Seven o'clock could not come fast enough. I changed into a black suit and a black tie. I got ready too early, which resulted in me pacing around the apartment until it was time to pick up Gracelynn. Part of me feared that she would not let me into the apartment and refuse to go out with me.

God, I was never like this.

This girl was turning me into some mushy mess that I hated.

I grabbed my keys and headed toward my car. As I drove to her apartment, I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel. My heart was beating, and sweat was building on my palms. I hated the effect she had on me.

I parked outside her building, and security let me through the front door. It was easy to get into places when you were dressed nicely. I texted Gracelynn for her apartment number, and I was surprised when she responded right away.

I got into the elevator and fixed the cuffs of my sleeves as I went up to her floor. I walked down the hall and took a deep breath before knocking on her door.

A man opened the door. He was tall, almost as tall as me. He was wearing an oversized sweater, but he appeared lanky. He narrowed his eyes in an attempt to intimidate me. Good luck with that, buddy.

"Are you Ash?" he asked.

Who was this man? Did she live with this man? Was he her boyfriend? Was I being played all along?

"Is Gracelynn here?" I asked.

The man pushed the door wider and took a step to the side.

"Gracie!" he called out. "Your date is here."

I stepped into the apartment and passed this man. The apartment was larger and nicer than I anticipated. She probably made good money at The Cave. How much of my fifty thousand did she get?

One of the bedroom doors opened, and Gracelynn stepped out. I struggled not to gasp when I saw her. She had on a white dress that hugged her body perfectly. Her hair was curled and half pinned back. She wore make-up that made her eyes stand out even more, but it was not the ridiculous amount she wore at The Cave. She had on the emerald earrings with a matching necklace. She had on a pair of black heels.

"You look beautiful," I said.

She smiled. The man cleared his throat, ruining our moment.

"Keep it in your pants, please," he said.

I glared at him. Gracelynn rolled her eyes. Her heels clicked as she walked toward the man. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I won't be home too late," she said.

"You better not," he said. 

I bit the inside of my cheeks to not curse this man out. I have no clue who he was, but I did not like him. I think the feeling was mutual.

The suspicion was confirmed when he looked at me with a scowl. I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to back down.

"You better not hurt her," he said. "If she comes back upset, I will have guys that will find you."

Cute, I thought.

"You're being ridiculous, Chris," Gracelynn said. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," he said. "I love you, Gracie."

"I love you too."

I balled my hands up into fists. This must be a boyfriend. What game was she playing? I know we lied about who we are, but who was this man?

I followed Gracelynn out of the apartment. She threw her purse over her shoulder as she walked toward the elevator. I looked back at the door, half expecting Chris to watch us leave.

"Who was that man?" I asked.

"Chris?" she asked. "He's my older brother."

"Brother?"

"Yes."

I stretched out my sore knuckles. I did not realize how tight my fists were. I hope she did not notice.

We stepped into the elevator. She said nothing to me, and I listened to the soft music playing. I put my hand on the small of her back as we stepped out of the apartment and toward my car. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, and the lights lit up. Gracelynn froze.

"This is your car?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," I said.

"How much money do you have?"

"You're not supposed to ask that." I winked at her.

I opened the passenger side door, and Gracelynn stepped into the car. When I got into the driver's seat, Gracelynn was leaning forward. Her fingers were grazing along the dash. Everything in this car was luxurious, but it was normal to me.

I put my hand on her shoulder and pushed her back in the seat. I reached across her for the seatbelt, and she gasped. I pulled the belt across her chest and fastened it. Her perfume smelled like vanilla, making me want to bury my face into her neck.

Keep it together, Ash, I reminded myself.

I pulled away and noticed Gracelynn chewing on her bottom lip. I pulled my seatbelt on before pulling away from the apartment building. Gracelynn was staring out the window at the highrise buildings' lights. She said nothing to me, and only the sound of my music was playing.

Fuck, this was like being in the elevator again.

Luckily, she spoke to break the silence.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"My favourite restaurant," I said. "I think you'll like it."

She nodded but did not look at me. I struggled to look at the road and not stare at her. I could not wait until she was across from me at a table, and I could watch her all night.

Who the hell am I?

I pulled up to the restaurant and helped her out of the car. I kept my hand on her hip as we walked toward the restaurant. We stepped inside, and Gracelynn stopped as she looked around at the interior. It had dim lighting with a cellist in the corner.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"This place is fancy," she said.

"Is that okay?"

"It's...different."

"Well, the pasta is great."

