Page 55 of Alpha Marked

Ares' eyebrows slammed together. "Why?"

"You don't seem like a sparkling water guy."

"I don't like plain water, and soda is too sweet, but I like the carbonation and fruit flavor, so…"

Something about his choice intrigued her.

She shoved more popcorn into her mouth. "Beach or woods?

He sipped his bottle of water and then cocked his head to the side in such a cute way it made River want to kiss his nose. Where the hell had that come from?

"Would you rather go to the beach or camp in the woods?" she said.

"Uh… beach? What about you?"

"The beach because I've never been before. But I do sunburn easily, so probably not."

"I'll make sure you are covered from head to toe in sunscreen," he said.

Thoughts of Ares's skilled hands rubbing lotion all over her body made her tingle. She took a long swig of her soda as her cheeks heated.

"Play or movie?" she asked.

A slight smile played across his lips. "Play. I love the theater. What about you?"

"I'd have to say movie because I've never been to a play."

"But you live in New York."

"I haven't taken the time to do things most people do since moving here. First school, then work and making my art."

"If we were going to be in town longer, I'd take you to one."

River's stomach flipped at the thought of leaving in a few days to return to Ares' compound. Leaving her life and everything in it.

"We'll go next time we are in town," he said. "I'll check my calendar. When I travel back, we'll go to two or three."

She threw him a smile. When? A month? Six? She picked at the popcorn.

"Renaissance or modern art?" he asked.

His question caught her by surprise. "Well, that's a tricky one. My favorite is DaVinci, but I am also a huge Dali fan. I happen to be a huge fan of Tim Burton as well. And Hayao Miyazaki."

"Burton isn't an artist."

"Isn't he? Have you seen his work? It's incredible. Only an artist could have madeA Nightmare Before Christmas."

Ares nodded. "Agreed."

"What about you?"

"Honestly, I don't know much about contemporary artists."

"Well, we'll have to remedy that. You can take me to the theater, and I'll take you to my favorite art museums."

Ares smiled. "It's a date."

"Okay. When?"

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