Page 83 of No One’s Daughter

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Either way,” he went on, tone light but pointed. “He’s into you, so be careful with his heart.”

​I barked out a laugh before I could stop myself. “He is not.”

​I thought of all the times he’d been an ass to me. Had I misread him? No. There was no way. Sure, maybe he liked the idea of screwing me, but he wasn’t into me anymore than I was into him.

​“Trust me,” Nikolai said, entirely unfazed by my reaction. “He is.”

I shook my head, already dismissing it. “You’re wrong.”

“In fact,” he continued, as though I hadn’t spoken, “how about we make it interesting?”

I glanced at him sideways. “Meaning?”

“A bet,” he said, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “You flirt with him—and I mean properly—and I guarantee he flirts back.”

I snorted. “As if.”

And yet, despite myself, a small part of me was curious.

I tilted my head slightly, considering him. “What do I get if I win?”

​Nikolai’s smile widened, slow and knowing. “I’ll give you that hidden blade hair pin you were eyeing back at my place.”

​I thought over the offer, I did really like the idea of wearing a weapon in my hair. And it’s not like Davien would flirt with me, not in a million years. I was doubtful he even knew how. I was sure he’d never had to work for a woman’s attention a day in his life.

​“You’re on,” I said, outstretching my hand for him to shake.

​I turned the glass over in my hands, watching the dark liquid catch the low light before finally bringing it to my lips.

​“For courage,” I muttered under my breath, knocking it back in one go.

​It burned on the way down and I welcomed it. Anything to quiet the sudden, inexplicable nerves twisting in my stomach.

​This was ridiculous.

​I didn’t even believe Nikolai.

​But here I was.

​I set the glass down with a soft click just as Davien pushed back his seat, looking over at us and then getting up to join us.

​Well.

​This was it, no point dragging it out.

​I turned slowly, letting my gaze find his, holding it just a fraction longer than I normally would and I smiled, not my usual sarcastic fake one.

​His brow furrowed slightly, suspicion flickering there as he stilled completely.

​Good.

​Davien eyed me suspiciously, but then to my complete and utter surprise, he took off his hoodie—painfully slowly, to the point where I couldn’t not watch. The way he revealed his tanned, muscular inked arms in the loose sleeveless vest he wore. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then nonchalantly pulled a hand through his hair, tousling it slightly.

​What the fuck was happening?

​Was he flirting?