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Her question is soft, almost too low for me to hear. Frowning, I clear my throat and lean forward slightly. “I do, with my family, my brothers. They know us well and treat us right. Is that okay with you?”
Her gaze flicks down to the table, then she slowly lifts it to meet mine. “You have brothers?” she asks.
Leaning back in my chair, I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, one older and one younger. My poor fucking mother. We still give her a run for her money.”
Parker’s eyes widen as she slides her finger across the top of her menu. She watches me. I’m not sure if she’s trying to see anything other than what I allow her, but she won’t be able to get inside. I was taught years ago how to show exactly what I wish to show to another person.
I’m only going to show her what I think she needs to see, which right now isn’t much at all. Smiling, I reach across the table and take her hand from the menu, squeezing her fingers. “I don’t date, Parker.Ever. I’ve never taken a woman out for a meal. So if you’re thinking I am a regular here with women, you are thinking absolutely wrong.”
Her body visibly relaxes, and she gives me a small smile before she dips her chin and looks down at the menu. A few moments later, she’s ordered some kind of fucking salad, and I’ve ordered more than I can eat because I plan on giving her half. She doesn’t eat enough, judging by her thin frame and the lack of food in her fridge.
“Do you like your job? Analyzing numbers and shit?” I ask, trying to get to know her better.
Granted, I don’t have to know much else about her. I already know how she feels on my cock. But Coleman telling me who her parents were and that Dad probably killed them, I want to get as much information about her as I can. And before I start poking around into her childhood, this is as good as anywhere to begin.
“I do. I went to college on an academic scholarship. God knows my aunt and uncle wouldn’t have paid for anything, and I didn’t get anything from my trust fund until I was twenty-one,” she murmurs. “Allison and a couple other girls let me rent half a room in their two-bedroom apartment. We had a lot of fun,” she rambles.
It’s cute. I can tell as she talks that she’s thinking about her friends and her time in college. She acts as if it was so long ago, but I know it’s only been about a year and a half.
“What about you?” she asks.
“I love my business,” I say. “It’s what I was raised in. It’s the family business.”
She opens her mouth to say something, but our first course arrives, and she snaps her lips shut. For the rest of lunch, we stick to movie and music topics, which I appreciate because those are things I can’t find out about her without asking.
As I pay the bill, I can’t help but smile at the empty plates on the table. She ate about a quarter of everything I ordered. It took some serious coaxing and a few stare-downs, but she did it.
I’m pleased with myself, but not just because she ate, more because she did what I told her to do, and that alone makes my cock fucking hard.
Taking her hand, I walk us out of the restaurant. I slip the valet a twenty and tell him I’ll be back and tug her behind me as I walk down the street. There’s a place I want to take her, but really, I just want to spend time with her.
I’ve never done anything like this before, and I like it, but I have a feeling it’s because I’m doing it with her and not necessarily the act itself. “Where are we going?” she asks.
I hum, not saying anything immediately. It’s a nice afternoon, not too hot or humid, which can be a rarity depending on the time of year.
“Just for a walk, cupcake.”
Releasing her hand, I lift my arm and wrap it around her neck, tugging her against my side. I feel her shaky arm timidly slide around my waist. Turning my head, I touch my lips to the top of her hair. She lets out a soft sigh, and that makes me smile.
“I like this,” she confesses softly.
“Me too, Parker.”
We aren’t far from our destination, and as I approach, I turn our bodies to face the shop’s window and stop.
“We’re here,” I murmur.
“Cupcakes,” she breathes.
“For my cupcake. Even though you have some at home, you can save them for later. Eat these now.”
And I know that’s the cheesiest fucking pussy-ass shit to say, but somehow, it fits, and when she looks up at me, the smile she wears, it’s worth the pussy-ass words. Every single one of them.
ChapterTwenty-Five
PARKER
The sun is setting.I’ve had lunch, cupcakes, and an iced coffee. I’m not sure if I should feel spoiled, but I do. I don’t know if this is normal for people who aren’t dating, but it feels like that’s what we’re doing—dating.
