Page 50 of Wrecked By You

“Hi, I’m Gia, Johannes’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, and this is his brother, Penn.” She stuck out her hand for Ella to shake. “And you are?”

“Um, I’m Ella. His assistant.”

Gia glanced at Penn, then at me, and then back at Ella. “Assistant. Is that right? Well, you’re not an assistant tonight, Ella. You’re his date. We’re going to Hard Rock Cafe and three is a terrible number. You’ve arrived in the nick of time.”

“What?” I barked. “No. That’s completely inappropriate.”

Ella’s face crumpled as if I’d crushed it underneath my boot. “Yeah, I have to get home anyway. I only stopped by for…” Once again, she didn’t finish her thought.

“Nonsense,” Gia pronounced. “We’ll only be a couple of hours, especially as Cinders here has to be back at his castle before ten.”

Ella’s eyes widened. She’d never heard anyone talk to me the way Gia did, because no one spoke to me like that.

Except… sometimes Ella did.

“That’s decided then,” Gia said, even though neither Ella nor I had spoken. “I have a craving for an enormous burger and a craft beer.”

She linked her arm through Penn’s and paraded out of my office, leaving me and Ella behind.

“You don’t have to come,” I said. “Gia’s a force of nature. You shouldn’t let her bully you.”

“Would you rather I went home?”

No. No, I fucking wouldn’t.

“Don’t you have to get back to Chloe?”

“I’m sure Ginny won’t mind if I stay out for dinner. I can text her to make sure.” She nibbled her lip. “But if this is uncomfortable for you, then—”

“I’d love for you to come,” I whispered.

Her smile dazzled me. “Then let’s go.”

I drove Ella in my car, following Penn and Gia in their rental. That way, if I decided to cut the night short—highly probable—I didn’t have to rely on them for a ride. Ella kept quiet on the drive, other than shooting me the occasional glance before staring out the window. Suited me. I wasn’t in the mood for idle chitchat either.

When was I ever?

Hard Rock Cafe was everything I’d dreaded and more. Kids ran amok, their parents too busy filling their faces to discipline their offspring, music blasted from a hundred speakers, and the smell of burgers and fries turned my stomach.

And then I saw Ella’s face, shining with excitement as she chatted with Gia, and I swallowed my antipathy. That smile was worth every drop of discomfort. I could suck it up for a couple of hours if it made her happy.

Wait. When had I started to care about her happiness?

Before I could ponder the obtrusive thought, a host dressed in a black uniform came over to greet us, then led us to a booth. Gia and Penn slid along one bench, leaving the other one free for me and Ella. She sat first, shuffling over to the far side. As I sat down, my thigh touched hers, and a zing of electricity shot straight to my groin. I shuffled a few inches to my right, putting a reasonable amount of space between us.

Ella shuffled to her right, too, pressing our thighs together once more.

Okay, then.

Semi-hard-on it is.

Chapter18

Ella

Wow. Talk about calling it as you see it.

“Time for a trip to the ladies’room.” Gia cocked her head at me. “Keep me company, Ella?”