Utterly Yours (Book Two) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) Read Free Page A

server came up and smiled at them both.  “Hey, Ace,” the young man smiled.  “Eating in or dining out?”
                  “Eating in,” Nathaniel said.
                  “Oh,” the young man said as though he had not expected that response.  “Sure, no problem.”
                  Lilian blushed and muttered to Nathaniel, “I normally take my food back to the park or somewhere less public.”
                  Nathaniel put an arm over her shoulder.  “Well, you’re eating in today.   I want to hang out with my old friend, all right?  Ignore everyone else.”
                  The server walked them over to a booth and placed some menus down.  “What’ll you have to drink, Ace?” he asked.
                  They both ordered some sodas and the server trotted off.  “So where did that nickname come from, exactly?” Nathaniel asked.
                  “I have a tattoo of an Ace of Spades,” she said.
                  “Can I see?” Nathaniel asked, and she laughed.
                  “No, no you can’t,” she said. 
                  Nathaniel felt his cheeks grow warm.  “Oh, so it’s somewhere I can’t see?”
                  “Right,” she said.
                  “And everyone seems to know that?” Nathaniel questioned, and she kicked him from under the table.
                  “I swear, you let one person see a hidden tattoo, and suddenly everyone around town knows about it,” she said with a slight laugh.
                  Apart from some of the awkward glances they received, Nathaniel felt that the dinner was fairly pleasant.  It was hard to not notice Lillian’s discomfort, though.  She tried hard not to scarf down her food, and Nathaniel wondered if she had had anything decent to eat since the shelter’s grand opening.  “Why haven’t you been back to the shelter?” he asked after she had ate half of her dinner in the time it took him to take only a few bites.
                  She pressed pause on the meal, obviously not wanting to appear too eager.  “I had a job interview this week,” she said and frowned.  “I had been trying to get ready for it; it’s all the way across town, so I’ve been on the other side of the city all week.  I didn’t get the job, though.  Kind of hard for people to take you seriously dressed like this.”
                  Nathaniel shook his head.  “You know they had clothes at the shelter.”
                  “Nothing that I could squeeze into was left by the time I got there,” she said.  “It was mostly kids clothes or sweatpants… nothing I’d hope to wear at an interview.”
                  “Damn,” Nathaniel said.  “I’m sorry.  Do you have any more interviews coming up?”
                  “Not at the moment,” she said.
                  “You know, the shelter has working positions too –not just volunteer roles,” Nathaniel said.  “Maybe I can help you get a job?”
                  She laughed.  “Maybe.  Having a job and keeping one are two different things though.”
                  “Oh?” he asked, but she did not provide him with much more of an explanation.
                  An older couple was seated at a booth not far from them; they kept glaring over and rolling their eyes.  “I think we should probably go,” Lillian finally said.
                  “No, finish your food, I insist,” Nathaniel said and shot a dirty look towards the couple who quickly looked away.  “Some people are so damn rude,” he said.
                  “Tell me about it,” she said while scarfing down the rest of her food.
                  Nathaniel ordered a slice of chocolate cake to go for Lillian to have later, and the