”
Sofie snorts, stands, and throws her purse over her shoulder. “Call it what you wanna call it, Tate, but when you ask that girl out for dinner, it’s a date.”
“Fuck off,” I growl, throwing a coaster at her. “Just book me a table somewhere, all right?”
Sofie grips the door and grins. “All right, Tate. All right.”
“She’s your assistant,” Conner reasons as Sofie leaves with Mila. “Tate, man, we all know about what happened to her. You think that, out of all of us, you’re the right choice?”
“One, you sleep with your assistant every night. And two, you don’t know a damn thing about her, Conner. So what’s your point?”
My brother stares at me. “All right, I got nothin’ on the first point,” he laughs. “But the second . . . You’re right, I guess, but, Jesus, Tate. Don’t be your usual asshole self, all right?”
“Cute. My baby brother is givin’ me dating advice.”
“Your baby brother is the only one in this family that’s ever had a girlfriend for longer than a cycle on a damn washing machine,” he snaps.
I laugh. “He also got her knocked up, so unless you’re advising me on condoms . . .” I nod toward the door.
“God, man. God, use condoms. I ain’t dealin’ with any mini-Tates like you. Thought gives me fuckin’ chills.” He shakes his head, then follows Sofie and Mila through the door.
It slams behind him, and I lean forward, bury my head in my hands, and wonder what the fucking hell I just did.