Wood (A True Lover's Story #2) - A.E. Via Page 0,81

not,” Trent huffed. “I was just… Okay, fine… you want me to sit beside you?”

“Yes. I don’t see a reason not to.”

“Okay. I’ll sit, then.” Trent avoided the woman’s eyes as she stood there holding their menus and watching their ridiculous back-and-forth. He allowed Wood to usher him into the booth and pull him close. Trent tried to look relaxed as the hostess placed two menus in front of them and opened them to the appetizers page. “Sean will be right over to take care of you guys. Enjoy.”

Trent nodded and watched her walk away.

“You okay?”

Trent jumped at how close Wood was, his mouth next to his ear and his thigh pressing firmly against his beneath the table. Trent turned his body toward the heat that emanated from Wood’s thick frame. He met his dark eyes when Wood draped his arm around him, bracing his elbow on the back of the booth. He fingered the freshly shaved hair at the base of Trent’s neck, causing an excited tremor to travel down his spine.

“I’m good,” Trent said, trying to exert some confidence.

Wood looked as if he was about to say something when their waiter, Sean, chose that time to approach their table.

“Evening,” he belted, flashing them a tip-earning smile. “You guys decided to brave the cold for some good seafood tonight, huh?”

Trent reclined into Wood’s body and gave their server his attention. If the older man was surprised at their proximity, he did an amazing job of not showing it. He simply told them about the night’s specials, his favorites dishes, and took their drink orders. Trent waited until he was gone before he asked Wood, “Do you wanna share an appetizer?”

Wood smiled that familiar one Trent was used to seeing, making him relax even more. “This is a really nice place, Trent. I’m surprised,” Wood said while staring out the window at the black waves washing onto the sand, then drifting peacefully away.

“Surprised?”

“Yeah. You strike me more as a beer and wings kinda guy. I was expecting a crowded place with great food, but I thought there’d be TVs mounted all over the place and I’d have to holler in your ear for you to hear me.”

Trent was feeling like a winner inside. He’d already accomplished one thing he’d intended tonight and that was to show Wood another side of him most people didn’t get to see. When he’d eaten at Catch 31 last summer with Bishop and Edison, it’d taken well over an hour to get a table, but Edison swore the food and dining experience would be worth it. Trent remembered having an amazing meal, and he realized he rather preferred dining in places that had linen on the tables and put care into preparing his food. But most of all he recalled wishing he had someone sitting beside him like his best friend did.

“I do enjoy a good Bud and some hot wings… but I can have that at home.” Trent gazed past Wood at the scenic view of the water, then pointed to some doors on the other side of the bar. “Local bands play live jazz on the courtyard out there in the summer on Wednesdays. And since I’m not big on crowds, this place has a patio with a real laid-back vibe that wraps around the restaurant.”

“Oh yeah,” Wood said, his voice low and husky as he stared transfixed at Trent’s mouth as if he was saying all the right things.

“Yeah.” He swallowed, and Wood’s heated stare dropped to his throat.

“Fuck. Stop looking at me like that,” Trent breathed.

Wood inched away and gave him some breathing room while the server refilled their water glasses and set Trent’s ginger ale in front of him.

“Have we decided on starters? I strongly recommend the oysters Rockefeller. It’s our specialty,” Sean said, standing with his notepad poised and ready.

Trent unconsciously rubbed at the soft material over the mark Wood left on his throat. “Damn, we haven’t even had a chance to look at the menu.”

Their server smiled knowingly since he had to have seen them behaving as if they were hungry for anything but food. “It’s no problem. Take your time.”

“So are we gonna eat or what?” Trent began to look over his menu, but he could feel Wood watching him out of the corner of his eye. He’d never been so conscious of everything he did and said on a date. “The fried oysters sound good.”

“Whatever you want.” Wood answered, idly stroking Trent’s thigh. It seemed as