“Are you okay?” Ed frowns at me.
Fuck, I guess I cringed.
“I love this pasta.” Even the couple beside us turns at my exaggerated enthusiasm.
“Great.” He grins, as if he were the chef here. “Pasta isn’t the best choice for your hips, but let’s indulge.”
Fucking asshole.
“Let’s.” This time, I don’t even try to hide my sarcasm. I dig into my dish and stuff my face with one forkful after another. My hips love it.
Ed seems a bit taken aback by my lack of manners in eating, like this is the first meal I’ve seen in ages.
He blinks a few times before he returns to his steak and his rant about his business success.
I wonder if we will ever get to the part of the date when he actually asks me something about me and my life. His ego probably doesn’t have that setting.
I imagine stabbing him with my fork. What should I aim for? His hand? His eyes?
“Coraline.”
The name and the voice wash over me like molten chocolate.
It’s only momentary bliss before my mind engages. What the fuck?
Chapter 12
Cora
My gaze collides with Xander’s, and he is grinning. I know the man can wear a suit like a sex god, so why does the sight of him keep dazzling me?
“Xander.” Ed stands up, offering his hand. “What a coincidence.”
“I wouldn’t call it that.” Xander ignores the hand or its owner, his gaze firmly latched on me. “Are you ready to leave?”
“I don’t think we are,” Ed says.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Xander snarls, his gaze still holding me in its claws.
Is this a modern version of a knight in shining armor who comes on his white horse to save the princess?
I mean, I’d give anything to end this date, but I’mnot a fucking damsel in distress. And why is he here? This question is getting tiresome when it comes to Xander.
I haven’t seen him since I rejected him the last time… One of the times… Wow, we really have a fucked-up dynamic.
The worst part? I’m glad to see him. It’s probably because the other man in this equation is as charming as fungus.
“What are you doing here?” I stammer.
Besides providing a sliver of entertainment on this otherwise horrible night. Not that I would ever give him any credit.
He flashes me one of his self-assured and annoyingly charming smiles. “Rescuing you from a boring date.”
“Excuse me?” Ed voices his indignation. It’s like he was on a different date than me.
Xander finally looks at my companion, though it’s like he’s looking at an annoying insect. “You’re excused. In fact, the sooner you get the fuck out of here, the better.” He is about to turn back to me when he changes his mind and adds, “Especially if you want to keep using your hand in racquetball.”
I was going to aim for his hand too! My internal cheer might be inappropriate on some level, but I don’tcare. I do, however, bite the inside of my mouth to stop myself from grinning.
