Before I could fire another question, Nick asked his own.“Do you eat out often or prefer to eat at home?”
“Not often, but only because my sister is a chef.”I rubbed the tiny tattoo on my wrist.Three stars for me and my sisters.“She’s a culinary mastermind.”
“You close?”he guessed.
“Yeah.We live together, actually.All three of us.”
“So, there’s a third.”He shoved salad leaves in his mouth and gestured for me to talk.
How did I end up talking not only about myself but also about my sisters?I didn’t normally share any details about my personal life.
“My oldest sister is basically my life coach, parole officer, and dietitian all rolled into one.Gets bossy if I don’t eat whatever healthy nonsense she thinks I should poison myself with.”
“Sounds like she loves you.”
I forced a smile.“Yeah.”
I might argue with Vera, but she sacrificed a lot for me and Ljuba.The three of us...We weren’t just sisters by blood.We were forged in the fires of hell together.
The pie was unfortunately almost gone, but I didn’t want this dinner to end.I almost regretted not ordering a large meal that would’ve taken me longer to eat.Nick, of course, ate with the speed of light.
Seriously, what was wrong with me tonight?Why did I suddenly want to spend more time with Nick?Maybe it was sex.He was pretty good in bed, and he was still flashing me his forearms, so my libido kept asking for more.That’s it.Nothing but my horny mind wanting to go for seconds.
Nick signaled for the check, never breaking eye contact—even when the waitress dropped the bill and shuffled away.
I swallowed the last of my coffee and asked, “Are you ready to go?”
He stood, left a few twenties on the table, and offered me his hand that I took without a second thought.Great.We were holding hands now.Next, he’d ask me if I wanted to go steady.I never should’ve agreed to have dinner with him.
Nick’s grip was careful, not crushing.And then he kept holding my hand as we stepped into the rain, and I squinted at the blur of city lights on wet pavement.
“You want me to walk you home?”he asked.“Or we can go back to the hotel.”
I should’ve turned down both offers.Already, I’d spent too much time with him, allowing myself to feel too much.
“Let’s go back to the hotel,” I said, knowing damn well that I wouldn’t stay the night.But I could stay in this comfortable place for a little longer — a place where I felt like a normal human being and not a broken doll.
