Chapter 12
12
DEER
Relief washed through me as I pushed open the glass door of the building at Manhattan Central University where my last class of the year had finally ended—fifteen minutes late. I dragged in the cold air and marched forward, letting the freezing burst in my lungs cleanse the last hour and a half of my life. The swirling clouds overhead dipped low, cotton balls that had been dumped in the gutter, then hung back up in the sky. White flakes danced down and got stuck in my eyelashes. The dusting of snow was pretty, but the frigid wind bit my cheeks and sent an icy shiver down my spine.
This morning I’d left Scott’s place and finally gone home to grab some of my own things. I’d decided to wear a formfitting black leather jacket and jeans that were glued to my ass—because I’d wanted to look good, obviously—but I really should’ve chosen an actual winter coat.
Hubris was the only explanation for this.
I’d thought I would be going from the car to a building and back to the car, but Scott had gotten snarled in traffic so bad that even my class letting out late didn’t help much. He’d randomly dropped the idea of having one of his guys follow me around campus, and I was grateful for that, but maybe I should’ve allowed it because they probably would’ve had warm transportation. I glanced at my phone, then the sky. It was only 4:45 p.m. and the sun was already beginning to set. The lights lining the sidewalk began to pop on as if by magic.
“You jerk! Wait! Deer!” Bryn came bouncing out of the building right on my heels wearing a calf-length white wool coat with a comfy-looking pink knit hat plopped on her head. Her laptop bag was slung on her shoulder and bobbed happily against her hip as she rushed to catch me.
“Where’s the fire, sugar?” She tugged on my elbow as she finally caught me, then let out a high-pitched giggle as her heels slid on the slush that was already collecting on the salted sidewalk.
“Nowhere, I’m just really ready to escape. No one should have to endure calculus at the end of the day.”
She grinned at me and bumped her shoulder against mine. “I can’t believe this is our last class of the whole year.”
I forced a smile for her, but there was an open pit in the bottom of my stomach because green and purple smeared away from her right eye across her face like clashing, angry watercolors. She’d gone to get checked out at an urgent care with some cock-and-bull story about falling on the ice, and the eye socket wasn’t cracked, but it was still an awful bruise. It was Friday, and almost a week had passed since she’d been hurt, but her injury was still a stark reminder of all the things that could go wrong with my current situation. Not that I was worried about Scott using me as a punching bag, but being a sugar baby or rent boy or whatever this boiled down to clearly wasn’t a good long-term plan.
I’d just gotten lucky this time.
I ran a hand down my face, and a small furrow settled between Bryn’s eyebrows.
“What’s wrong?” She hoisted her laptop bag higher on her shoulder and jutted her bottom lip in my direction, but the wind blew her blond hair into her face and she started laughing.
Guilt swamped me as we walked under a light along the sidewalk that popped on, probably because it was so dark out with the snow starting to swirl that the sensor was confused and thought it was nighttime. I wrapped an arm around her in a half hug and squeezed.
She gave me a bear hug in return. “What was that for?”
“You know, just, I’m sorry you got hurt.” I brushed a finger near her eye without touching the bruise, but she flinched anyway, and I felt like a jerk.
She shrugged. “Shit happens.”
What was there to say to that?
We walked along in silence for a few minutes until we hit the edge of campus, passed through the arched stone gate in the fence, and then spilled out onto the wide sidewalk in Manhattan. The foot traffic was weirdly heavy, even with the snow, and we dodged people to continue onward. I was suddenly glad I’d convinced Scott that I didn’t need someone to follow me around because that would have made this awkward.
“Do you have time for coffee before that big ole slab of Aussie beefcake sweeps you off your feet?” She was so pleased with herself she was nearly bursting and her face went pink as she held her breath.
I snorted as she giggled again. “I’m not sure why, but the term beefcake makes me think of, like, steaks layered with buttercream.”
