The Owner's Box

Chapter 16

Harlow POV

My latest flight was to Colorado for a new restaurant that Rai is opening. I'm just an investor on paper but this is the largest business she's opening and I'm trying to be supportive friend and business partner.

My flight landed back in Miami two hours ago. I went straight home and took a shower and freshened up.

Now I'm pulling up to Saint's apartment that she shares with Peyton. They moved down almost a month ago, and things are going great. I'm still traveling a lot, so we don't get to spend much time together, but I'm trying to make it work.

I see Saint walking up and get out of the car, smiling when she meets my gaze. She's looking so fine.

"Hey," Saint says as she gets in and begins to put on her seatbelt.

"Hey? That's all I get after all that whining you've been doing the past two days. 'Come back, Harlow. Babe, I miss you.' Did you forget about that video you sent me less than 12 hours ago, naked with your—" I'm immediately cut off as Saint puts her hand over my mouth.

I lick her hand, laughing when she removes it. "Ew, nasty," Saint chuckles out before continuing, "Anyways, we won't be talking about that video. I don't even know what you're talking about. What video?" Saint chuckles as she leans over the center console.

"Give me a kiss," she tells me, pulling me closer by my collar. As soon as our lips touch, I feel the electricity running between us. Soft pecks turn into a heated exchange, and soft moans escape from Saint's lips as I suck on her tongue.

I pull back before we change our minds about going shopping and opt to stay in instead.

"I missed you," Saint says, pulling back while biting her lip, leaving my own lips swollen from the kiss.

"I know you did, I missed you too," I tell her, pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards the outlets.

----

After three hours in the Miami design district, I decided to take Saint to one of my favorite reservation-only Japanese restaurants. She had been quiet for the last thirty minutes, but I assumed it was because she was hungry. My dad always said he got my mom to like him because he always fed her.

It's my turn now to test out that theory because Saint was not excited about the shopping. I had to convince her to let me buy her a pair of loafers when we went to pick up my custom order in the district.

"So, are you having a good evening?" I ask Saint as she sits across the table from me, glancing up from the menu. "Mhm," she says before looking back down.

Something feels off, and I can't quite put my finger on it. It's moments like these when I wish I possessed powers to read minds, like the characters in the books I grew up reading.

The waiter comes over to the table and begins to speak in Japanese. I order Hibiki whiskey for myself and then turn towards Saint. "What would you like to drink?" I ask her.

"Um," Saint glances down at the menu and then back at me. "I, uh..." She begins to trail off, and I sense insecurity in her voice as she looks between me, the waiter, and the menu.

"Two glasses of Hibiki 21. That'll be all for now," I speak up as the waiter nods and walks away.

"What's wrong? I thought you said sushi is one of your favorite meals," I ask Saint as she places her menu back on the table.

"It is," she mumbles, letting out a small breath.

"Then what's wrong? This is one of the nicest sushi places in the district," I tilt my head to the side and chuckle because if someone brought me here, I'd have been ecstatic.