Why was this so weird?
“It’s a couple of blocks down.” He looked at my feet. “Can you make it?”
“Maybe we can take a cab back.” I wasn’t great in heels after a few hours, even if they looked wonderful on my feet.
“The hotel has a car service. It’s free.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, it is. This is so not how I normally live. This place is so classy.”
“And you think I do live like this? I’m not even wearing a suit jacket.”
I did my best not to rake my gaze over his body. That would be wrong. Oh, so wrong. “I looked it up, you don’t need one. It would probably make you feel out of place if you wore one.”
“I feel out of place not wearing a suit jacket when I’m walking through the lobby here,” he said dryly.
“True. You think it matters that I’m wearing discount heels?”
“Your legs look fucking amazing in those heels. I think you’re fine.” He paused as we stood by the elevator and then winced. “Should I not have said that?”
“You know what? I just…I like it. So, keep saying it. You don’t have to apologize.” And I could totally ignore the little fluttery sensation that kept popping up every time he mentioned something about me. I was losing my mind, but I was okay with that.
“You like it?” he asked, his voice soft.
I swallowed hard and looked at his lips, then told myself that I was going to hell. “I don’t mind being flattered.”
His gaze darkened, and I knew it had to be the lighting. Nothing more. “I guess we can make sure that you’re flattered tonight.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
The chime to the elevator dinged, and we looked inside at the nearly full cab. People moved out of the way, and we made our way in, a large man standing between us.
That was good. We would let the large, sweaty man in a suit coat of all things stand between us so I could get my bearings.
We made our way out and ordered a car service to take us to the restaurant. It was slightly overcast outside, a storm coming in. That was the beach for you, you never knew when a storm would show up.
We sat in the back seat, talking about home and Archer and Paige’s antics—nothing important.
Beckett didn’t compliment my legs again, but I did notice how his gaze traveled over them and took in the way I crossed my ankles.
Or maybe I was just seeing things I wanted to see. Did I want to see them?
I really needed a drink. Not that adding alcohol to the situation would help.
We made our way inside the nice restaurant and saw people wearing clothing similar to ours. I was grateful that I had looked it up. If we had dressed down any more than we were, we wouldn’t have fit in, but this worked.
Not that I truly cared what people thought of me. Still, I was nervous enough; I didn’t need to add to it.
“Montgomery, party of two,” the host said, and I nearly snorted. Beckett winked at me, and I knew it was just for the ease of the reservation. Montgomery, Wilder-Strong reservation for two was a bit ridiculous. And everybody already assumed we were Montgomery party of two. We might as well keep it going.
“Right this way,” the host said as he led us to a corner table. The sun was just setting, though the dark clouds looked a little ominous. The waves crashed against the beach a little harder than they had before, but it was still beautiful.
“Will this be to your liking?”
“It’s gorgeous,” I said quickly.
“Seriously,” Beckett added. “Thank you.”
“It’s our pleasure. Your waiter will be here soon to talk about the specials. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you,” I said as he pushed me into my seat. I looked over the wine list and shook my head. “Okay, when I looked up the menu, I think I was looking at weeknight prices.”
Beckett raised a brow. “Really? It’s not that bad, is it?”
His brows winged up more after he peeked. “Okay, so it’s not great. Don’t worry, tonight is on me.”
“Beckett,” I snapped quietly. Indignation filled me, and I tried to push it away. “I don’t need charity.”
His other brow rose. “Excuse me? You have a fantastic job, and I know you do well. However, I do pretty good myself. So, just let me take care of this. You can buy breakfast tomorrow.”
“Beckett.”
“Or we can split the bill. It’s your