A bark of unladylike laughter belted out of her, and people walking ahead of us shot curious glances over their shoulders. “Okay, then stud? Can I call him that?”
My face burned and I shrugged as a smile tugged at my lips. “That’s fine, I guess. I have no idea how to act with Scott. It’s been a week, and he wrecks me daily, and I still feel—” I waved a hand vaguely. “—shy? How is that possible?”
She slapped my arm with the back of her hand. “You like him.”
“I do.” The knowledge had begun to eat at me, along with the irritation that kept swirling to the surface of my mind after meeting Ryan Killough. I bit the inside of my bottom lip. My skin prickled with fire as low-grade fury began to buzz in my brain.
People who weren’t even close to my uncle got to be in the Company, but no one had ever come around and offered me the opportunity. Not one olive branch had been extended my direction. No, I’d gotten cut off instead. Why?
“What are you and stud muffin doing this evening?” Bryn asked, humor dancing in her eyes.
“He’s taking me to this restaurant I’ve never been to, Salamati. It’s a Persian restaurant? I had to Google what part of the world that was from. I tell you, sometimes I just feel stupid.”
She hummed. “There’s always something new in this city. That’s why I love it! I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.” Her smile lit up her face as the wind grabbed her long blond hair and tossed it behind her like streamers. I never bothered to check the weather, but I would bet money a storm was getting ready to dump a bunch of snow on the city.
Finally grinning, I nudged her. “I looked the menu up online and the food all looks amazing and costs a pretty penny. I don’t know if Scott always spends money this way. Maybe he thinks I’m special?” It was a bizarre sort of relief that she’d met him now and could help me think through the ins and outs of the things Scott did. I’d never really met anyone like him.
“Ours is not to reason why,” she said, rocking her shoulder against my arm. I wasn’t sure if that had been on purpose or if she’d slipped. “Let him spend that money, baby.” A contemplative expression settled on her face. “He made good with me, you know. The money he promised was there exactly when he said it would be.” She rested her gloved right hand on her nose, and I noticed mine was starting to feel really cold, too. “He might just not have much sense with that type of thing. So much money it doesn’t even mean anything to him.”
“Nah, he does. He goes to the grocery store and stuff. It isn’t, like, being socially awkward, only with cash. He’s definitely aware he’s spending it. Well, I think so, anyway.”
She hummed as we approached a pink coffee truck cozied up to the curb with a line in front of it. Grounds and Gears was on the side in red cursive script so fancy I could barely read it. Golden cogs were interlocked and busy spinning beneath the name. It was a really cool effect. Steam slid out of the open hatch on the other side, wrapping the truck in magical, coffee-scented fog. There were only a couple of people in front of us, but we didn’t need to browse the menu board. We always got the same things.
Bryn danced in place, probably just to keep her blood pumping with the wind pelting us. I scrunched down and did my best to convince my body that I was actually warm.
“Scott is trying awful hard for a sure thing, though, ain’t he?” She flashed her teeth in a wide smile.
“He is, isn’t he?” I nibbled my bottom lip as I got lost in thought. Would he be trying even harder if he knew I was a Killough like Ryan? Or less if he knew I was an outcast from the family? I’d wanted so bad to ask how he knew Ryan.
My head had been a mess since I’d heard that Irish accent.
Anger bit at me and the cold fell away, no longer bothering me. Why was some cousin from “back home” working for the Company, and I couldn’t even talk to my brother, Fionn? None of it seemed fair.
“What’s that face for?” Bryn asked as we took one more step toward the coffee truck. She wriggled her pointer finger around in front of my eyeballs, and I batted it away.
“Do you remember the blond guy with the Irish accent?” I asked, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.
She fake swooned and leaned her head against my arm. “Ugh, yeah. He was a slice of heaven, wasn’t he?”
