Okay, this is not the reaction I was hoping for. I’d hoped he would at least look at me up and down, but he was staring firmly at my face.
We walked back out to the corridor, and I locked the door, before we headed to the elevator and pressed the button. It came quickly, as it usually did in off-peak hours. It took forever to catch an elevator very early in the morning or in the evening when everyone left or and came home. Everyone seemed to leave and arrive at the same time.
The elevator was empty, and the second we stepped inside, I felt a shift in the air. When the door closed, I noticed Tate’s appearance in the mirror. He was standing behind me. The hunger in his eyes made my skin turn to goose bumps.
He pushed my hair to one side, kissing my naked shoulder.
“Lexi,” he whispered. “Fuck.” Then he promptly turned me around and covered my mouth with his, kissing me hungrily, tangling our tongues, taking his time with his deep-and-dirty kiss. He buried one hand in my hair and rested the other one on my waist.
I was so turned on that when he parted my legs with his knee, I nearly rubbed myself against his thigh. Holy shit, he could make me lose my decency in record time.
I gasped, and he pulled back with a groan.
“Damn it. I thought I could hold back.” He was looking at me up close, dragging his thumb across my lips. “But like I told you once, you make me feel too much. Want too much. There is no in-between with you.”
I took a step back as the elevator doors opened, laughing nervously. “Can I point out that you had excellent restraint back in the apartment? I was wondering what was up with that. You were looking at my face and nothing more.”
Tate looked incredulous for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. “That’s because I knew if I looked too closely, I was going to lose it.”
I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows. “That was exactly the reaction I was hoping for when I got dressed,” I said as we walked down the hallway toward the exit.
Tate put an arm around me when we stepped outside, feathering his fingers up and down my left arm. It was such an intimate touch. I loved it. I wanted more of it. I wanted everything.
We walked to the edge of the street, and I only realized he was calling a cab when I saw him lift an arm. I was so used to Ubering everywhere that I didn’t even pay attention to cabs anymore. Still, they were quite convenient and circulating a lot in the summer in the evenings because people spent a lot of time outdoors.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he opened the door of the cab for me. I slid in, moving to the center of the seat so he could get in on the same side.
“Navy Pier,” he told the driver, who simply nodded, and the car lurched forward.
“I haven’t been there in a long time,” I said, fidgeting in excitement. “What are we doing?”
“We’re going on the Ferris wheel.”
I squealed like a teenager. “Oh my God, really? That’s so awesome. I’ve never been on it.”
“I know. You told us that when we made the waffles.”
My eyes widened. “I did. That’s right.”
I smiled, and he smiled right back before bringing his mouth to my ear and veering left at the last second to where my jaw met the neck. I thought he might tell me something, but instead, he placed a kiss there. It was innocent at first, just a brush of his lips, but then I felt the tip of his tongue, and I instantly clenched my thighs. Desire poured through me, especially between my legs.
Then Tate straightened up, and I caught his smug smile before he turned to look out the window.
This man had some serious seduction skills.
Chapter Seventeen
Lexi
I’d wanted to go on the Ferris wheel since I came to Chicago, but I never got to do it for some reason, and now it was turning into a romantic date.
Which turned out to be even better than I thought. When I imagined traveling on the Centennial Wheel, I always thought I’d get squished between a bunch of tourists. But Tate didn’t buy normal tickets—he booked a VIP gondola with plush seating and a glass floor. The most important thing was that we were alone inside.
“This is so romantic!” I exclaimed as I sat down, touching the seats and looking outside. Chicago was beautiful all the time, but it seemed almost magical with glittering towers everywhere at sunset. I couldn’t wait for us to move higher.
“All the best for my girl,” he said with a cheeky smile. “I didn’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”
I lay back in my seat, looking around as the lift spun and we rose in the air. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, considering how dangerous the elevator ride was?”
“Yes. We have to keep to a simple rule,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
“No kissing, or we’re going to have a repeat of the elevator scene.”
I shimmied in my seat, crossing and uncrossing my legs. That sounded like a delicious promise.
He trained his gaze on me, hard and unrelenting, and I felt on fire. He looked so different now from when I showed up for the job interview one month ago. He seemed carefree and had this smile on his face that filled my heart with joy. The lake was dark at night, but now we were at that magical time after sunset when the sky was a beautiful orange color. We might not kiss, but I was acutely aware of his presence and the fact that our legs were intertwined. He looked at me more than he looked at the scenery. I was at a loss for words, so we just enjoyed the view like this, commenting only on which landmarks we recognized. Unfortunately, the ride only lasted fifteen minutes.
“And what now?” I asked once we stepped out.
“Now I’m taking us somewhere I think you’ll like very much,” he said, putting an arm around my back and resting his fingers on my upper arm.
“Let’s see what you have in store for me,” I teased, feeling giddy and like the luckiest woman in all of Chicago.
Tate brought me to a rooftop bar not far away from the lakeshore. It was unlike any other bar I’d been to. There were wooden walls around the perimeter with lush green plants climbing all over; it almost seemed like we were in a garden. They’d intertwined twinkle lights between the plants, and it looked magical. I snapped a few pictures with my phone right away.
“What are you doing?” Tate asked.
“Paisley loves twinkle lights.” I slipped the phone back into my clutch. “She’ll want to see this.”
Tate didn’t reply, and when I looked up from my bag, the emotion and intensity in his gaze took me by surprise.
Before I had a chance to ask if something was wrong, the host greeted us. He showed us to a table in a corner with a cozy couch and armchairs. I also spotted a dance floor in the opposite corner.
A dance floor? Hmm. I could see some potential for fun. I wondered what I would have to bribe Tate with to get him to agree to dance with me.
We each ordered cocktails and a food platter, and they were delivered almost right away. We had salami, different types of cheese, marinated olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled mushrooms with oregano sprinkled on top.
“This is delicious,” I said after stuffing a mushroom in my mouth.
“I’m glad you like it.”
We were sitting side by side on the couch, and if I thought I was acutely aware of his presence on the Centennial Wheel, it was nothing compared to now. The setting was so intimate that it was almost sensual. Potted plants separated our corner from the rest of the bar, creating a nook with a lot of privacy.