Harley's POV

The server sets my food down in front of me, and as the creamy smell of alfredo wafts to my nose, my mouth waters. But as he sets Jonah's food down, I frown. He's still not back, and I want to wait on him, but it's hard to concentrate with the buttery, absolutely delicious-smelling food in front of me.

After a few minutes when he doesn't return, I give up and stab my fork into the noodles and take a bite. There's no sense in starving myself when work is so much more important to him than our date.

I sigh and pull out my phone to text Danny, "Might be home sooner than I thought."

She replies relatively quickly. "Why?"

"I'll explain later." If Jonah doesn't come back soon, I'm just going to leave. I'm not staying if he can't even put the phone down long enough to eat with me.

Part of me knows he didn't have much of a choice. I saw the caller ID. If Marco is calling him after hours, it's important. 

But I should be important too.

I shove away the thought. We aren't a couple yet. We're not much of anything yet. I'm not sure if we ever will be. I hardly know him, and vice versa. Who's to say this isn't some hormone-induced lust that will be over before it even gets started?

I put my phone down and take another bite of my food, just as Jonah reappears.

"I see you've started without me." He doesn't seem mad, but he sits down and stares at his plate for a second.

I shrug and pick at a piece of shrimp. Not bothering to hide the sarcasm in my voice, I respond, "Well, when you leave me here for upwards of twenty minutes to take a business call in the middle of our date, I don't know what else you expected."

He sighs, and it half sounds like a groan. "Seriously, Harley? You know how stressful everything has been. I mean, you have been there for most of it. We just talked about this."

I drop my fork onto my plate and scowl at him. An unwarranted anger blossoms in my chest. "Don't start with that, Jonah. We agreed that we would keep work and our dating life separate the other day at the hotel. But you still took that damn call."

"You said it would be okay if I took the call." He tilts his head to the side and looks at me with those goddamn gorgeous, regretful eyes.

"But I figured you would realize how disrespectful it would feel for me."

"Disrespectful? Are you being serious?" He scoffs, and I can hear the strain in his voice. He's trying so hard to be discreet. "That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard. You're being unreasonable."

"Unreasonable? Yeah, sorry that I wanted to leave work out of our date."

Rolling his eyes, he drops his gaze and spins some spaghetti around his fork. "Come on. Let's just have a good night."

"We were having a good night," I say as I pick up my fork and stab it into my pile of noodles.

Jonah sighs again and picks around at the noodles on his plate. For a few minutes, we sit in silence, but the tension is so thick I watch the server start to walk toward us, look between us for a second, then turn and walk in the other direction.

After I pick around at my food a little more, I don't think I can force myself to eat any of it. My mood has been ruined, and with it, my appetite. I understand where Jonah is coming from, and honestly, I know I'm being unreasonable, but I can't help but feel betrayed. And I know I shouldn't.

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "I don't know why I got so mad. But I think it's best if we end the night here."

"It's okay. I get it. I do. I'm sorry I stepped away. But trust that I only did it because I had little choice. And I can't promise it won't happen again, at least until I get the company out of the hole my father has dug." Jonah huffs and drops his fork, reaching forward to place a tentative hand on mine. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm honestly not hungry anymore."

"Nope."

Jonah waves at the server, who was still watching us cautiously, and gestures for him to come over.

Once Jonah has paid and we've boxed up what's left of our meals, Jonah calls an Uber, then turns to me. "I can have them drop you off at your place if you'd like. Or, if you'd like, you can come back to my place."

I quirk an eyebrow at him, and he grins. "I don't mean it in that way. We can watch a movie and just relax. I'll shut my phone off for a few hours."

"Honestly, I might be up for either."

---

I'm not sure what made me decide to come over to Jonah's home, but as soon as I step into it, the first thought on my mind is Holy shit, I've never been in such a fancy house. He lives in a penthouse near the top of a giant apartment building, so I should have expected its grandeur.

He takes my coat and hangs it up for me before standing awkwardly.

"Uh, the den is through here. I have a lot of streaming services, so pick a movie, and I'll make some popcorn and snacks." He rubs the back of his neck and leads me to a room around the corner with a ginormous sectional couch.

I settle on the couch as he disappears around the corner.

He was right. He has basically any streaming service imaginable. It's hard to choose a movie, but I settle on 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler. It's a timeless movie, romantic enough but also lighthearted and easy to follow. Helpful to watch while getting to know someone.

When Jonah reappears, he's carrying a bowl of popcorn, and a bowl of assorted chocolates and candies.

"I trust that these will be satisfactory snacks?" he asks, a slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

I smile and nod. "Is this movie okay?"

"I love that movie," he says, settling in beside me and placing the bowls on the coffee table in front of us. "In my opinion, it's one of Adam Sandler's best."

As we start the movie, I lean back on the couch. I glance at him occasionally, and it's as if he notices, because he reaches out and gives me a little tug. I settle in against him, listening to his slow heartbeat thump against his chest.

When I shift a bit about halfway through the movie, his heart stutters and picks up its pace.

I look up to find him already looking at me. Our faces are mere inches apart. So close, I can feel his breath lightly brush against my nose.

His fingers find my jaw, tracing lightly before tilting my chin up. One last second of hesitation crosses his face - then our lips meet. Slow and deliberate. The sound from the TV blurs, flashes of light flickering across our skin as our mouths move in sync.

I flip over, settling in his lap. His hard length presses into me, and I let out a small moan against his lips. His hands skim my waist, pulling me closer, like even this isn't enough. Somewhere in the background, the characters on the TV speak, but I can't make out the words. All that matters is the way his lips feel against mine, his musky scent filling every fiber of my being.

His hands slide around my back, gripping my waist as I rock against him in a slow, teasing grind that has his breath catching in his throat.

A low groan rumbles in his chest as I shift again, the friction sending sparks that heat up my core. The heat between us grows, our kisses deepening, rougher now, all restraint slipping away. He trails kisses down my neck, and I let out a moan when he nibbles at the nape of my neck, chasing the sting with his tongue. I've forgotten all about the phone call earlier. That's not important anymore.

His fingers tangle in my hair, tugging just enough to make him shudder. I pull him closer, as if I could fuse us together completely.

The movie blurs into the background, drowned out by the pounding of our pulses, the soft sighs slipping from my lips, and the shared, breathless anticipation of where this could lead.

My hand slips down to the base of his stomach. I can feel the taut muscles of his abdomen as my fingers curl around the hem of his shirt. I hesitate there, a wordless ask for his consent to go further.

He breaks the kiss, but places a hand on my cheek. "I'm sorry, but we shouldn't."

My lips tingle from the prolonged pressure. Disappointment replaces the heat in my stomach, but I know he's probably right. We work together, so it's best not to complicate it right away with sex.

He tucks a hair behind my ear. "You're so beautiful. I want to take my time with you. Savor every moment."

More heat floods my core at his words, and I know that when I stand up, I'm going to be very uncomfortable. God, why does he have to say such a thing after telling me we should wait?

He places one final, languid kiss on my lips before pulling out his phone. "I'll call my driver to make sure you get home safe."

I nod, even though the last thing I want to do is leave him. But, it's probably for the best.

When I make it back to my apartment, Danny is on me like white on rice, begging me for all the "gory details."