Scowling, I huffed out a breath that fogged in front of my face. “He’s my cousin. Apparently.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stood ramrod straight at my side. A solid minute crawled past while she stared at me, and we shuffled forward another step closer to caffeine. “What?” she finally asked. “I knew your real last name was Killough, and that is as Irish as all get-out, but really?”
Crossing my arms, I nodded. “I’m so much of a black sheep that he didn’t even recognize me. Meeting him really put some shit into perspective. I already knew my own brother didn’t give a shit about me, but I guess I just never realized how far down the ladder I’d landed.” I wanted to continue ranting. What made Ryan better? Why did he get a shot to be a real Killough, and I didn’t?
Fuck, it all just pissed me off.
“Oh. Oh!” She shook her head, shoving her hair out of her face. “What the hell?”
“Hey, you ordering or what?” The thin man with a sharp face and bloodshot blue eyes, who I’d never once seen smile, glared at us from the warm protection of the coffee truck. “Two mint mochas? Yes?”
“Yes, please!” we chorused, almost as if we’d practiced.
He held out his hand, and Bryn beat me to slapping a twenty into his palm. He didn’t offer to get us change, and I hadn’t expected it. He was cranky for someone who made coffee all day. A few seconds later his helper, a guy who seemed a couple of years younger than me, handed our order over with a bright smile.
We walked off with our coffees, and I was grateful for the heat that bled into my hands as I sipped the chocolate-and-mint dream. I sighed and let my eyes flutter, and Bryn laughed.
“So, what’s the deal with the family thing?” She raised an eyebrow. “I know you’re using Marshall for our little business venture.”
I grunted. “My dad died when I was young. I don’t remember him,” I said in a rush when I saw her gearing up for some condolences. “So, no harm, no foul, there. But my uncle.... He owns the Killough Company. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s a big deal.”
She made a small noise in her throat, staring at me wide eyed. “I never connected the dots because you’re working with me and wouldn’t your family be, uh, you know... loaded?”
“My uncle left Mom out in the cold, even though he ran the business with my dad.” I sipped my coffee, but it didn’t taste quite as good now. “I mean, for a long time he gave her cash, but then he cut her off with no explanation. Well, I don’t know why, anyway. He took my older brother, Fionn, when we were little, and I never saw him again. I don’t remember him too well, but I do have some memories of him, unlike dad. We used to talk on the phone occasionally, but those calls dried up. I guess my uncle wanted an heir or something. I always wondered why he picked Fionn and not me or my younger brother.” I shook my head.
“Well, he was older. That’s how those things go, isn’t it?” She sounded like she was holding back a thousand questions, but even if she was, I wouldn’t have any answers.
I chugged coffee on autopilot as my mind whirled. “I always thought I could prove myself eventually. Break into the Killough Company and earn a spot there. It’s why I wanted my Pharm D. But now I don’t know.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t they do some businessy thing? Why would you want to work there? Sounds boring.”
“They do lots of stuff,” I mumbled.
“Well, maybe your Irish cousin has some sort of fancy business degree.” She tasted her coffee and hummed. “Or something.”
I rolled my eyes, and she stuck her tongue out at me.
“And he decides to just show up and throw hands for fun?”
Bryn shrugged, and we began to aimlessly walk back toward campus; although, we had no real destination in mind.
“Why not?” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Future pharmacist Deer, are you or are you not selling that ass?” She grinned at me. “Who would suspect a pharmacist of doing such a thing?”
Grunting, I sipped my coffee. “I guess. It just all....” I shook my head.
“Hurts?” She gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Something like that.”
A sleek red town car pulled up along the curb, and Scott hopped out of the back, strolling toward me quickly with his hands tucked into his pockets. His brilliant smile was warmer than the heavy winter coat he had zipped up to his neck. He brushed a kiss to my cheek, flustering me because he was acting so much like a real boyfriend, which was starting to make me squirmy inside. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I did . Seeing him here alongside Bryn drove home how this was all temporary, when I’d been doing my best to ignore that fact all week.
“Mmm. Minty.”
