Page 18 of Balance

Tonight the restaurant had a different sort of feel to it. Or maybe it was all in my head. I’d dressed in a pair of black pants that were forgiving enough to let me sit however I wanted without cutting my body in half but still made my ass look amazing. I paired it with a metallic blue shirt that I hadn’t had a reason to wear yet and as I scanned the restaurant looking for Matthew, I worried that it was too flashy.

I felt him before I heard him. A warmth pressed against my back. Breath puffed out against my ear. The weight of a familiar hand landed on my waist, anchoring me.

“I’m glad you came.”

You told me to. I almost said it. I couldn’t stop thinking about you was another thought I had to bite back. I’m glad you found me was the absolute truth, but I didn’t say that either.

Saying anything at all might have been a good start, but all I managed to do was turn and look to make sure he was real. Matthew at the airport had been dressed for travel and comfort. Matthew at 60/40 was dressed to impress. His hair was styled so the longer bit on top looked purposely messy. He wore a shirt that hugged his wide shoulders and showed off his narrower waist.

And then my voice found itself. “I can’t believe you found me.”

Matthew’s gaze burrowed under my skin and whatever he might have said was interrupted by the hostess asking if we had a reservation.

“King,” Matthew said, his voice smooth and low and sexy as hell.

I was going to combust before we even got to our table.

The hostess led the way, and Matthew fell into step behind me. His hand pressed against my lower back, ushering me forward, giving me no chance for escape.

Not this time.

CHAPTER 10

MATTHEW

Earlier that day, I watched Troye’s stream for longer than I’d anticipated. And I hadn’t even meant to reach out to him the way I did. But it felt like a sign when I saw him in my pants. It felt like he was still somehow mine, and I’d been unable to stop myself.

The chat in his stream was a busy place, and I think fate was the reason he even saw my comment. I hadn’t planned to ambush him with a dinner invitation, if you could call it that. Reading my message back later, I felt a little like a possessive caveman.

But he’d come, and he looked stunning. No one looked their best when they were travelling, but even so, he’d been cute before. Bedraggled and stressed, but appealing all the same. Even under the layer of anxiety that made him jittery and impulsive, he was irresistible.

Troye folded himself down onto his cushion, and I did the same on the other side of the table. The hostess left us with a couple menus and the promise that our server would be by shortly.

“Have you been here before?” I asked, secretly hating small talk, but a conversation had to start somewhere, and I had a feeling that asking to spank him again would be coming on too strong. I’d have to wait until we got our drinks at least.

“Just once with my friend Charlie for his birthday. Have you been here before?”

I nodded. “A few times. When my brother comes to town, this is where he likes to go.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother. Does he visit often?”

I nodded. “He tries to. He’s an optometrist. He used to live here but got a good opportunity a few hours away.”

“Well, thankfully it was just me growing up.”

Troye suddenly looked very interested in the menu. I got the feeling that he didn’t want to talk about his childhood, which was fair. Not everyone had great ones.

“What should I get?” he asked. “It all sounds great.”

“Everything. If you like spice, I’d get the Chili Paneer.”

“Oh, my idea of spicy food is to wave a chili pepper over the pot. That’s about all the heat I can handle before my eyeballs start to sweat.”

“In that case, I suggest the butter chicken or the sweet fried rice with a mild vegetable Manchurian.. They’re flavorful without the heat of the other dishes.”

Troye nodded, satisfied with my answer, and he flipped his menu closed and set it aside. Our server came and we ordered drinks. We let the conversation continue with small talk until they returned with our drinks and took our order. It was only when they left that I realized that I’d gone ahead and ordered for Troye.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”