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My cock wouldn’t listen to reason after that comment. He pressed against my zipper, needing to get close to the woman across from me. “I’ll have the steak with mac and cheese, and some of that grilled corn on the cob, thanks.” We both ordered lemonade and when the waitress was gone, her time for stalling was over.
“Peyton…you haven’t once mentioned the fact that I haven’t taken you back home, or even asked where we are.”
She crossed her arms, although a tiny smirk lifted the edge of her lips. “So you don’t like it when I’m submissive and quiet?”
“It seems out of character,” I deadpanned, refusing to acknowledge her quip. “Tell me what’s up.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes as she slipped the menu back into its holder. “Look, it’s nothing, I’m fine. I’m probably just feeling sensitive because a murderer basically told me I was next, and this is the first time I’ve been in public, since.”
I squinted at her, and then shook my head. It was more than just that, I could feel it. “Something happened. Tell me.”
“Seriously, it’s nothing.”
When I only raised my brows, she rolled her eyes again and started picking at a napkin. “About a week before I found Chloe, my best friend Lisa and I were out having a drink to celebrate the end of our college careers. This guy came up to the table and hit on me. It wasn’t remarkable except that he kind of gave off a weird vibe and Lisa and I pretended to be a couple, which made him angry for some reason.” She nibbled her bottom lip, which was my only clue there was more.
“I’m sure guys hit on you all the time, Peyton.” She was a stunner. Curvy as fuck, confident and sassy as hell, and a wildcat in the sack. If she wasn’t Nolo’s ex, she’d be perfect.
The waitress returned to drop our drinks before us, and Peyton immediately began fidgeting with the straw. “Yeah, but he was at the sheriff’s office today, or rather he was in the parking lot when I was coming out.”
“And?” I asked, when she didn’t continue.
“And nothing.” She shrugged and fell back to lean against her seat. “He was there, and he talked to me, and then he left without an issue, and I came to find you. That’s it. I told you it was nothing.”
“If it’s enough to make you quiet, it’s not nothing.” She snorts and sends me a glare, but there’s no real heat in her gaze. “What did he do to make you uncomfortable?”
“I don’t know. Nothing.” She shrugged again. “Everything. He didn’t do anything, but it all felt weird, and…”
I didn’t say anything this time, and she eventually continued.
“He knew about Chloe, said news about her death was all over campus, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around. And he called me by my name, but the more I think about it, I’m not sure I gave it to him at the bar. I mean, maybe I did? I can’t remember the whole conversation exactly, but how did he even know Chloe was my roommate? It just felt weird. He gives me creepy vibes. I can’t put my finger on it.”
I nodded slowly, thinking. She was right, there wasn’t exactly anything he did or said that could be logically explained away. Maybe she gave him her name and simply forgot. Maybe he has a forgettable face and studies something different to her, he could have overheard her or someone else mention Chloe being her roommate somewhere during class, maybe a whole bunch of things.
“See?” she said, uncertainty wavering in her voice. “It’s nothing.”
But I shook my head. “Don’t ignore your gut, Peyton. It knows things before you do. If you felt uncomfortable, there’s a good reason to pay attention to that. Maybe it’s for unrelated reasons, maybe he just has his own issues. But you’re a beautiful girl, and men can do a lot of things to be near someone like you. If your safety is on the line, it’s best to check and clear all potential dangers.”
She bit her lip as if wishing I’d told her everything would be okay and that she was just being paranoid. But I didn’t believe in sugar coating the truth.
I also didn’t believe in scaring young women out of their minds, so I leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m right here, alright? And I ain’t going anywhere until you’re safe.”
I gave her hand a quick squeeze, and then let go, reaching for my phone. “I don’t know what’s up with him, but I will find out.” I texted Slate with the details she’d given, the time she was at the sheriff’s office, the guy’s name and car description.
The food arrived and we fell into a mostly comfortable silence, but I hated it. I missed the easy flow of her conversation, and I clenched my fist under the table where she wouldn’t see it, feeling uncomfortable. “I’m sorry about the other day,” I spit out clumsily.
“Which part? Fucking me or telling me you’re choosing Nolan over me?”
My eyes slammed shut and I exhaled. Okay, I don’t know which part of me thought she wouldn’t go for the throat, there. The dumb part of me. The main part running the show, apparently.
I opened my eyes. “Are you really questioning why a father would choose his son over a girl he just met?”
She sucked in a sharp breath and crossed her arms. “Okay, Fine. But why does it have to be a choice at all? I don’t get why you can’t have us both.”
“This would crush him, Peyton.”
She shrugged defensively. “It’s already happened, and not doing it again won’t change that. Why do you have to choose? Just talk to him about it.”
I pressed my lips together. “But doing it again would be worse. Making you my girl would be worse for him, can’t you see that?”
