“Yes,” I admit, laughing. “But I’m not giving you a blowjob on the way to dinner.”
“Okay,” he says, holding up a hand. “Just thought I’d offer. You know, something to get the juices flowing. A little appetizer, if you will.”
“Gross.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to mentally prepare you,” he says. “You’ve never seen me naked. I figured you’d appreciate a little preview of what you’ll be getting later.”
“Little, huh?”
“What?” he asks, jerking around to stare straight at me. “No.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Hey, you said it.”
Shaking his head, he returns his gaze to the road. “Shoulda taken the preview. If you think I’m little, you definitely won’t be prepared.”
He winks at me, and my face heats with both embarrassment and excitement. Maybe Asher is right. I just need to take the leap. And Rocco’s making it easy, so I don’t have to do any of the work. With the other two, I’d be spending the evening trying to read them, wondering what they thought of me, if they wanted me. I’d have to wonder if they’d make a move, and if it was worth the potential humiliation if I made a move and they rejected me. There’s none of that with Rocco. It’s easy and uncomplicated.
We slide into the parking lot of a restaurant in a part of town I’ve rarely visited, seeing as how it’s the good part. Not the most upscale part of town where the judges and high society supernaturals like Silas might go to wine and dine their clients and escorts, but a nice place for a date. Thorn’s sports car slides past ours before zipping backwards into the spot beside us. He steps out of his car and opens my door just as Rocco’s circling the front of his car to do the exact same thing.
“Thanks to both of you,” I say, rolling my eyes. “But I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door.”
“Of course you are,” Thorn says. “I was trying to be nice.”
“Thorn,” Rocco says, sliding an arm around my waist and holding out his free hand to shake Thorn’s. “So nice of you to join us. If you want to hang around after, that’s when the good stuff happens. You know, since you obviously like to watch.”
He winks at Thorn, who answers with a thunderous glare.
“Okay, then,” I say. “Thorn, you promised I wouldn’t know you were there. If you’re really just here to keep a look out for danger, then please do that. I’ve never actually had a date, and I’d like to be able to enjoy it without you two going at each other the whole time.”
“Don’t worry,” Rocco murmurs, steering me toward the restaurant. “You and me will be the only people going at it tonight.”
“Very funny,” I say. “Anyway, Thorn promised to behave, so don’t worry about him. I’m all yours.” I circle an arm around his massive trunk as we arrive at the door. He holds it open, and we walk in together. Rocco smiles down at me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, barely glancing at the fae waitress even though she’s cute as a button with a black pixie cut and glimmering alabaster skin.
Once we’re seated, Rocco takes my hand across the table. “I’ve been waiting for this date for way too long,” he says. “Thanks for finally going out with me. I was starting to think I’d never get a date out of you. Unless I broke my strict no-begging policy, of course.”
I can’t help but smile. “Damn. Guess I should have held out longer.”
“Trust me, you’ve held out long enough,” he says. Then his face grows serious, and he squeezes my hand. “You know I’m kidding about that, right?”
I swallow hard. “About…?”
The waitress hovers nearby until Rocco waves her away. He gazes into my eyes and strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. “You don’t owe me sex,” he says, then smiles a bit. “I mean, technically, you do, since you bet me, and I won. But I’m not going to hold you to that part of the date.”
“Really?” I ask, drawing back a bit. “I thought that was the whole reason you wanted to collect so badly.”
He shakes his head. “Jade, come on. Don’t tell me you really think that badly of me. I like you. You must know that.”
“Well, I mean…” I draw my hand away to discreetly wipe it on my black jeans. Damn. I’m sweating. I didn’t know Rocco could make me so nervous.
“You do know I like you, right?” he presses.
“I thought maybe,” I say. “But then you got with Bella, and yes, I know why, but you said my magic was too much for you. And… I don’t know. You were such a dick to me when I started. And you still call me Cinderella all the time.”
“I thought that was our thing,” he says. “You know. Flirting. If you really want me to stop, I will.”
I think for a minute, then shake my head, biting back a smile. “No, you don’t have to stop. It is kind of cute. As long as I still get to call you Pumpkin.”
Chapter Eleven
Rocco and I sit there holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes like two love-struck puppies until the waitress interrupts, a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.
“Give us another minute with the menu, please,” Rocco says, barely glancing at her.
“Actually, the gentleman by the door sent this over,” she says, setting down the glasses. “He said he wanted to make sure the lady had the best.”
My belly flips, and I look up, already knowing who I’ll find. Thorn quirks one eyebrow at me, giving me the faintest hint of a smile, and my pulse flutters.
Well, shit. Totally inappropriate, since I’m on a date with his friend.
But not as inappropriate as what he did.
“Tell him thank you,” Rocco says graciously, ignoring the dig.
I frown over my shoulder at Thorn and mouth, “What the hell?”
He smiles placidly back at me.
“Shall we toast?” Rocco says, drawing my attention back to him.
I turn back and pick up the glass. “You’re right,” I say. “Let’s just enjoy our dinner.”
“To our first date,” Rocco says. “And many, many more.”
I clink my glass against his. “Cheers to that.”
