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“Well, you know them better than I do,” Cora said. “Have they done the same things Nathan did?”
“No,” I admitted, remembering how they’d cleaned my wounds, savored my cooking, and taught me how to protect myself. “But neither did Nathan, at first. When I met him, he seemed lovely.”
Cora gave me a skeptical look.
“Is that completely true?”
“Yes,” I said, remembering the small things he did to show me he cared: opening doors, taking me out for dinner, giving me gifts for no reason. But therewerehints of his real personality, too: being rude to waitstaff, road rage, getting mad and hanging up on his mom during a phone conversation.
Had I seen anything like that with the guys? I didn’t think so. But then again, they hadn’t made any effort to take me out of the apartment the way Cora had, either.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, not wanting to make a decision under pressure. But it was still enough to make Cora squeal.
“How exciting,” she said. “Both of us in new relationships at the same time. And I bet you could convince them to share you, too — you know, a different guy each night.”
“That’s insane,” I said, but honestly, the idea sounded wonderful. “And I don’t know them well enough to eventhinkabout a relationship.”
The details didn’t seem to bother Cora. She drained the rest of her soup and leaned across the table.
“Whatever it is, you should enjoy it,” she said. “Especially after the last couple of years you’ve had.”
I knew that if I argued, she’d have a dozen comebacks, so I just smiled. Besides, the waiters were bringing our next course: succulent lamb shanks with mash and beans.
“Okay,” I said, and nodded toward the painting to change the subject. “After this, how about we go for a walk along the beach?”
* * *
I paidfor both our meals and we made our way outside. The sky was dark, the wind had picked up, and the closed umbrellas over the outdoor tables swayed dangerously. We crossed the road and followed the sidewalk toward the gap in the fencing, where a sandy path led through the shrubbery to the ocean.
I’d almost completely forgotten about Nathan. Being in a new place had taken my mind off him — as had my conversation with Cora. My thoughts tumbled as we walked, filled with ideas about what it might be like to be shared by three men.
I’d never done anything like that before, and I wasn’t sure how it would work.
Nathan had been insanely jealous, and me even looking at another man triggered his anger. But the tattoo artists seemed easygoing and comfortable with each other in a way Nathan had never been with anyone.
Rule one: always be aware of your surroundings.
I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn’t notice the blue car pulling up beside us, or the man with his hoodie pulled over his head who climbed out of the driver’s seat. Not until he stepped in front of us and yanked down the hood.
“Emma,” he said, his eyes cold. “You’ve been hard to track down.”
I instinctively lurched backwards. My heart raced and adrenaline coursed through my body as panic overtook me.
“What are you doing here?”
It was hard to imagine how I’d ever been attracted to him — his dark oily hair and narrow jaw seemed repulsive to me now.
Nathan gave a mirthless chuckle.
“You thought you could get away from me?” he asked and stepped forward. “I’m a patient man. Now get in the car.”
His sleeves were long, and he tugged one up to show the paring knife in his hand.
My mind flashed back to Adrian’s self-defense training. I was wearing the right kind of shoes and clothes, and I’d tied my hair into a low bun in the car.
Don’t let him move you to a second location.
There was no way I was getting into that car.
