Page 39

An image of Foster, Arnav, and Demetrius naked and in bed flashed before my eyes. “No.” I sort of shot that out. Then I started coughing because I was choking on my spit.

“Are you okay?” Demetrius gazed at me with his unfathomable dark-brown eyes.

“Fine.” I wheezed that.

“I’m not certain I believe you. But I’m not going to slap you on the back or give you the Heimlich maneuver or anything. I’m also not leaving you alone.” He crossed his arms and continued to stare unblinkingly at me.

He had me completely unnerved and panicking. “I need to go.” More coughing.

“I’m coming with you.”

God, I can’t catch a break. But I need a glass of water.Head held high—while still wheezing—I headed for my cabin. Once there, I pushed the door open and headed straight for the sink. I grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and started drinking.

“Hey, you might want to go easy—”

Demetrius’s words cut off as I spit the water out into the sink.Please, save me now.Aside from when Gary had told everyone about my puppy persona, I couldn’t remember feeling so embarrassed.

Even as I gasped, Demetrius put his hand on my back, between my shoulder blades. He hadn’t asked me if he could touch—we had rules about consent—but I wasn’t going to complain because that strong warmth at my back had me slowing my breathing. Had me trying to regulate my heart rate. Had me gradually trying to re-center myself.

I stared out the kitchen window to the forest beyond.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Or is it don’t miss the trees for the forest? What am I missing?

I always felt like there was something just beyond my grasp, and if I could reach it, then everything would be okay.

More fool you. You have a handsome man with his hand on you, and you’re not taking advantage.I cleared my throat.

He didn’t move his hand.

I nearly shrugged him off…except I liked the comfort he offered. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

His deep, rumbly voice hit something deep inside me. “I’m not always incompetent.”

“Never thought you were. You seem like a guy who’s got his shit together.”

“But—”

“No buts.You’ve got a lot of responsibility. And I’m offering you a night away from that. It doesn’t have to be a date. I’m sorry you felt that was the only suggestion I was making. I don’t do this often, so maybe I’m not as suave as I think I am.”

That made me smile. I pressed back against his hand.

He held it secure.

“A night out as friends wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Great.” He sounded genuinely enthusiastic. “We have the choice of Fifties, White Spot, Boston Pizza, Stavros’s Greek, I think there’s an Italian place. Oh, and the Chinese restaurant, the Indian place…” He paused. “And the Brew Pub. Or we can go over to Abbotsford—”

“Let’s stick close.” Even though that meant a greater chance of running into people I knew. Still, we weren’t going on a date.Or so you tell yourself.

“Okay…which would you prefer?”

“You know, I grew up in Mission City, and I’ve never been to Stavros’s.”

“Okay. Now normally I would offer to pick you up, but since this isn’t a date, why don’t I just meet you there? It’s within walking distance of my hotel. Say six o’clock? I can make a reservation.”

Finally, I pulled away so I could meet his gaze. He was disturbingly close and had a woodsy scent. Interesting, because—as far as I knew—he hadn’t spent any time in the woods today. “I can meet you at six. You can text or call if you change your mind.”