“That’s not a bad thing,” Parker says dryly. He glances at my empty plate and adds, “Shall we order some baklava for dessert?”
I should say no; dessert feels like it brings us back into date territory after I’ve finally got us in business mode. But come on. Turn down free baklava? I don’t think so. “Hell yeah. I love baklava.”
Parker laughs and flags down our server. After the guy is gone, I resume our argument because Parker is looking at me all lovingly again. “You can’t bring Xavier,” I say.
“But if I’m there with Xavier, then they can just take me instead.”
“Yeah, and then you’d end up missing, just like all the others. They’re using dark magic roofies, remember? You’d wake up trapped in a cage somewhere, and we wouldn’t be able to find any of you. The point of all this is not for me to be bait, but for Nick to rush. We need them to accept Nick so that they tell him where the ritual is. If you go with Xavier, we still don’t learn anything.”
Parker sighs. He knows I’m right.
“Please just keep him away from the party. Take him out somewhere else, compel him if you have to.”
Parker raises an eyebrow at me. “You’d have me compel him? I thought you hated us doing that.”
“To innocent people, yeah, but to dangerous, psycho creeps? I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”
Parker chuckles quietly and shakes his head once. He pins me with a considering look, and I see the precise moment he agrees to my plan. “Okay,” he says. “I’ll keep Xavier away for you tonight. Under one condition.”
“And that is?”
He leans forward in his chair. “You allow me a kiss goodnight before I have to hand you over to Gorgeous.”
My mouth goes dry, and all the air is sucked from my lungs. I hesitate just a moment too long, and then the server is there with our dessert. He sets the plate in the middle of the table between us and lays down two dessert spoons. As soon as he’s gone, I grab my spoon and dig right in. “Oh, wow. This is good.”
“Nora…”
I refuse to look at him. “You have to try this. Seriously.”
“Nora.”
Sighing internally, I clear my mouth and force my gaze up. “No.”
His damn lips twitch again.
“No. Not happening.” This time, I sound like I mean it.
“On the cheek, then,” he counters. “I want to prove to you that not every experience with a man has to be a bad one.”
I swallow. Hard. Even though there’s no more food in my mouth. Then I take another bite of the baklava. “You’d better get in on this before I eat it all.”
“Nora…”
He’s not going to let it go. Closing my eyes, I set my spoon down. “Fine,” I whisper.
When Parker sucks in a breath through his nose, I finally look at him. I shouldn’t have. His eyes are swirling with desire, and the intensity of it makes my stomach flutter. I’m excited, but I’m also terrified. “On the cheek,” I demand. “And that is it. Nothing else. You try anything funny, and I’ll sic my troll on you.”
Parker smiles as if he’s just won, and my stomach cramps with nerves.
“I’m going to win you over, eventually,” he says as he finally picks up his spoon and dishes himself a bite of our shared dessert. “I’m a very patient man.”
Nick picks me up from the restaurant. Parker and I wait at our table until he texts, then Parker pays the check and walks me out the door. Nick is leaning against his motorcycle, waiting for me when we come outside. When he sees me, he lets out a long whistle. “Well, damn. Now I feel underdressed.”
He’s wearing jeans and a Metallica T-shirt under his leather jacket. He’s left the cowboy hat at home today and has traded his cowboy boots for a pair of black motorcycle boots. I smirk. “Actually, I think you’ll fit right in.”
This makes him grin. He takes off his jacket and holds it out to me with a waggle of his eyebrows. I hate to encourage his antics, but I laugh despite myself. As I take my first step in his direction, Parker clears his throat behind me. Oh yeah. I owe him a kiss.
I take a moment to steady myself before facing the music. I can feel him close the distance behind me. “My hands are clasped behind my back, Nora. You have nothing to fear.”
Except maybe how much I like it. He’s so close his breath tickles the back of my neck. A shiver rocks my entire body.
“You want this. Don’t you?”
I’m honestly not sure. Part of me does, and part of me thinks if I do this, there’s no turning back. This isn’t safe, no matter what Parker claims.
“Turn around, beautiful.”
I can’t breathe. My anxiety is locking up my entire body. I’m shaking. It’s just a kiss on the cheek. It’s not even the lips. But it’s what it means that scares me. It’s a move to get closer. It’s a stamp on the end of a night. It’s a goodnight kiss.
“Nora, sweetheart,” Parker murmurs, “if you really can’t do it, it’s okay. I’ll still keep Xavier away from the party.”
I let out a giant breath of relief. My entire body deflates, leaving me feeling like rubber. I hadn’t realized I was so tense. I can’t even accept a kiss on the cheek from a guy I’m attracted to. “I’m sorry,” I croak.
I feel like an idiot. There really is something wrong with me. My shoulders sag at the thought. I’ll never be normal. I’ll never have love or a regular relationship.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. I’m sorry I pushed it. I didn’t realize how serious it was.”
“It’s stupid.”
“It’s understandable.”
I still can’t even turn around and look at him. I’m on the verge of tears, and I just want to get out of here. Nick is waiting patiently at the curb, watching the two of us with a curious expression. No doubt he can hear every word we’re saying. “Thank you for dinner,” I say, not knowing how else to get out of this conversation.
“It was my pleasure,” Parker says. His voice has returned to normal, as if nothing awkward happened at all, as if I’m not a hopeless wreck. “Be careful tonight, Nora.”
“You too.”
I head toward Nick without looking back. When I get to the bike, Nick slips his jacket on my arms without saying anything. I appreciate him not asking me what all that was about. I climb on behind him, and as he revs the engine, he says, “You want to ride for a bit first? We’ve got a little time if we want to be fashionably late.”
He is a wonderful man. A motorcycle ride to give me time to compose myself and get my head back in the game is exactly what I need. “Yes, please.”
We take off, and I immediately lose myself to the thrill of being on the bike. I feel better within minutes, but we drive for twenty before we arrive at the sorority house. It seems to be a casual party, not a wild rager like you see on TV. I’m glad for the laid back atmosphere. It’s perfect for mingling, which is exactly what Nick and I need to do.
As I hand Nick his jacket back, I give him one last pep talk. “Okay, once we’re in there, you have to act annoyed with me behind my back.”
Nick shoots me a questioning look as he straightens his leather jacket. “Why?”
“Because this is a sacrificial ritual. They have to believe you’re only using me for my power and that you’d be willing to kill me, or they won’t go for it.”
Nick lets his eyes drop to my feet and slowly pulls them back up, smirking. “I can’t want you for your legs?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course that, too, or we won’t look sincere as a couple. Come on, we’ve got to sell this. It’s our only chance.”
“Okay, okay, I promise I’ll be the douchiest boyfriend ever.”
“Thank you.”
Nick laughs, shaking his head. “You ready, 007?”
I look at the house again and take a deep breath. “Yup. Let’s do this. Let’s go rush.”