"It leaves me pieces of everything, but not the whole." He smiled, and it was both beautiful and poignant. "I am trapped in this flesh—and this world—until my time is nigh or the world ends."
"Well, it could have been worse," I said teasingly. "You could have been trapped in ugly flesh."
He laughed softly, and some of the fury in him seemed to ease. "There is that."
The waiter chose that moment to approach. "Would you like to order now?"
Lucian glanced at me. I nodded and picked up the menu. "I'll have the char-grilled eye fillet with vegetables, thanks. Medium rare."
"I love a woman who appreciates a good bit of meat," Lucian said, amusement dancing around his lips as he handed the waiter the menu. "I'll have the same."
The waiter left. Lucian leaned his arms on the table again. "Okay, your turn. Tell me about yourself."
So I did, though I omitted lots of important stuff, like my mom and the fact we were obscenely rich. While I no longer thought it was anything more than a coincidence that he'd been in the right place at the right time to come to my rescue, I still preferred to keep my secrets until I knew him a little better.
We continued to chat over the meal, talking about everything from movies to politics. He was easy to talk to, easy to be with, and it was with some surprise that I glanced at my watch and saw it was nearly eleven.
"I have to go," I said, pulling my hand from his regretfully.
"And here I was hoping this night would last into morning," he teased.
I smiled. "It almost has."
"You know what I mean."
"I do, and I'm sorry, but I've already arranged for a friend to pick me up." I hesitated, and gave him a slow, sexy smile. The furnace in his eyes flamed even brighter, burning me with the scent of his desire. "But I'd love to see you again."
"Then call me," he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He dumped a wad of notes onto the table to pay for the meal, then handed me a business card. All it had on it were his name and a cell phone number. "This friend who's picking you up—male or female?"