Page 41 of Wicked Serve

“Hey,” I say brightly. If Nik left marks on my neck, I’ll kill him. “What are you doing here?”

“Taking Penny to lunch.” He adjusts his Yankees cap, peering at me. “What were you doing in there? You okay?”

“Just, uh, practicing for my philosophy presentation.” There’s a knock on the door. I thump my heel against it, keeping my smile intact. “You know how stuffy these old buildings get. I’ve been boiling since they turned on the heat. Which feels earlier than usual? It’s earlier than last year, right?”

“Right,” he says slowly. “Well, I’m sure you’ll crush it.” Instead of moving on, he leans against the door, snapping his fingers. “Oh, hey. Seb switched his shift at the restaurant, so it’s just us for dinner later. I was thinking ramen and that show you like? The one where they work on yachts?”

“Below Deck?”

“Yeah, that one. I love that show.”

“Sure. That sounds nice.”

“Cool.” He gives me a one-armed squeeze. “Good luck. Tell me about it later.”

As soon as he rounds the corner, I push the door open. My heart is slowly clawing its way back into my body, but now I’m all jumpy. Hopefully my presentation won’t be first. And hopefully Cooper bought my lie about practicing.

“Seems like you handled that well,” Nik says from his perch on the end of the teacher’s desk. He swings his legs, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“That was Cooper, you know.” I cross my arms over my chest, scowling. “Why is this campus so small sometimes?”

He shrugs. “What’d you tell him?”

“You seem way too calm about this.”

“No harm done, right?” He slides off the desk, sauntering to me, and tugs on my arms until I uncross them. I melt into his embrace—just for a moment—as he kisses me.

“You’re such a nuisance,” I grumble, twisting out of his grip.

He pinches me. “Brat.”

“Make me pay for it later,” I shoot back. “I’m going to be late.”

“Tonight?” he says. He keeps his voice light, a contrast to the dark promise in his eyes.

I give him a honey-sweet smile. “Unfortunately, I just made dinner plans with my brother.” I heft my bag over my shoulder, striding to the door. As I open it, he says my name. I look over my shoulder. “Yeah?”

Something shifts in those golden-brown eyes. He’s quiet a beat too long.

“One, good luck on the presentation,” he finally says. “I know you can do it. And two... will you have lunch with me and my mother?”

Chapter 19

Izzy

“Izzy!” Katherine says, jumping up from her chair to hug me. “I was so thrilled when Nikolai told me you’d be coming.”

I hug her back, happy to see that she’s dressed as glamorously as ever. The patterned shawl she’s wearing would look frumpy on almost anyone, but on her, it transforms into something elegant. I admire how she owns her wardrobe, rather than let the clothes wear her.

As I sit, she gives her son a much more reserved kiss on the cheek. Given the brief times I saw them interact over the summer, it’s clear that they’re not as close as I am with my parents. He didn’t go into any detail, but I could tell he was relieved when I agreed to come. While I’d have done it even if I hadn’t interned for Katherine, it’s nice to see her again.

“I figured you’d want to catch up with your favorite intern,” Nik says, draping his suit jacket over the back of his chair before taking a seat next to me. When he picked me up earlier, I nearly drooled at the sight of him. It’s impossible to look bad in a two-thousand-dollar suit, after all. “It’s been nice to have a friend on campus.”

A friend. It’s the most accurate way to describe what I am, even if the word makes my stomach twinge.

I just smile, arranging my napkin in my lap. “Yes. We’ve run into each other quite a few times now.”

She smiles at us both, clasping her hands together. She’s wearing expensive rings on every finger except the left ring. We were discreet around her; I don’t think she ever suspected that we were hooking up. “And how are you, Izzy?”

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