JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,44

not like me.

I didn’t cave and wear a tie, though. My dress shirt is unbuttoned at the collar. Fuck that.

I pull up in front of the steakhouse and let her out. Brooklyn is all smiles as we walk up to the hostess stand. We’re quickly seated at our table, and our waiter fills goblets with water for us.

This place looks so pretentious. White cloth table covers, four hundred forks—what the fuck do you need that much silverware for?—and a bunch of drink glasses. I paste on a smile and look at Brooklyn, seated across from me. She’s the better draw for my attention, anyway.

“So how did classes go today?” I haven’t seen enough of her in the last few days. She’s been busy with schoolwork. The end of the semester is coming up in a week, and she’ll be graduating.

Then moving back to upstate New York for the summer, not returning until she starts school again in the fall for her master’s degree.

My heart gives a disappointed thud at the thought of not having her close. The last few weeks have gone by far too fucking fast.

“Classes are fine.” She reaches over and strokes my fingers. “You okay?”

“Eh, fine. It’s gonna be weird when you’re gone,” I admit.

Her face softens, and she draws her lower lip between her teeth. “I know. I have to admit, I kinda don’t wanna go home. I miss my family, of course, but…” She shrugs, and her cheeks bloom with a delicate pink flush.

I flip her hand over and run my fingertip along her palm, savoring the shiver she gives from my touch. “I guess we’d better make the next week count, then.”

Her smile is a little too wide—I’m getting better at reading her facial expressions. She’s feeling disappointed, too. But neither of us is vocalizing it. It’s like we’re pretending everything is going to be fine when we both know it’s going to change us.

Our waiter comes and we order spinach dip. I’m not a big fan of spinach, but Brooklyn assures me there’s a lot of cheese in it, so I’ll like it. Since I love cheese, I agree to give it a shot.

Silence stretches between us. Brooklyn looks gorgeous in the glow of the light, so I’m content to just watch her. She’s busy looking around the restaurant, so when she connects her eyes with mine, she blinks in surprise.

“What’s up? You’re awful quiet…whatcha thinking?” she asks.

“About how incredibly sexy you look,” I say in a dark tone, letting my desire peek through. “How I want to reach under the table right now and touch that pussy, see if I can make you wet.”

She squirms and gives an awkward giggle. “Jax. Not here.”

“Why not here? It’s just a restaurant. No big deal.” I wink. “You’re getting awful shy on me. Do I need to take you back to the clearing and fuck you again?”

She squints her eyes closed and covers her face, laughing. “You’re killing me, you know? You really have a one-track mind.”

“I happen to like that one track,” I retort. “And I’m pretty sure you like it, too.”

She drops her hands and shoots me a mock glare. “Yeah, well…okay, I do. It’s pretty amazing.”

“Maybe don’t look so angry about it, darling,” I tease.

Our waiter brings us the appetizer, along with the bottle of white wine we ordered. I had no idea what to ask for, so I let him pick something for us. He assures us it’s “quite delightful” with a “pleasing aroma that lingers on the palate” and an “exciting mouthfeel.” After he pours a sample and lets Brooklyn taste it, he fills our glasses and sashays off.

I hold my glass up and sniff it. “Oh, heavens, he’s dead on. The bouquet is exquisite! I’m tempted as fuck already, and I haven’t even tried it.”

Brooklyn barks out a laugh, then holds her napkin up to her mouth. “You’re terrible. You can’t behave anywhere, can you.”

“But dahling, why should I? I’m so very much fun.” I take a swig and roll it in my mouth. It’s not bad—a little sweet for my taste, but I can see why people dig it. “I was going to spit it back in my glass after sampling it, but I thought you might throw a fit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Just drink it, jackhole.”

After a few minutes of silence, where we eat spinach dip—okay, it’s actually pretty good, I admit—and sip on wine, I finally broach the topic we’re avoiding. “So when are you moving