“It’s actually out of print,” he confessed. “That’s one of the few author copies I have left. It’s probably a collector’s item…somewhere.”

“Thank you.” She opened the cover and saw two things-Liam’s picture, arms crossed, on the flap near the bottom, and her name, written in Sharpie, on the cover page, with a message,

For Katie,

In service.

Liam

She looked up at him, confused. “So… is this what you came for? To give me your book?”

“I also wanted to take you to dinner.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, but he waited for an answer, his gaze moving over her face, like he was drinking her in. She touched her hair, piled onto the top of her head, pushing her reading glasses up her nose, knowing she looked like the quintessential librarian in her pencil skirt and v-neck blouse, and wished she’d at least left her hair down today.

“Okay.” She tried to imagine sitting across a table with him, doing something so mundane as eating, and couldn’t fathom it. But she said yes anyway, without a moment’s hesitation. “When?”

“How’s now?”

She didn’t even check her watch. “Let me get my coat.”

“So what do they call you?” Katie was feeling far more relaxed after two margaritas and she giggled when she cracked her crab and red pieces of shell exploded onto the tablecloth.

“Don’t you love it when it comes out like this, instead of all shredded?” she asked. Liam watched her pull the crab meat out of its shell in one, long piece. She eyed it delightedly before dipping it into the butter sauce, not even bothering with a fork.

“They call me Liam.” He answered her question, watching her lick butter from the tips of her fingers.

“Not Master? Or Sir? Or something… you know… cool?”

Liam snorted. “What did Patrick want you to call him?”

“Dom.”