Gracelynn let out a nervous giggle. Was this all new to her? Where had men brought her on dates before? How many dates had she even gone on?

We were escorted over to a table in the corner. I pulled Gracelynn's chair out, and she gave me a quizzical look before sitting. My mother had always taught me to be a gentleman.

She looked at the menu, and her beautiful eyes went wide. Was she looking at the prices? I did not know how to tell her they did not scare me without looking pompous.

"I recommend that carbonara," I said. "That's usually what I get."

Her eyes scanned the menu for the dish. She nodded before setting the menu down and taking a sip of water.

"So why do you work at that club?" I asked.

Gracelynn pursed her lips as she set down her glass. She broke eye contact.

"We're not talking about that," she said.

"I just want to learn about you," I said. "Tell me something about who you really are."

"Are you going to do the same?"

"Of course."

Gracelynn let out a deep breath. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear before fiddling with her necklace. Her eyes darted around the restaurant. Was this place too fancy for her to feel comfortable?

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" I asked.

She looked back at me. The waiter walked to the table and asked for our order. I raised my brow. It was a silent way to ask her my question before she ordered. She smiled and looked up at the waiter.

"I'll have the carbonara," she said.

Okay, so she did not want to leave.

"I'll have the same," I said.

I ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter nodded before walking away. Gracelynn was drumming her fingers on the tabletop. I reached out and grabbed her hand. Her skin was so soft and delicate that it made me smile.

"Tell me something," I said.

"My parents actually did die in a car accident," she said. "I was thirteen years old. Chris became my guardian after that."

I nodded. That makes sense as to why he is so protective of her. In Chris' defense, I gave the same intimidation treatment to the boys that Abby used to bring home.

"Your turn," Gracelynn said.

"My Mom is Irish, and she moved to Canada to marry my father," I said. "He passed away, but I am close with her and my sister. We're twins."

"Asthore," she said.

I furrowed my brows. For a second, I wondered how she knew my full name, but I remembered our encounter in the Gold Room.

"It's an Irish name," I said. "No one could ever pronounce it in school, so I started going by Ash. You have an excellent memory, by the way."

Gracelynn tapped one finger twice against her temple.

"It has served me well," she said.

"Did you go to university?" I asked.

She pulled away and looked over my shoulder. I glanced behind me to see the waiter walking back to the table with our wine. We were silent as he poured the glasses before walking away. Gracelynn swirled her wine in the glass before taking a sip.

I could care less about the wine. I wanted to know about Gracelynn.

"There's no shame in not going to school," I said. "I got kicked out of school and didn't pass grade eleven."

"Why did you get kicked out?" she asked.

"For fighting mostly."

Gracelynn nodded before taking another sip.

"I did go to school," she said. "Well, I started university. I dropped out before finishing my second year."

"What did you study?" I asked.

"Physics."

My eyes went wide. I assumed she would say something like English, History, or Communications. I was not expecting her to be in science.

"Why did you leave?" I asked.

"I had to start working at The Cave," she said.

"You had to?"

The waiter returned to the table with our food. God damn, this man kept coming at the worst time and interrupting. He set the plates down in front of us.

Gracelynn changed the topic of the conversation and kept it superficial. She talked about some movie she watched with Chris last night and the current book she was reading. I spoke about Abby and I growing up and some antics Jace and I got up as teenagers.

Once we were finished eating, Gracelynn got up to go to the bathroom. As she walked away, I couldn't help but watch her ass in that tight white dress. I finished my wine as I waited for her to come back.

Gracelynn walked back to the table. Our waiter was collecting half-empty wine glasses from another table. He filled a tray with them. He rushed as he turned and headed to the kitchen. He collided with Gracelynn. The drinks spilled red wine all over her white dress. The glasses shattered on the floor by her feet.

I rushed over to them. The waiter was apologizing to Gracelynn. She was bent down, trying to help the waiter pick up the shards of glass. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"Be careful," I said. "I don't want you to cut yourself."

Gracelynn set the pieces of glass in her hand on the table. She looked down at her wine-stained dress.

This was going to end our night, and I was not willing to give her up yet. She would want to change, but I did not want to go to her apartment. Chris would interrogate me, and we would not get any alone time.

"Let's go to my place," I said. "I have something you can wear."

Gracelynn bit down on her lip.

Shit, I was probably coming on too strong.

"I am not expecting sex," I said. "We can just watch a movie and talk."

She let out a shaky breath. "Okay."

I put my hand on her lower back, and we walked out of the restaurant.