Chapter Nine #2
She hadn’t been surprised. He had looked pretty worse for wear when he’d shown up with brownies. But now he looked . . . surprisingly good. The sweat was gone. So were the bags under his eyes. If he had been sick, he’d gotten better suspiciously fast.
“He sent me home,” Nick said with an eye roll. “Even though I’m fine. But hey, he wants me to take off early, who am I to say no? So I’m drinking beer and, uh . . . reading CliffsNotes.”
“Oh,” Vi said. “Really? Wow. I should kiss you more often.”
He let out a shocked laugh. “Go for it!”
Vi cringed. “No, that was— I don’t know why I said that. I came over . . .”
She sucked in a deep breath, steeling herself. She’d never had to make an apology this humiliating.
“I came over to apologize,” she said in a rush. “For yelling at you. And for not thanking you for the brownies. But mostly for the kiss. It was unprofessional and . . . weird.”
Nick’s mouth twisted. It took him several long seconds before he said, “You get that we don’t actually work together, right? I didn’t sign a contract. It’s not unprofessional.”
“Still! I don’t do stuff like that. That’s not like me.”
For a second, Nick looked oddly guilty. Then he leaned against his doorway, the movement pulling at his shirt so it exposed the wide cut of his green hip and the fine line of hair leading from his belly button into his boxers.
“Did you like it?”
Vi hesitated. “Yes.”
“Then—” he coughed, shifting from foot to foot “—maybe it should be like you.”
Vi tore her gaze away from his hip with a nervous chuckle. “You and my sister.”
He stared at her, incredulous. “Me and your sister what?”
“No!” Vi resisted the urge to push him. It was a strange urge; she wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of girl, except maybe with Gabriella. “My sister said that I should, um . . .”
“Kiss guys after they bring you brownies?”
“Have casual sex,” Vi blurted. “Not that that’s what we did!”
There was a long pause.
“We could,” Nick said quietly.
Vi looked up. For the first time since he’d opened the door, Nick wasn’t smiling. He had his upper lip in his mouth, the base of his fang catching on the chapped skin. His shoulders were hunched awkwardly, nothing like the suave flirting she’d seen directed at other girls over the years.
It should’ve been a turnoff. But it just made Vi want to kiss him again. To mess him up and see what else she could drag out of this confounding orc whom she thought she had figured out.
Vi pressed her brown brogue into the worn welcome mat, right over the O in hope. “Excuse me?”
“Hey, I’m just pushing my luck,” Nick said, rushed. “I’m still not convinced I didn’t smash my head open at work and fall into a coma. Quick, pinch me.”
He held out his arm. Vi imagined digging her fingers into the soft bulge of muscle.
“You’re serious,” Vi realized, stopping herself from reaching out and actually touching his arm. “You’d really . . . With me? Since when am I your type? Or do you just go for anybody?”
Nick laughed again, whole body shaking with it. “Shit! You’re really selling this.”
“That did sound insulting.” Vi sighed. “I swear I don’t mean to keep insulting you.”
“No, it’s refreshing to get to see what’s under the nice shtick.” He gave her a nervous smile, but Vi barely saw it. She was too embarrassed, glancing around to see if anyone was watching them from a nearby porch.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, turning to leave. “I’ll just . . . I’ll go.”
“Right,” Nick said, too fast. “Totally. Great. Or you could come in.”
Vi stopped. She’d been in the middle of turning, still scanning the neighbors’ thankfully empty porches. It was finally sinking in. Nick wasn’t making fun of her. This could really happen.
Vi turned back.
“We’re friends,” Nick continued, looking relieved. “Right? You could come in for a friendly chat about . . . books.”
“Books,” Vi repeated.
He nodded.
“You hate books.”
Nick snorted. “I just agreed to lead a book club, Vi. Obviously, I love books.”
Vi stared at him. Then, very slowly, she took a step forward. Then another. Then another, until he had to move back and she was standing in his doorway.
“Don’t try to convince me you have hidden depths,” she told him.
His mouth was slack with surprise, like he was waiting for her to turn around and walk right back out. Then he blinked and the grin was back, blazing bright.
“Never,” he promised. “Hand on my heart.”
Just like at the hospital, his hands were nowhere near it.
Vi closed the door behind her. She was liking the delighted disbelief on his face, like he’d just won something he’d never thought he would get. It made her feel like a prize.
She stepped in. He didn’t move back this time, tilting his head down to follow her gaze. He was so tall. She had to get up on her tiptoes just to reach his chin.
“Do me a favor,” she said, lips skimming his stubble. “Don’t do the whole mean-and-distant thing after, alright? You don’t need to worry. I won’t fall in love with you.”
Something unreadable flashed over his face. For a puzzled second, Vi thought she’d said the wrong thing. Then Nick was grinning again, lopsided and bright.
“Sounds good to me,” he said.
Then he dragged her in.