Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“You do like fish, right?” Kage asked me, and from the look on his face, I thought no would definitely be the wrong answer. Besides, I did like fish.
I nodded, and Enzo hurried off to prepare our salmon.
Kage relaxed even more and offered me an apologetic smile. “I eat clean, so there’s not a whole lot of variety. But it’s always good food. Especially here, I know it’s the best ingredients, the freshest fish. All of the vegetables are organic and in season. I personally make sure of that. So if you order room service, you don’t have to worry about what you’re getting, okay?”
“I remember from the first time we met, you’re very serious about your eating. No hamburgers, right?”
“Right. Fast food is the devil.”
“Is eating like you one of my job requirements?” I asked, only half-joking.
Kage didn’t even crack a smile. “No, but you said you wanted to get to know me. What better way than to live like me? At least for a while. I figured I’d take you to watch me train some, you could maybe work out a little yourself.”
“Ordering for me, making me work out… If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to whip me into shape.” Again, I was only half-joking.
“You look like you’re in pretty good shape already.” Kage glanced away almost shyly, and for a split second I thought I saw a crack in his ever-present confidence. “I mean, you work out, right? Lift some weights a couple of times a week, maybe play a little sports. You keep your weight around one-fifty-five, and your caloric intake is decent at around twenty-five-hundred a day, but you’re getting way too many carbs. And you don’t drink enough water.” For emphasis, he picked up his water glass, raised it toward me in cheers, then took a swallow.
Dumbfounded, I picked up my water glass, returned Kage’s cheers, then killed half of it before setting it back down. “So how the hell do you know all of that?”
He shrugged. “I can look at you and tell.”
“Can you tell what size underwear I have on? How about my birth sign? Because I have to admit I’m a little freaked out right now by your amazing powers of perception.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Ummm… Taurus?”
“Nope. Gemini.” I gave him a smug smile. “Just this morning you walked in on that wannabe intern-molester inviting me out to celebrate my birthday in three weeks. Remember?”
“Dammit, I forgot!” Kage slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t know the Zodiac signs by heart, but I definitely could have googled that on my cell phone. Shit.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table so that his hands were within a couple inches of mine. “As for the underwear…” His voice was low, and he glanced dramatically toward my lap and back up again. “I’m guessing about a thirty-two to thirty-four, medium.”
I felt the color rush to my face, opened my mouth to speak, and snapped it shut again.
Kage stayed leaned across the table for a long moment, gloating. Apparently, when it came to physicality, the guy really knew his stuff. Not surprising when I thought about it. He manipulated his own body with exercise and diet to a degree far beyond what the average fit person did, so it stood to reason that he would be sensitive to that type of information.
I had to wonder how many times a day he looked at himself in the mirror. Hell, if I had a body like that, I’d probably live in front of the mirror.
After Kage straightened up and pulled himself back to his side of the booth, we fell to talking about my plane trip. I told him I didn’t think Aldo and his silent twin were very friendly, and he laughed like I’d told a joke. He didn’t offer any insight into the pair, though, so I was left to wonder still whether they treated everyone like scum or if it was just me.
A few moments later, the food arrived. Grilled salmon and a couple of large skewers of vegetables that included eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini. The waitress gave us each a bowl of yogurt sauce.
“Keep the water coming,” Kage told her.
We didn’t speak during the meal. The food was out of this world, but my nerves had my stomach tied in knots. Kage was fucking intense when he ate, as if he had one goal, and every other thing in the whole universe had slipped his mind. He ate quietly, almost reverently, moving through his food at a steady pace until it was all gone. Then he looked up to find me staring as I nibbled along.
“What?” he asked self-consciously. “You’ve never seen a guy eat before?”
“Of course I have, but not quite like that. You’re very focused when you eat.” At the hint of a crease between his brows, I quickly added, “Not in a bad way.”