Veiled Desire by Alisha Rai

morning—that she thought of him as a son or brother—but it was nothing to how he felt right now. In his heart, he felt like a schoolboy who had just gotten a flower from the pretty girl in biology.
    He shifted in his seat and winced. His body, though, felt like a man’s. Fuck, he needed to not look at Leyla. Her lips, her eyes, her hair, her legs…a glimpse of any of those features and a little more blood rushed out of his brain.
    She’d donned a simple blue sweater thing, so at least her top was covered up, but there was still that long expanse of toned leg to look at. The dress would have been modest on any other woman, but since Leyla didn’t usually wear anything cut above the knee, she might as well be naked in his overwrought mind.
    He wondered if this was how men in the Victorian period felt when they caught a glimpse of an ankle. It was the forbidden, the hidden exposed, and there was something erotic about it.
    He tried to focus on the road and off her creamy skin. He would have blown dinner off then and there. Or perhaps he could have cooked the meal himself and fed her bites in bed—
    Mason cut off that line of thought. No. He wasn’t a ravening beast. She deserved romance and all that other stuff women liked. Just because they’d known each other forever didn’t mean they should hop into bed.
    A relationship. He savored the word. Most men probably would go running for the hills at the thought of a woman who wouldn’t have sex without some promise of commitment, but not him. Not with Leyla. Their life together was inevitable, as far as he was concerned. He was actually relieved he wouldn’t have to worry that she wanted him just for sex. Thank God for her direct and straightforward nature. The last thing he wanted was for there to be doubt or mistrust between them.
    The silence in the car was broken when Mason turned into the parking lot of the deceptively small brick restaurant. Leyla gave a low whistle. “You need reservations at Jackie’s.”
    “I might have called and made one.”
    “Weeks ago? Because that’s how exclusive they are.”
    He hunched his shoulders, a bit embarrassed. “Maybe.”
    “What would you have done if I had turned you down or had plans?”
    “Gone by myself and cried into a plate of spicy basil chicken,” he replied solemnly.
    She snorted a laugh. “This place is expensive.”
    “I know I’m not raking in the big bucks yet, but I can afford a night out.” He waggled his brows at her as they parked in front of the entrance. “Stick with me, kid, and in a few years, we could be eating here every night.”
    “You can’t fool me. We also both know that you didn’t get into medicine for the money.”
    Mason smiled and unbuckled his seat belt. “Sometimes I forget how well you know me.” When their parents had been hit by the drunk driver, the Karimis had died on impact. A blessing, Mason had thought at the time, since his dad had lingered in the hospital for almost three weeks before passing on. Even with Sasha and Leyla at his side, it had been a brutal experience. The doctors had become heroes in his mind, and he’d worked like a dog in school to grow up to be like them.
    Not for the first time, Mason appreciated the shared bank of memories he and Leyla could draw on. He didn’t have to explain every little detail of his life. Leyla had been there for most of it.
    One point in favor of their relationship.
    The valets opened their doors, and he got out and handed his keys to the uniformed guy. Deadpan, he patted the roof of his car. “Take good care of her, boys.”
    The man blinked, and then glanced doubtfully at the used Toyota Mason had bought in college, lined up with the Porsches and BMWs in the drive. “Uhhh…”
    Leyla stifled her snort of laughter, but he heard it. Another point in their favor: She thought his stupid humor was actually funny.
    As they walked up the long sidewalk, he glanced down at her. He had to resist the urge to throw her over