Viper (Fallen Angel #2)(28)
It took everything I had not to correct her. Halo was the only singer Fallen Angel had had. But Halo was already nodding and taking the pad of paper she was all but shoving at him.
“Will you sign this for me? We get everyone who’s famous to sign a Rusty Pelican menu, napkin, whatever. We have all the other guys up there,” she said, indicating the wall behind us, and sure enough, there was my signature along with the rest of TBD’s, including that fucker Trent’s name. We needed a new group signature up there sooner rather than later.
As Halo handed the pad back to her, she tucked it into the front of her black apron and then grinned at us again. “Sorry, did you say inside or outside?”
Halo looked at me and shrugged. “Outside okay for you?”
Outside was perfect, and where I would’ve chosen anyway, and when I agreed, we followed the hostess to the doors that led outside to the tables lining the patio. She led us past the busiest section to a table on the far side of a sleek fire pit, and as we took our seats, she placed our menus down and said, “Kyle will be out to take your orders soon.”
As she disappeared back inside, Halo looked out at the spectacular view of Miami at night, and me? I looked at Halo. With the string lights hanging between the palm trees that dotted the edge of the patio, Halo’s curls shimmered and his eyes all but gleamed, and wanting that face aimed my way, I said, “Do you approve?”
Just as I’d wanted, Halo turned his head in my direction, his lips curving. He cocked his head to the side, and his astute stare had me doing something I’d never done in my life—I shifted nervously in my seat. What the fuck?
“Do I approve of the restaurant?” Halo asked, and I had a feeling he was fucking with me.
“Yeah…”
Halo pursed his lips and looked back at the multimillion-dollar view before returning his attention to me. “That sounds an awful lot like something a date would worry about.”
When I narrowed my eyes, Halo added, “Would you care what Killian thought?”
“Hell no, but I’m not fucking him.”
Halo licked his lips, drawing my eyes again. Damn, I really wanted to be the one tracing my tongue over them, then he said something that had me just about falling off my chair.
“Good. I’d be jealous.” Halo then leaned a little closer over the table and said, “That’s also something a date would say, just so you know.”
Smartass. “You havin’ fun?”
Halo chuckled and then leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a smirk that made my cock jerk behind my jeans.
“Just pointing out some facts.”
“About dating?”
“Mhmm. It’s the least I can do, since you’ve never been on one before.”
“Keep it up, Angel, and I’m gonna—”
“Good evening, guys. Welcome to The Rusty Pelican.” Kyle, presumably, came to stop by our table just in time to save Halo’s fine ass. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat tonight? To drink?”
Luckily for us, it seemed Kyle had been informed in advance as to who we were and we didn’t have to go through the whole oh wow, you’re so-and-so moment, because right then all I wanted was to be alone with Halo. Shit, maybe I did want to be on a date with the angel—a really fucking private one.
I hadn’t even looked at the menu, but I liked anything seafood, and before I could say a word, Halo was talking.
“We’d like to share the three-tiered seafood tower, thanks.”
“Got it,” Kyle said. “And to drink?”
Finally locating my tongue, I said, “The best whiskey you have on hand for me.”
“Vodka for me, thanks,” Halo added, then Kyle vanished, and I heard myself say, “Is it also customary for one party of the date to order for the other?”
“Are you finally admitting that’s what this is?”
“You’re pushing awfully hard tonight, Angel, for someone who told me he was cool with things being as is.” I watched him closely, not quite sure what it was I expected to see. Denial, indifference, humor? But what I got was an intensity I didn’t have a clue what to do with.
I’d been looked at many ways in my life, with awe, lust, hunger, and power. And as Halo’s eyes ran over my face, I saw all those things, but when they finally settled and locked on mine, there was also a fierce interest in getting to know the person sitting opposite him—and that was a first.
“And you’re avoiding the question,” Halo said. “Look, I know what I said, and if that’s still all you want, then I guess that’s cool—”
“You guess?” I chuckled.
Halo rolled his eyes. “Well, yeah. It’s not like anyone could make you do anything.”
I rubbed my hand over my jaw. “Oh I don’t know, Angel. I find myself doing all kinds of things for you. Things I never thought I’d do.”
Halo’s cheeks colored, and fuck, something in my stomach flipped from knowing I’d caused that reaction. The same way it had from the very beginning.
“Like opening restaurant doors?” Halo asked.
And finally I gave in and nodded. “Like opening restaurant doors.”
“So it is a date?”
“Jesus.” I laughed and ran a hand over my face. “It’s a fucking date. Happy?”