Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,48
a white shirt and pair of slate dress pants that hugged his dense frame. His tousled black hair caressed his forehead with a casual grace that should’ve been made illegal.
Slivers of meat sat on balls of rice. They didn’t serve utensils, and I couldn’t be the only person who was hopeless with chopsticks.
My chopsticks scissored. Bits of rice and fish flew across the table, slapping the floor. Mortified, I covered my mouth.
“Oh my God. I’m awful.”
“Yeah, they ought to lock you up. Throwing four-dollar sashimi on the ground is criminal.”
“You’re making me feel bad!”
Tony’s smile teased warmth in my cheeks. He put another piece on my plate. “Try again.”
I did, mauling the sushi. “How do people eat with these?”
“The same way you use a fork. It’s not hard.”
“Says you. The only chopsticks I’ve ever used are the crappy wooden ones from takeout, and we always threw them out.”
Using his, he seized a single grain of rice and ate it.
I laughed. “Showoff.”
“I have to. I don’t have enough redeeming qualities.” He grasped my wrist, stopping me from mangling the sushi any further. “Here. Let me do it.”
“You’re feeding me?”
“No other choice.” He plucked the ball of rice and held it to my lips. “Open.”
Tingling swept up the back of my neck at the intimate gesture. I imagined him doing this at our wedding. The hope that’d crashed and died on that night rekindled into a low, burning flame. I schooled my thoughts, forcing myself to stay calm.
It doesn’t mean anything.
“Open up,” he prompted.
Feeling foolish, I obeyed.
Tony pushed the roll into my mouth, grinning. “Look at that, I’m feeding you. I guess we can get along.”
I closed my lips around slightly vinegary rice, biting into the red meat. Surprisingly, it wasn’t fishy. Salt rolled over my tongue, mingling with a buttery flavor.
Tony picked up another piece.
“You can’t do this for the whole plate.”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“This doesn’t even rank in my top one hundred most shameful things I’ve ever done. If you’d known me a few years ago, you’d understand why. Do you like wasabi?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s Japanese horseradish.” He poked at a greenish lump beside the sushi. “Very potent. I’m not a huge fan. I think it overpowers the fish.”
“Don’t you want it to?”
“If your fish smells bad, you should run in the opposite direction. In general, all you need is a kiss of soy sauce.” He dabbed the white meat with silvery scales in the dark liquid. “This is yellowtail.”
He fed it to me.
I chewed, finding it milder than the tuna. Delicious. Savory and clean. The meat fell apart, dissolving just as easily as the rice. I grabbed another with my fingers and popped it in my mouth. I got too excited and sauce dripped down my lip.
Tony leaned forward. His full mouth pressed into mine. Then he flicked his tongue across my lip, catching that wayward drop. We exchanged kisses over the table like two kids at prom. The hardness of his kiss, his complete lack of self-awareness, the utter abandonment of giving a fuck left me burning.
I could’ve jumped him right there.
I closed my eyes, relishing in the flavors of savory decadence and Tony’s sweet mouth. “This is the best damned restaurant I’ve ever been to.”
He made a deeply satisfied sound.
“Yeah, I’m enjoying myself, too.”
My eyes flew open to Tony’s gentle smile as more sashimi prodded my lips. I ate, trying to conceal my shock. The fact he was totally into this stunned me. I assumed a man like him wouldn’t be caught dead hand-feeding his wife.
“I can eat on my own, you know.”
“And yet, you keep opening wide for me.” Tony quickly shoved a ball of rice in his mouth. “Makes a man wonder what else you’ll do in a crowded restaurant.”
“Don’t push it.”
He scooted his chair back and patted his leg.
He wanted me on his lap?
I gaped at him. “Are you crazy?”
“Are you that scared of PDA?”
“No, but…this is a nice place. They’ll kick us out if I sit on you.”
I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with Tony Costa, scourge of the Boston underworld.
“Only if we do naughty things, and I don’t plan on it.” Tony gave me a half-cocked smirk I didn’t entirely trust. “Come on. Indulge me.”
Fine. Jesus.
My neck and face went up in flames as I stood. Tony grabbed my waist before I changed my mind and pulled me down. My ass hit his muscled thighs with a satisfying thump.