Things That Go Hump In The Night by Lily Marie, Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Mercy May, Amanda Jones, Bliss Devlin, Steffanie Holmes, Christy Rivers, Lily Thorn, Lucy Auburn

low-key guy most of the time, but occasionally, one of us would hit a hill that he was willing to die on, and it wasn't pretty." He paused. "So you grew up around computers? Rafe tells me you're very good—too good, actually, for the kind of work we have you doing right now."
    Nicole stiffened in alarm, and he put his hand over hers, which felt strangely soothing.
    "We're really happy with the work you've done for us so far," he assured her.
    She let out a breath. "I can't remember a time when there wasn't a computer in the house or we weren't discussing techie stuff around the dinner table. I always found it fascinating—it's like solving a series of puzzles that lead to more puzzles."
    "That's how Rafe describes it," Gabriel said thoughtfully.
    His cool fingers curled lightly around Nicole's hand, and his thumb stroked the back of her hand. His touch sent a jolt of sensation to the pit of her stomach, and a gentle warmth blossomed between her legs.
    "He once told me that he couldn't believe people would pay him to have so much fun."
    Nicole nodded and swallowed hard.
    How long had it been since anyone touched her like this? And exactly how desperate was she, if just having Gabriel touch her hand was making her feel hot and bothered?
    Ami returned. Her glance flicked to Nicole and Gabriel's joined hands, and her smile widened. "Your table is ready, if you'd like to be seated now," she said.
    Gabriel gently released her as they both stood, but Nicole felt his hand come to rest on her waist as they followed Ami back through the restaurant.
    As they wove their way around tables, Nicole found herself hyper-aware of his light touch through the thin, clingy fabric of her dress.
    Instead of seating them in the downstairs dining room, as Nicole expected, Ami led them upstairs, where long, narrow corridors were lined with Japanese wood-and-paper screens.
    Nicole's keen senses caught the scents and sounds of many people on this floor, all discreetly concealed behind the screens.
    Ami stopped halfway down one narrow hallway, slid open one of the screens, and ushered them into a private dining cubicle before closing the screen to give them privacy.
    With old-fashioned courtesy, Gabriel pulled out one of the chairs and waited for Nicole to seat herself before he sat. There was a window next to the table, giving a view down into the courtyard where they had just enjoyed cocktails.
    "We're having Chef Sato's tasting menu, with his recommended wine pairings," Gabriel announced, just as Nicole realized that there were no menus. "You do drink wine?"
    Nicole nodded. "I'll have to take it easy, though, since I'm driving."
    Gabriel smiled. "In my experience, they pour about an eighth of a glass with each course—just enough to complement the food, but not enough to get you drunk. And we'll be here for a couple of hours, at least."
    "There are going to be that many courses?" Nicole asked, curiously. "I'm starving, but..."
    Gabriel chuckled. "It varies, but the last time I was here, Alex had fifteen courses, plus a few extra tastes here and there. Don't worry, though—the portions are all pretty small."
    On cue, Nicole heard a polite tap on the screen, and it slid open to reveal a young Asian man wearing black pants and a spotless white shirt. In one hand, he balanced a black lacquer tray that held two large Asian-style soup spoons, two tiny ceramic cups, and a small ceramic sake bottle.
    "Good evening, Mr. Amestra," said their waiter. "My dad says 'hi' and sends these as an amuse-bouche . He says he'll try to make it upstairs later."
    "That would be great, Sasha. How's the statistics class going?"
    Sasha wrinkled his nose briefly. "It's really boring. Lots of math."
    He placed the tray on the table with a smooth graceful movement and studied Nicole curiously.
    "Nicole, this is Alexander Sato, Junior. Everyone calls him Sasha," said Gabriel. "Sasha, this is my friend and co-worker, Nicole."
    "Nice to meet you," Sasha said, with a shy