“You know me, looking for trouble anywhere I can find it.” Ally gives Wes a wink, and he doesn’t blush or look away, which surprises me a little. Instead, he gives a little shake of his head and smiles in return.
“You guys are here kind of late,” I remark after finishing my bite of food to keep the conversation going.
“My class went a little long. I had a new student arrive today, so I was getting her settled,” Ally tells us, her voice much more serious with the change of topic. “These three were getting ready to go, but they stayed to chat and it worked out perfectly. We haven’t all had lunch together since your first week.”
I glance over at Noah. He’s been absent every time I’ve joined Ally or made an excuse to leave shortly after I arrive. I haven’t even seen him since the day I got clobbered.
Griffin leans back in his chair and wraps his arm around the back of mine. I lean forward a bit when one of his rings gets caught in a single strand of my hair. He reaches up and uses his fingertips to massage the area it pulled from, and I forget the slight pain.
The space around us goes unnaturally quiet. I know it’s because Griffin is touching me. I have one or two choices. I can ignore the fact that the entire room is focused on us and have a conversation with my friend, or I can let them make me feel awkward. Which is stupid. The first time I ate here, I witnessed a couple full on making out and it didn’t draw this much attention.
After only a second to think, I blurt, “New student, she must be pretty young.”
Ally gives me a slight smile before adding, “She is. Her older sister is here too.”
“She doing okay?” Evan questions, joining the discussion.
“Seems to be. She’s a little skittish, but that’s to be expected. I think she’ll settle in okay. Housing placed them with two other girls similar in age.”
I dig into my food, giving myself an excuse so I don’t have to keep up the conversation. It feels kind of strange, like when your school friends meet your work friends, but stranger still because they all already know each other and I’m the interloper.
“I better get going,” Noah declares, already pushing his chair back to stand.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Griffin as he regards the other vampire. “Lemons,” I singsong under my breath, and he quickly smooths his features. I almost chuckle, but when I look up, most of the table is watching me, so I suppress it. Griffin strokes his fingers over my shoulder and arm.
“So, Quinn, do you remember that comment you made about not having the pleasure yet?” Ally inquires, her voice full of mischief.
My fork slips from my hand as I think back to one of our first conversations. She asked me if I’d met Director Stone yet, and I glibly told her, ‘I haven’t had the pleasure.’ I blot my lips with a linen napkin then hum out an, “Uh-huh.” Why the heck is she bringing this up now?
“What pleasure?” Griffin questions, deciding to speak for the first time. Of course it would be now.
Ally bursts into a fit of snickers. She’s laughing so hard, the only sounds escaping her are bouts of air. “Shut up.” I half-heartedly toss my napkin at her.
When she’s done wheezing, she asks, “Do you get it now?”
I let my head fall back and let out a small disgruntled, “Yes.”
“What pleasure?” Griffin queries again, looking only at me this time.
“She asked me if I’d met you yet, and I said—”
Before I can finish the rest, Griffin chimes in, “You hadn’t had the pleasure.” He’s giving me a toothy grin, a smile so wide, I can see his elongated canines and the bright twinkle in his light eyes.
I narrow my gaze on him in return. “Yup, but little did I know, Ihadalready had the pleasure.” I lean in a little closer to him. “I just didn’t know Griffin and Director Stone were one in the same.”
His smile doesn’t falter as he leans in even closer, so his words are a mere whisper against my skin. “But have you really had the pleasure?” That kind of backfired. I was hoping to tease him a little, but he certainly turned the tables on me.
I swallow and look up to see a wide-eyed Ally. Her mouth is damn near hanging open as she gapes at us. I know the feeling, I’m a little shaken too. Her face actually flushes red before she averts her gaze. “Holy hell, he smiles. That should be fucking illegal,” she murmurs.
Realization dawns on me. It’s not what Griffin said, but rather how he looked. When I chance a glance in his direction, his features are again schooled, but thankfully, that illusive smile isn’t quite so rare for me. My belly does a little flop. I can’t be the only reason for the change, can I?
Evan lets out a soft chuckle. “You should hear him laugh, he sounds like a dying donkey.”
“He does not,” I quickly retort, even though I know he’s only teasing.
“You’re clearly biased.” Evan winks at me, pushing his virtually empty plate away.
Griffin surprises me by saying, “Yes, well, I’m sure my braying is much more palatable than your snoring.”
