Page 118 of The Kingpin's Call Girl

She blinks. “Thanks for saying that.”

“It meant a lot to me that you wanted to do that. I’m used to being the one to avenge somebody else.”

She reaches out and takes my hand.

“So... you hungry?”

She grins. “Is that your limit of caring and sharing?”

“Maybe.”

“Well... I’d eat.” She looks around. “Don’t tell me you cook, too.”

“Not at all, but one of the best sushi restaurants in the city is a few blocks up.”

She gets a sly grin. “Is your oven an empty cardboard box, too?”

“Are you gonna stop giving me shit about my books anytime soon?”

“No. But yes to the sushi. I love sushi.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Takeout menus on your bulletin board. Come on.”

Chapter Forty-Three

EDIE

The sushi place he likes turns out to be an extremely popular spot with a line out the door.

“Ohhh, no,” I say.

“It’s fine. There’s a table for us.”

I follow him up to the host desk. “So nice to see you, Mr. Zogaj.” The host heads off. When I look up at Luka, he’s giving someone a ferocious stare.

“What?”

I follow his gaze to three men on the other side of the host’s desk. He points at his eyes. They straighten up, raising their gazes to the space above my head. “Learn a little respect.”

I set a hand on his arm. “It’s okay.”

“Disrespect is never okay,” he says, gaze still fixed hard on them. They seem to have shrunken in size, somehow, huddled together, eager to demonstrate that they’re innocent guys talking.

I tug on his shirt, trying to wake him up from whatever fever state he’s in and go up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

He grabs my hair and kisses me roughly, like all of his dark, protective energy is pouring into that wild and dangerous kiss, and I could live in it forever.

When he pulls away, he seems calmer. And I feel alive. I have the strangest thought that we really do fit together. Like forbidden puzzle pieces nestling right into each other.

I lean my head on his shoulder. Everything smells delicious, and I’m thinking about Mary. Does she have decent food? Tampons? And what will I use as my proof-of-life question? I’m stressing out about it a lot.

Another guy appears—the owner. He shakes Luka’s hand. “It’s so nice to see you. Please. This way.” He leads us to a romantic window table.

Luka pulls my chair out for me as he chats with the owner about some kitchen things.