His warm look had me blushing.
“Hey, darl, how are you?” Scott patted the knit cap on Bryn’s head.
“Good!” She gave Scott a hug that nearly doused him in coffee, but she righted the cup at the last second. With a grin, she swiped at a few strands of his dark blond hair that had fallen onto his forehead, tucking them back into place. I loved that she was relaxed with him because that meant she thought he was safe.
“We’re doing dinner. You’re welcome to join?” He glanced between us.
I didn’t know what she saw on my face, but she flashed him an abrupt smile. “Thank you, but I have to study! Finals are next week, you know.”
Scott frowned at me. “Do you need to skip out on tonight and study?”
Frantically, I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was waste any of my time with him. “No. I’m already fitting it in around everything else. I’m good.”
“Yeah, he’s a brainiac. He always aces his tests.” Bryn rolled her eyes. “Especially anything numbers related, and he barely has to open his eyeballs in class.”
Scott clicked his tongue as if he wasn’t quite sure he believed us, but then shrugged and grinned. “All right. Have a good night!” He gestured toward the car and took my hand. I felt ridiculously taken care of as he opened the door for me so I wouldn’t have to freeze my fingers to do it, then took my coffee, situating it in a cup holder on the back of the seat in front of me. I got a final kiss before he closed my door. After running around to his side, he hopped in, and the driver pulled the car out into traffic.
Usually, I was really happy to see Scott after we’d been apart, but my shitty thoughts about my family had settled into my brain like mud. He’d been staring at me for a minute before I cleared my throat and grasped for a conversation starter.
“How was your day?” I asked, mentally rolling my eyes at myself.
He hummed and shrugged. He’d told me earlier he had business meetings all afternoon. “Perfect now.”
I nibbled on the inside of my bottom lip. “Well, that’s enlightening.”
He snickered and tweaked the tip of my nose. “Can’t always talk about business, can I? Some stuff’s confidential.” He didn’t sound unkind, but there was a firmness in his tone that let me know he wouldn’t be answering anything else about the subject, so I let it go because what else could I do?
“Do you have a special connection to this place we’re going?” I glanced out the window. Opening the door and rolling away would be a reasonable response to how I was feeling right now.
“Salamati. Yes. Friend of mine owns it. Great food.”
“You seem to have a friend for everything ,” I teased quietly.
He waggled his eyebrows, and all I could do was laugh, relieved to shake off the burn of the unpleasant feelings that had been digging into my gut off and on ever since last weekend. Scott could chase the bad things away, but then as soon as he was out of my sight, I just started thinking about it all again. Sometimes I wished I could switch off my brain when I wasn’t with him. He just had the magic touch, was able to make everything better.
I sighed, and he gave me a long glance that made me feel bad all over again.
The car pulled up near an open spot on the curb in front of a restaurant that was on the bottom floor of a steel-and-gray stone high-rise. The exterior didn’t look like anything much, just big square windows bracketed on the inside by filmy blue fabric. Scott hopped out and opened my door. We headed toward the entrance.
A man who towered over me opened the door with a grin. He was reaching to shake Scott’s hand before we even made it inside and used his grip to drag Scott into a half hug.
“There you are! I saw your name on the reservation list.” Laugh lines softened the corners of the man’s rich brown eyes, driving my estimation of his age up by a few years. Stubble shaded his jaw and his shiny brown hair was just long enough to pull back at the base of his neck. The light blue suit he wore matched the theme of the restaurant. The tables were white, the chairs were blue. It was almost as if the space was purposefully minimal. But that was fine because the scents dancing on the air had my mouth watering. Strong spices and a teasing sweetness had me ready to try anything that came from the kitchen.
“Who’s this?” The man’s attention landed on me, warm and intense, and my cheeks heated as I gave him a small smile.
