I don’t pull away when he nuzzles into my neck. I might even close my eyes and lean into it. “Smooth talker,” I murmur.
He just hums in answer. “Do you want to keep playing? Or are you ready for a break?”
I look around and try to guess what he might have in mind next. “What’s a break for you?”
He tugs me over to the high tops in the bar area in answer. “Just some food. Figured I’d feed you before I have to take you back.”
I follow behind him, albeit begrudgingly. This looks like the kind of place that only serves greasy, calorie-filled bar snacks. “I’m…uh, I’m not really hungry,” I lie. In reality, the only reason he hasn’t heard my stomach growl is because it’s so loud in here. “But I’ll take a water if you want to eat something.”
His frown deepens. “There’s no way throwing axes for an hour didn’t make you hungry. Come on, we’ll just get an appetizer or something.”
I don’t know how to argue without making him suspicious, so I let him tug me along.
“Looks like they have the usuals,” he says once we’re seated with a menu. “What do you want? Pretzels? Nachos? Sliders?”
Carbs. Carbs. Carbs.
As I look over the menu, the only thing I can think about is my mother calling me chunky when I was thirteen and asked for pizza for dinner. “Uh, I’m really not that hungry,” I argue weakly.
Nico notices. Of course, he notices.
He doesn’t press, like I thought he would. He doesn’t judge, like I knew he wouldn’t.
And whether he guesses the reason or not, he asks gently, “How about some chicken wings? We can get them plain, if you want.”
So…protein. I can do protein.
I give him a careful nod. “Okay. Wings would be good.”
I stay at our table, sipping my water, as Nico puts our order in. When he comes back, he smiles and asks, “So, what’s your favorite food?”
For a moment, all I can think is,this shouldn’t be a hard question.
But the truth is, I can’t remember the last time I ate something Iwantedinstead of the low-calorie diet that was drilled into me. I can’t say eggs are my favorite food, that’s ridiculous.
I shrug and give him a small smile. “I don’t know, it changes constantly,” I lie. “Maybe pizza?”
“Oh, yeah? What’s your favorite New York pizza spot?”
Shoot.
I can’t think of a single pizza place name.
“I haven’t found a spot that’s better than my hometown pizza.” Another lie. My mother never would’ve allowed pizza in the house. “It was a little hole-in-the-wall spot.”
He nods, spinning his beer bottle on the table. “I feel that. Philly has some great undiscovered spots.” His eyes meet mine. “You should come visit me. We could plan a date there.”
I’ve never before agreed to an overnight date with a client, but with Nico, I know I would break that rule.
“Would we stay at a hotel?” I tease.
“Are you kidding me?” he asks incredulously. “I wouldkillto see you sleeping in my bed.”
“Possessive,” I purr, naturally trying to seduce the conversation. “Would you like to fuck me in it too?”
I watch his throat move on a rough swallow. His gaze drops to my lips, the same way they always do when he’s turned on.
“I said sleeping, not fucking,” he says. But his voice is deep and gravelly, like he had to force it out.