We sip our wine, and then Rocco leans across the table, circling the back of my neck with his hand. He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. Tingles explode over my skin, and I sigh and melt into him, a soft moan escaping my lips.
“Damn, you make it really hard not to rip your clothes off and ravage you,” he says, smiling against my lips.
“In a restaurant?” I ask, smiling back.
“I don’t give a fuck,” he says. “As long as it’s you, we could be in the middle of the street. You have no idea how hard it was to watch you riding my brother the day of the Unleashing. I’ve been waiting for you to want me that much ever since.”
“Oh my god,” I say, covering my face. “Don’t remind me. Most embarrassing moment of my life.”
He pulls my hand down, grinning at me. “One of the hottest moments of mine.”
“You hated me then,” I point out.
“I didn’t hate you,” he says. “I may not have known you enough to like you yet, but I’ve known I wanted you since the moment I saw you on your knees in that bathroom scrubbing the toilet.”
“Let’s just relive all my finest moments,” I say, laughing.
“Hey, you like to remind me of mine,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “Now let’s order before the waitress flips out on us.”
We order our food, and when the waitress is gone, I take Rocco’s hand again. I know he said we didn’t have to have sex, but that only makes me more sure that I want to. It was a little weird to be doing it on a bet. If it’s just because we want to, well, that makes it even better. And I can’t seem to stop touching him. It’s reassuring to know that even without my magic, my feelings for Rocco, and apparently his for me, haven’t changed.
“So, is this where you take all your dates the first time you go out?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “No. It’s just a pl
ace I like.”
“You’ve been here a lot?”
“Enough,” he says, sipping his wine. “Actually, my parents used to bring us here a lot.”
“Oh,” I say, surprised that he took me to a place with intimate memories for him. It makes me feel even closer to him, as if he’s sharing a part of himself with me that he doesn’t with anyone else. “Do your parents live around here?”
“Yeah,” he says. “We see them just about every week.”
“That’s sweet,” I say, fiddling with my silverware. I wonder what it’s like to have a close, functional family that takes you out to dinner at a decent restaurant. Or hell, a father who will leave the house and a mother who’s alive.
“Not as sweet as you might imagine,” Rocco says, shifting in his chair.
“What’s that mean?”
“Nothing,” he says. “I know I should be grateful for what I have. I know not everyone is so lucky.” He takes my hand gently in his. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“It’s okay,” I say, even though it’s not. “It was years ago.”
“I’m sure it still hurts,” he says. “Were you close?”
“Not that close,” I say. “I mean, when I was a kid, kind of. We’d go out, not to places this nice, but to burger joints and diners and stuff. But when my sister died when I was twelve, that all ended. My mom had to work so much, and she was always exhausted. My dad got more and more withdrawn, and to be honest, they didn’t spend much time with me. They weren’t really involved in my life at all.”
“That must have been hard,” he says, his eyes sympathetic. And I can’t believe I’m telling Rocco Steele about my family, but it feels good to be so honest with someone. My parents weren’t saints, no matter how much I love them.
“It was,” I say. “But I don’t blame them for anything. They did the best they could.”
“I guess that’s the most we can hope for,” he says, bitterness creeping into his tone. “For parents who give a shit.”
“Your parents don’t?”
Rocco grimaces. “On the contrary. I think they give way too many shits.”
“How so?”
He shrugs. “They’re what some might call helicopter parents. In our business twenty-four seven. We see them every week because there’s no escaping it. I thought it would get better when we left high school and joined the Academy, but it didn’t.”
“Doesn’t seem too bad,” I say lightly. In truth, it seems like a dream.
“Yeah, I guess it’s not,” he says. “I got it good compared to Ryker. He’s the oldest, so they ride his ass so hard. I think they would have disowned him if he didn’t get into the Academy. They’re obsessed with us getting top marks, all that shit. After a while, they kinda gave up on me.”
“Why?” I ask. “You’re one of the best students at the Academy.”
“I fuck around too much,” he says. “They used to freak the fuck out all the time, like, ‘why can’t you be as good as Ryker?’ and ‘why can’t you be more like your brother?’ It pissed me off growing up. No matter how hard I tried, I was never as good as him. I pretty much hated his guts.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “It’s fine. Eventually my parents gave up on me and realized I was never going to be Ryker the Second, so they just focused on him and let me do my thing. I was happy to be the family fuck-up if it got them off my back. I feel bad for Ryker now. They’re still on his ass all the time.”
“Still,” I say. “You’re not a fuck up. And it’s shitty of your parents to make you feel that way.”
“Yeah,” he says. “When Ryker left to come to the Academy, I realized I didn’t actually hate him. My parents had just made me think so by comparing me to him all those years—and finding me lacking. Ryker’s the only one who actually accepted me the way I was and didn’t expect me to be like him. He appreciated the other things I brought to the table besides my magic.”
“Your magic is really strong though.”
“Not as good as his,” he says. “He practices a lot harder, learns all the spells, studies like eight hours a day—after classes. I’d like to actually enjoy my life, you know?”
“No wonder your brother’s such a super fun guy,” I say with a grin.
