“I’m still working,” she told him, genuine regret washing over her. Not that she was a big fan of watching grown men beat the crap out of each other, but she really did want to see Gage. She couldn’t seem to get enough of the guy.
“What time are you done?” he asked.
“Well, we’re closing early tonight for a private party. I’m not working it, but I am helping with the setup, so I won’t be out of here until nine thirty-ish.”
“Fight’s not ’til ten.” He paused. “Is that too late for you? I know you woke up early this morning, so if you want to go home and sleep, I understand.”
His concern absolutely touched her. Honestly, she had no idea why he thought he sucked at relationships. He had an intense side, sure, but he also went out of his way to make sure her needs were met. Hell, he’d even cooked her dinner the other night. And he liked to snuggle. That already put him way ahead of her previous boyfriends.
“No, I want to see you fight,” she told him. “I’ll just chug some coffee at the end of my shift and I’ll be wide-awake.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“I’ll pick you up at nine thirty then.”
She was grinning like an idiot as she disconnected, same way she’d been grinning all week long. It was probably a good thing her roommates were always out, sparing her a ton of merciless teasing about how besotted she was.
She didn’t understand it herself. Gage was the furthest thing from her type. Big, burly, and tattooed. Strong and silent. Lots of baggage. He avoided talking about his background, but she knew it haunted him, whatever it was. Still, the fact that he kept so much of himself hidden only made her want to work harder to unlock him.
Skyler ducked out of the employee lounge and spent the next hour tending to her customers and trading wisecracks with the chefs over the pickup counter. Since they were closing early, there weren’t a lot of patrons left to serve—only two married couples, and a group of young men taking up residence in one of the rustic wooden booths against the back wall. The males flirted shamelessly with her as she dropped off their bill, but none of them sparked her interest. Nope, Gage was the only man capable of doing that.
She felt it the moment he walked into the steakhouse. Warmth flooded her body, the hairs on the back of her neck tingled, and sure enough, she turned to see him standing at the hostess stand, his hot gaze zeroing in on her like a missile. As her pulse sped up, Skyler smiled and gave a little wave, then gestured for him to wait at the bar.
He didn’t smile back, just swept those gray eyes over her body, a slow and deliberate up-and-down that heated her cheeks. Her uniform was by no means indecent—black pants and a fitted blue dress shirt—but the way he looked at her, she might as well have been naked with a big bow tied around her.
Skyler swallowed, scowling when she glimpsed the amused gleam in his eyes. He knew how easily he got to her. Knew what he did to her with one sultry look.
As he wandered over to the bar, her gaze stayed glued on him. He wore a long-sleeve black shirt and faded blue jeans that hugged his taut ass. God, that ass. She knew firsthand how firm it was, how amazing it felt to dig her fingers into it while he moved on top of her.
“Holy moly, who is that?” One of the other waitresses sidled up to Skyler at the drink station, pretending to fan herself.
She couldn’t wipe the enormous grin off her face. “My date.”
Megan almost dropped dead from visible envy. “Goddamn it, girl, you did good.”
“I know, right?”
It felt like forever before her shift ended. Once all the customers cleared out, the staff quickly began dragging tables to the center of the room to create one long eating area for the incoming party. As Skyler stacked chairs, she caught sight of her manager Naomi approaching Gage at the bar counter.
Naomi gestured to the door, clearly informing him he had to leave, which prompted Skyler to hurry over to the bar. “He’s my ride home,” she told her boss. “Is it cool if he hangs out here until I’m done?”
Naomi looked from Skyler to Gage, then back at Skyler, and gave an honest-to-God wink. “You know what, hon, why don’t you take off now? We can handle the setup without you.”
“Really?”
“Really. Go.” With a barely restrained smirk, Naomi sauntered off.
“Jeez, I need you to pick me up more often,” Skyler remarked. “Think of all the shifts I could have skipped out early on.”
Gage slid off his stool and brushed a kiss on her lips, soft and fleeting and yet it still succeeded in curling her toes.
She fought to stop the goofy grin from resurfacing. “Can I wear this to the fight or should I go home and change first?”
He leaned in, his fingers toying with the strip of lace peeking out from her shirt. “What’s this sexy lacy thing you’ve got on?”
God, his voice was like a drug. Deep and addictive.
“It’s a camisole. But it’s kind of skimpy—I usually wear something over it.”
“Skimpy is fine. Trust me, the chicks at the arena will be wearing less clothing than that.” He held out his hand, and she took it, shivering when their skin made contact.
Hand in hand, they left the restaurant and walked to the black Jeep Cherokee at the curb. Once she’d settled in the passenger seat, Skyler unbuttoned her shirt, noting with a grin that Gage’s gaze followed every minute motion of her fingers. When the shirt parted and she slid it off her shoulders, he released a growling sound that heated the car.