Page 80 of Freshmeet
He caught my elbow. “Come on now. Just because Kat hates me doesn’t mean?—”
“Let me stop you right there.” I yanked my arm free. “We all hate you. Not just Kat.” Glancing at the tables, I scoffed. “Real classy bringing Mal to Lotus when Kat’s working.”
I walked away, ignoring Duncan’s quiet defense of his usual bullshit. On the way back to the table, Kat passed me and winked, which was unsettling. Sitting down, I kept my eyes on her and asked, “What’s that all about?”
“Just your enforcer making sure I understood the consequences of screwing you over.” I was horrified, but hewasn’t too concerned if the smile on his face was anything to go by. “You came back in time for round two.”
And like that, Connor moved from what were probably Kat’s threats of bodily harm, on to the rainbow roll he’d ordered. With every bite he took, he looked delightfully surprised. “Good?”
“Delicious. I haven’t eaten much sushi, so this is new for me.” He licked sauce off his lip, and my mouth went dry.
I was used to being around handsome guys, but Connor exuded a sexiness that broke my brain. Grabbing my water, I took a big gulp.
“I’m guessing you have a lot more options in St. Louis.”
“We do. It doesn’t hurt that my parents are total foodies and had us eating all kinds of stuff from the time we were toddlers. I can’t remember a time without sushi.” I snagged a roll and tried to wedge it between my lips without making a mess. So far, I’d kept myself clean.
“What about wild game?”
I shook my head, covering my mouth to keep him from seeing the asparagus hanging between my lips. That piece was bigger than a bite.
“Jamie and I go deer hunting every year with my uncle. We make jerky and all kinds of other stuff.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never had deer.”
“Would you be willing to try it?”
“For sure. As long as I don’t have to see the deer gutted.”
Like Hailey.
Shrugging off the unpleasant thought, I finished my sake and poured another glass. “I love trying new things.”
Connor grinned, his eyes sparkling. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
We finished our food, commenting here and there on what we liked. Connor and I shared a love of fantasy and sci-fi, a dislike of sour beers, and, according to him, there wasn’t a rom-com I could name that he hadn’t seen.
“You really are a mama’s boy?”
“Damn right. And proud of it too.”
“What about your dad?”
Connor tensed and deliberately took a mouthful of food. A frown wrinkled his forehead as he slowly chewed. All the anxiety of the beginning of the date rushed back. I’d never been very good at navigating awkward situations, especially if I’d caused them.
“You don’t have to answer that,” I rushed out, realizing I’d crossed some kind of line.
He rested his forearms on the edge of the table, his fingers locked around his chopsticks. “No, it’s okay. I haven’t seen my dad since my fifth birthday, a little after Jamie was born. There’s a reason we have her last name and not his.”
“Oh.” What an intelligent and supportive response.
“Yeah, oh.”
“I’m sorry, I?—”
“Had no way of knowing. Jamie and I don’t talk about it, so how would you know?”
A heaviness in the pit of my stomach pushed me to try to fix the mood. “The fact that you guys don’t mention him should’ve been a clue. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
