“To our parents,” I said, raising my glass. We clinked glasses just as three servers arrived, carrying trays with all of our food. Dev and I made as much space as we could on the table and even then, everything barely fit. You couldn’t even see the peach-colored tablecloth below.
“Wow,” I said, looking at everything in awe. Steam rose from each of the plates, and the smells were captivating.
“Okay, try this first,” he said, placing a little fried pastry pocket on my plate. “And I guarantee you’ll want another one the second you finish.”
“Samosa?” I asked.
“Yep.”
“Aren’t you worried you might be overhyping this?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, his expression confident. “No way.”
“Okay,” I said with a smile, raising the samosa to my lips, blowing on it.
“Pull it apart a little to let out the steam. I don’t want you to burn your mouth.”
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Sure,” he said, his eyes locked on me as I opened my mouth.
“You can eat, too, you know.”
“Not until you have your first bite.”
“You’re crazy.” I shook my head before biting into the slightly crunchy pastry. The first thing to hit my senses was the rich, savory taste of potatoes and spice. “Mmmmm.”
“Right?”
“Oh my God,” I said after chewing the rest of the bite. I was hooked. It had just the right amount of spice to offset the comforting taste of cheese and potatoes. “We need to order more.”
“That’s what I’m saying! Okay, now you need to try tikka masala.”
“I’ve heard of this,” I said as he scooped a small serving onto my plate. Large chunks of chicken swam in a rich sauce that almost resembled pumpkin soup. I took a bite and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. “Oh…my….God. It’s sweet!”
“Yep.”
“Holy crap, how have I never had this before?”
“No idea, but I have a feeling you’ll be eating it often now,” Dev said, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “And I’ll be happy to bring you here as often as you like.”
“Give me more. I want to try all the things!”
“Music to my ears,” Dev said, scooping another chicken dish onto each of our plates. With each bite, I was enjoying the spices, the flavors and the rich, creamy sauces. My taste buds were in heaven, and I was reveling in how Dev was treating me. As soon as I finished a dish, he served me again…and again…and again. Making sure to order drink refills and place naan triangles on my plate in case I wanted to dip in the sauces. He was romantic in his attentiveness. And I was enjoying every second of it.
“I could get used to this, you know,” I said between bites of rich butter chicken.
“Indian food.”
“No.” I shook my head slowly back and forth. “You.”
“Oh.” Dev’s mouth dropped open and he sat back in his chair, looking a little lost for words. I had to stifle a laugh.
“What?” he asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless.”
He cleared his throat, looking sheepish but really happy. “It doesn’t happen often. But yeah, you got me. Well played, Khaleesi.”
I laughed, my cheeks growing hot at hearing that nickname. I didn’t realize how much I craved hearing him say it. “I say what I feel, and I take what I want.”
Dev leaned in, his elbows digging into the wooden table, his eyes burning through me. “It’s yours for the taking.”
“Do you still feel the need to throw an axe?” I asked, my voice husky and deep. I wanted nothing more than to get Dev back to my place. We’d had over a month of foreplay since our night at the resort and months of tension since we’d first met. I was tired of waiting.
He swallowed hard. “What else do you suggest?”
“Call an Uber.”
“To take us where?”
“My place.”
Grabbing his phone ridiculously quickly, Dev tap-tap-tapped his phone while simultaneously calling the waiter over for the check. I pressed my lips together to quiet my amusement. Anticipation built inside of me as Dev paid the bill.
“No axes necessary.” Dev jumped to his feet, reaching for my hand. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
Thirty minutes later we were back at my apartment. After throwing our coats on the nearest chair, I pulled on Dev’s collar and pressed my lips to his.
“You sure?” he asked, between kisses, his voice soft.
“Absolutely,” I said with a smile. “That is, unless you’d rather throw an axe after all.”
He ran his hands through my hair. “Lyra, there’s literally nothing else I’d rather do.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” I said, leaning in to kiss his neck.
Dev’s eyes turned dark as his gaze intensified. “Where’s your bedroom?”
My breath hitched. “Down the hall.”
With one swift movement, Dev hoisted me up, his hands gripping my ass, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist. He pressed his hot tongue against my neck, and I moaned as he carried me to my room. He dropped me to the bed, and I yanked off my sweater.
“You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, hovering over me, his fingers tracing over the seam of my lace bra. He cupped one breast and squeezed as he placed hot kisses against my eager skin. Every touch made me ache for him even more. Feeling the need to take control, I rolled him to his back and got right to work unbuttoning his shirt, straddling him. Once I eased his shirt off of him and tossed it to the floor, I planted kisses across his chest, gripping his muscles as I grinded gently against him. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he reached up to caress both of my breasts.
“Don’t tease me, Lyra.”
“Why not?” I asked, grinding against him again, watching for his reaction. Again, he closed his eyes and moaned.
He sat up, pulling me in closer. I wrapped my legs around him and he instinctively reached around to unhook my bra. He tossed it to the floor and licked his lips as he drank in the sight of me.
“I’m the luckiest fucking guy alive.”
His words were almost as sexy as the muscles that flexed in his shoulders as he leaned down to take one of my nipples into his mouth. The sensation awakened every nerve in my body, and I threw my head back, moaning.
“Ohhhh,” I murmured as he teased and sucked at one while caressing the other gently with the tips of his fingers. I thought I was going to come apart right then and there. “I want you, Dev. Don’t make me wait.”
He smiled, looking proud before flipping me to my back and lowering himself slowly, tugging on my jeans and pulling them off as he knelt between my legs. He traced the seams at the top of my panties, making me squirm with want.
“Dev,” I murmured again. “Don’t tease me.”
“Hmmm…” he said, looking up at me and licking his lips. “Turnabout’s fair play, isn’t it?”
Slowly, he inched my panties down, planting kisses down my thighs. Finally, when I thought I could barely handle the anticipation, he tossed them to the floor.