“Mehdi, this is my Deer. Deer, Mehdi.” Scott waved his hand between us in that casual way he had that always made me feel like hiding behind his back. I wasn’t a total wreck when I was alone, but I didn’t come close to feeling as comfortable in my skin as Scott did. My Deer. That’s what he’d said. He called me his .
My face really began to burn, and both men laughed.
“Welcome to my restaurant,” Mehdi said, patting my shoulder with his solid hand. Before I had a chance to say anything, he was turning back to Scott and some of the humor had left his expression. “The room is ready. My cousin Tyrus was hoping to pop in because he’s working on that project for you.” Mehdi’s eyebrows jumped up and back down and he hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his suit pants.
Scott puffed out his cheeks, glanced at me, and I started to feel odd as I could see him doing some sort of mental calculation before his expression cleared and he nodded. “Yeah, sure. That would be great. Thank you.”
Mehdi’s smile was back, and if I didn’t already like Scott so much, I probably would’ve been staring as we were led along the wall to our left and back into one of several alcoves. Yikes, that man was hot .
The room we’d been directed into was much more ornate than the outer one. Blue tiles covered the walls with golden starburst patterns dotted here and there, and a large circular mirror across from the door made the space glow. We shrugged out of our winter gear and hung everything on hooks near the door. Scott pulled out my chair at a long table, got me settled, and then sat down on my right, slinging his arm across my shoulders.
“The servers will be out shortly with your preselected menu.” Mehdi grinned. “I’ll have them add a nice selection of desserts, shall I?” He stared at me, not Scott, and I felt put on the spot. What should I say?
Scott rubbed my shoulder.
“That would be great,” I murmured. “Thanks so much.”
Mehdi winked, and I covered my face with my hands. His boisterous laugh retreated out of the room, which I figured meant he was gone, too.
“What makes you so shy?” Scott whispered in my ear.
I groaned. “No idea. It’s you. I blame you.”
He snickered, but before he could fire back a response, several people came in carrying trays. In less than a minute, we had steaming plates and bowls of food sitting in front of us with spoons in them so we could take what we wanted. It all smelled and looked good, and I was kind of at a loss.
“Do you like fennel?” Scott asked me, eyebrows raised.
“Uh.” Panic stuck my tongue to the roof of my mouth. What the hell is fennel?
He only laughed. “You can try it all, then pick.”
He handed me a spoon.
“You don’t mind my germs?” I wrinkled my nose at him.
He shook his head and brushed a thumb along my jawline. “Not at all. I’ve had my mouth all over your body, so you should know that.”
Heat streaked directly to my dick. Well, then.
We didn’t talk about much of anything as I tried different dishes, and he told me the names of them as we went, but there were about ten on the table, and by the time we got back around to the beginning again, I’d forgotten. This wasn’t going very well, but on the other hand, I liked the food, so it wasn’t going poorly, either.
“I like this eggplant stuff the best,” I said, pointing with my spoon.
“The khoresh bademjan. Good choice.”
Without much fanfare, we loaded up plates, and I began to relax because this type of date was becoming routine and familiar in a way I enjoyed. It had been a long time since I’d had someone who expected to share meals with me and wanted me at their side. The more I thought about the habits we were getting into, my eyes teared up, and I had to blink the droplets away before I had to make some awful explanation for them.
“You all right?” Scott asked, nudging me gently with his elbow.
Shit, he must’ve noticed. “Yep.”
“There you are,” a man said, and I spun toward the doorway.
“Tyrus!” Scott said with a smirk, the kind of look you gave someone you were used to getting into trouble with.
The man walked in. This must be Mehdi’s cousin. It was easy to tell they were related. He had the same strong jawline and inquisitive brown eyes as Mehdi, but overall, his features were softer. His nose was more rounded and his lips were a bow. The stubble on his face was clean, sharp lines shaved into a goatee rather than a full beard. I could imagine using the word pretty if I told Bryn about him later.
Tyrus shook hands with Scott before dragging a chair around to his other side.
