Page 7 of Same Thing
He accidentally glanced down at her chest and back up. “I doubt that,” he said coolly. God, he was a monster, but she was so sweet, he could probably eat her alive. He could have this one corrupted completely in a week. The thought of it made his dick swell against the zipper of his jeans.
It had been a long time since his body had reacted like this to a woman’s and never a human female.
Nory sure was interesting.
Probably because she was off-limits.
The rules, the rules, the rules.
He offered her one last smile, and then told her, “I promise to walk safely back to my apartment.”
“Okay. Great,” she said softly.
He could barely contain his chuckle as he jogged down the stairs with his food in hand.
It was dangerous to eat this meal because he already liked Nory too much, but eat it he did.
He was out here where none of his Pack could catch him breaking the rules.
There was something so surprisingly fun about that.
Chapter Three
Shipwrecks was a brewery with a rustic, dark-wood ambiance inside. It was a small bar with a loft and second set of bartenders upstairs with a pool table and dartboards up there. Thursday nights were hit and miss. Sometimes it was dead in here, and sometimes, like tonight, the bar was hoppin’.
Nory and Alese had snuck out the back of the apartment complex and walked the long way around out of view of Jackson’s window. So far, he had never caught them and showed up at Shipwrecks, and so this place had become a little bit of a safe haven.
Nory did best with familiar places, and she’d been here a dozen times already with Alese. The bartenders recognized them and were always friendly, and she even knew a couple of them by name. The best part about Shipwrecks? On the far side of the downstairs bar, there was a smaller side right against the wall where Nory could sit and comfortably eat and drink, while people-watching as Alese worked her magic chatting up anyone who paid attention to them.
It was her favorite spot, and tonight, it was open. Grinning, Nory motored her way over to her bar stool and ordered an orange soda and food. Alese always drank, but it wasn’t as much her thing, and here was why—drinking made her sloppy and emotional. It was a fast downward spiral too. One drink, and she started overthinking every awkward conversation she’d been involved in over the past week, and so truly, it was easier being the sober one at the bar.
Hannah, the bartender, never judged her for it either, and Nory adored her for that.
“So, what’s up?” Alese asked as she set her menu down and stirred her margarita.
“Well, this week I bought myself two new plants, one of which is considered a fern, and—”
“No, I mean why are you randomly smiling to yourself? And what is the reason for your outfit tonight?”
“What’s wrong with my outfit?” she asked, looking down at her sparkly maroon tank top. She’d paired it with black skinny jeans and a pair of high heeled boots she’d bought two years ago but had always been too chicken to wear out in public.
Alese’s question made her feel exposed, so she reached for her cardigan, but Alese grabbed it off the back of Nory’s chair and threw it behind the bar. “Hannah, confiscate that. Tell Nory she looks hot and should not cover her hotness up with a grandma cardigan.”
“You’re done,” Hannah teased, stooping to pick up the cardigan. “Grab it at the end of the night, gorgeous.”
Her? Gorgeous? Ha. She had tried to camouflage her awkwardness with heavier eye make-up than normal, and a darker shade of lipstick. She’d even curled her hair, but most of the curls had already fallen, and now her hair hung limply in frizzy beach waves. She moved to pull it back into a ponytail, but Alese yanked the hair band off her wrist and threw it to Hannah.
“I’m four percent mad at the both of you right now,” Nory complained.
Hannah and Alese exchanged grins, and then the bartender made her way to the other side of the bar top to take orders.
“What’s gotten into you?” Alese asked.
“Well…” Nory frowned, trying to decide how she would explain the new hot guy at her apartment complex without Alese making it some huge deal about it. “Maybe today I talked to a guy.”
“Gasp!” Alese exclaimed. “Tell me more. Is he rich?”
“What? No. I don’t know. That’s not at all something I would care about.”