“He’s not so bad,” Rocco says. “He’s just under a lot of pressure to be the best all the time. But he’s more chill with me. Sometimes I can even get the guy to laugh. Don’t tell him I told you.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Well, now it makes more sense that he hates me for being a distraction.”
“He said that?”
“Yep,” I say, leaning back as the waitress arrives to set our plates down. When she’s gone, I dig in.
“I think you’re probably just the distraction Ryker needs,” Rocco says after a minute.
“What?” I look up from my food.
Rocco shrugs. “I mean… Your magic is a lot for me to handle. But if I had some help…”
He searches my gaze, his eyes questioning and even vulnerable.
“You’re saying you want… What? A threesome?”
“No,” he says quickly. “Jade, that’s not what I meant. I just meant, well, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And he’s my brother. I want him to be happy, to enjoy his life, too.”
“And you think I’m going to make him happy?”
“If you and I started dating, and then things got a little overwhelming for one or both of us, with your magic… I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind if you were with him sometimes, too.”
“Oh,” I say, laughing nervously. I was so not expecting that, but I’m not going to pretend it’s not tempting. Or even that a threesome wouldn’t be tempting. I don’t know how Rocco feels about that, but I’ve had fantasies. I mean, of course I have. After what happened at my finals, how could I not?
The only problem is, Ryker doesn’t seem to have any interest in my brand of distraction. He likes Bella’s kind. Rocco may think his brother looks at me in some sort of way, but I know the only way he looks at me is with daggers in his eyes. I can pretend all day that it doesn’t hurt, but in truth, it does. Even after I saved his life, and I thought things might change, he seems to hate me even more. I can’t help but feeling something for him, though; something deep and tender. He may not look at me the way Rocco thinks, but I look at him that way. The thought of dating both of them isn’t just hot. It’s a relief to know I won’t have to choose. It’s the perfect solution.
Except for the problem of him hating me, of course.
“Did I freak you out?” Rocco asks with a smile, popping a dumpling into his mouth.
“No,” I say. “I was just thinking. It’s awesome that you’re so open to our relationship being non-traditional, but I don’t think Ryker’s interested.”
“Oh, he’s interested alright,” Rocco says. “But that’s between you and him. I just wanted to put it out there, in case you were feeling conflicted about liking us both. I just wanted to clear the air and let you know that I know how you feel about him, and it doesn’t freak me out or anything. You guys can sort that out however you want. But I already know what I want.”
He fixes me with those playful, sparkling blue eyes, and butterflies flutter inside me. I gulp before speaking, my voice coming out a bit squeaky. “What’s that, exactly?”
“I want to go out with you,” he says. “I want to date you. I want us to be a couple.”
“Me, too,” I admit, my heart suddenly hammering.
“And I’m not going to tie you down,” Rocco says.
I know I’m supposed to say it back, but fuck that. After seeing all three of my guys with the Bellas, I know I can’t handle competition. Or rather, I don’t want to have any competition to handle. I could bring down any one of those bitches. I just don’t want to have to fight over my men. I want them to be one hundred percent mine, just as I’d be one hundred percent theirs if we were together.
Theirs and Professor Darius’s,
anyway. I’ve already promised myself to him.
I’m not going to think about that now, though. I’m going to do what I said I would and live a normal life. I’m going to enjoy the moments as they come and embrace each new experience. We linger at the restaurant, enjoying each other’s company until there are only a few others left in the place.
Rocco flags down the waitress at last, but she shakes her head. “It’s been taken care of,” she says.
“What?” Rocco demands, finally looking pissed.
I glance over, realizing I forgot that Thorn was watching. He’s gone now.
“It’s okay,” I say, grabbing Rocco’s hand. “If he wants to pay for our meal, so what? He’s not getting anything out of it, and we got a free meal.”
“No,” Rocco says, standing. “Fuck that. He’s not going to come swooping in flashing his money around to try and steal my date.”
“He didn’t steal me,” I say. “I’m right here. Don’t let him ruin a perfect evening.”
“It’s not perfect if it’s funded by that asshole,” Rocco says. “Look, I’m sorry, Jade. Maybe it’s a stupid pride thing, but a man doesn’t take the girl he… He doesn’t take a girl out and then let another man pay for their dinner.”
Seeing he’s never going to let it go, I sigh. “You can’t do much about it now.”
His brows knit as he takes in the few tables still populated. “I’ll be right back,” he says. “It’ll only be a minute. I’ll pay for our meal, and they can let his money take care of someone else’s.”
I grew up poor, but I understand pride, so I tell him to go on while I duck off to the ladies room. When I get back, I stop in my tracks. Thorn is sitting at our table.
I walk over warily and slide in opposite him. “What exactly are you trying to prove?” I ask.
“Are you going to sleep with him?” Thorn asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe. Not that it’s any of your business. You’re being a complete asshole, Thorn.”
“I left you alone,” he says. “I sat over there and had to watch you kiss him and say those things. I didn’t interrupt.”
“Paying for our dinner isn’t interfering?”
Academy of Sorcery: Term 2: Fallen Master Page 9