“He good?” Tyrus asked, his gaze shifting to me before it landed back on Scott.
Scott frowned, then gave a short nod.
“Let’s get to it.” Tyrus slung a briefcase I hadn’t noticed onto his lap and popped it open.
“Tell me about what I’m seeing,” Scott said, voice much more clipped and serious than usual. I leaned forward so I could peek at what they were doing because—smart or not—I was dying of curiosity.
“Is that a plastic gun?” I asked, dumbfounded, as Scott picked it up out of the case to turn it this way and that. “Is it a toy?”
Tyrus looked very proud as he sat up straighter. “Hell no. That gun’s the real deal. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can use a digital printer to make these.” He slapped the table.
“Oh!” I had no idea what to say, but Tyrus chuckled at my reaction.
Scott grunted and set the gun back in the briefcase, brow furrowed.
A few seconds ticked by, and Mehdi interrupted the tense thinking silence by bringing in a plate of cookies. A man followed him carrying a tray, which was topped by a tall glass teapot covered in gold swirls with a bulb shape and gold-rimmed clear glass mugs. Another man carried a tray with several crystal bowls that looked like they were full of different kinds of rock candy.
Space was made for the teapot. A tea candle was lit and put into a gold metal circle, and then the teapot was set on top of it. One of the pretty mugs was set in front of each of us, and Mehdi came around and poured tea into mine.
“You’ll like this,” he said, picking up a piece of the rock candy with small golden tongs. He plopped the little ball in my hand, and I inspected it. “Saffron flavored. It’s a very light taste, though. It goes with the tea. We have a house blend. Suck the nabat—” He gestured at the candy. “—then sip the tea.” He grinned and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, snagging a cookie as he went.
He stared at me, and I realized he was waiting for me to try the steaming tea, so I did as he’d instructed before sipping from the mug. Hints of honey and cinnamon and something else that was just delicious made me moan.
“It’s so good! I didn’t think I really liked tea, but this is amazing.” I stared down into the steaming mug and absently gave the sugar candy another little lick. “Wow.”
“That’s the best compliment I’ve received today.” He seemed satisfied as he leaned back in his chair. “Try the cookies! You’ll enjoy them,” he said, nodding at the plate. “They’re a play on the same spices as love cake.”
That meant nothing to me because I had no idea what love cake was, but everything had been really good, so I hurried to grab a cookie and started nibbling it. The sweet explosion of cardamom and a hint of rose on my tongue had me blinking. I’d never experienced these flavors together, but they were delicious. “It’s good! Thank you.”
Mehdi grinned, and I couldn’t help the way my face heated.
“I kind of want to eat the sugar.”
He laughed and waved a hand. “Go ahead! They’re good for you. I sneak them all day long.”
My cheeks warmed and I popped the piece of sugar in my mouth. I crunched it once, and then it melted away to nothing.
Scott brushed his fingers over the back of my neck, almost like he was jealous, before frowning at the gun in the case again. “This isn’t new. What makes it better than the others?”
“Glad you asked.” Tyrus picked the gun up and did something that had Scott grunting.
“Wow, that trigger’s moving smoother.”
“Yep. The fact that it locked up occasionally was a real brainteaser, but I worked it out.” He tipped his chin up. “Only took me two nights.”
Scott slapped his back. “I’ll pass the word along to the right people. I’m sure you’ll get an offer on your design.”
Mehdi and Tyrus smirked at each other before grinning at Scott.
“Let’s have a drink sometime next week,” Scott said smoothly, and the smile fell from both men’s faces. “No worries, mates. I just don’t want to hash out details right now.” He cut a quick look at me.
My face boiled when he popped a kiss on my temple, and both men were back to grinning.
“Got it. We’re starting to get busy anyway, so I’m going to go man the front. See you soon. Come help me, Tyrus.” Mehdi tugged on his cousin’s elbow.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Isn’t Scott’s boy cute?” Mehdi said, winking at me.
Tyrus laughed. “Yes, I thought so, too. Look at him blush!”
My face burned and I fought back a smile.
“Hey now!” Scott shouted playfully.
The men chuckled, and they were gone faster than they’d arrived.
I was left a little unsettled by the encounter. What the hell was Scott into? I knew he easily found guys to save Bryn and left three men a bloody mess. That had helped me, so I didn’t put too much thought into it.
He’d gotten shot the night I’d met him and had forty grand lying around in a train station.
And he definitely knew someone who worked for the Killough Company.
All signs were pointing to illegal things, but who was I to judge? I leaned back in my chair.
Scott studied my face.
“Don’t suppose you could tell me what that was all about?” I touched his hand, and he went stiff under my caress.
“No, it’s not something we’re discussing.” His tone came out much sterner than anything I’d heard so far and had me sitting up straight in my chair.
“Oh.” My stomach heated, even as an unexpected wave of anger slammed me. Everywhere I went I was pushed out, on the edges, not good enough to be included. And yeah, I shouldn’t want to be enmeshed in this. Obviously, something that could get people killed was going on—it involved weapons. “Okay.”
“Don’t be mad, Fawn,” he whispered in my ear, breath a warm gust that had me shivering worse than the cold outside.
I shrugged and stood, all at once interested in being done. “I’m not. It’s your work stuff, right? That isn’t why I’m here.” I smoothed my hands along the back of the chair.
Scott’s jaw hardened, but he nodded. “Exactly.”
He stood and took my hand. We put on our outerwear before he led me away. One of those silences settled, the kind I couldn’t bring myself to break. We went to the front of the restaurant, and he paid cash to Mehdi as we were on the way out the door.
“Thank you.” I waved at him, and he looked amused as he did the same.
I wasn’t really surprised anymore to see several hundred dollars dropped on a single meal that we hadn’t even finished. That just seemed to be life with Scott. He did his own shopping and would and could cook at home, but he also didn’t mind living it up.
The air felt heavy in my lungs as we waited for the town car to reach us from wherever it had been waiting, and then the ride back to Scott’s was downright awkward. He still held my hand, and I didn’t want him to let go, but it was like a glass wall had slid between us and neither one of us could think of a single word to crack that barrier. I picked at my thumbnail, and he rested his hand over mine to stop me.
But we still didn’t speak to each other.
The silence lasted all the way until we were in his living room, stripping off our winter gear.
“I’m sorry I took that tone with you. In the restaurant, I mean.” Scott’s throat worked.
Was he not used to apologizing or secretly mad at me or something else entirely?
“It’s fine.” I covered my face with my hands, and he gently pulled them down again, holding them. His blue eyes were wide and apologetic as he brushed his lips to mine, and I could feel the tension melting out of my body. He chuckled and devoured my mouth, gaze warm once again when he pulled back, the chill between us forgotten.
“Let’s play a fun game, little fawn,” he said, tweaking my chin between two fingers.
“Oh, like what?” I licked my lips as excitement tingled through me and chased away my bad mood.
“I’ve always wanted to hunt a timid deer. Why don’t I give you a half hour to change—” He tapped my nose. “—and then you can try your best to hide. When I find you, I’ll tempt you out into the open.” There was a gleam in his eyes that had heat pooling in my stomach.
My voice caught in my throat and instead of saying anything, I nodded.
“Go on, then.” He nipped my bottom lip, and I moaned. “This is just what you need, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” I could already feel the rest of the stress from my day ebbing like a river had washed over me and carried it away. “How did you know?”
“Trust me to take care of you.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth, then spun me and gave me a light slap on the ass that didn’t sting at all. “Get going.”
Trust? That was the problem. I rubbed the back of my neck as I walked to my room. I was starting to trust him to take care of me, but there wouldn’t be anyone to do it a couple of weeks from now. I tried to shake that thought out of my head and hurried to do as he’d ordered.