Page 35 of Marked

I wiggle my brows at him before slipping into his dark grey SUV. Once I’m in the plush leather seat, I look around the car. It’s a pretty standard SUV interior with a touch screen dash. “I kind of expected you to be in something more manly.”

“I think your truck is manly enough for the both of us,” he says with a smirk as he starts the car.

“You’re not wrong.” I laugh and buckle up when he backs out of the spot.

“I’m rarely wrong, Valkyrie,” he states without smugness.

“Gods, I fucking love enchiladas,” I coo before taking another bite of my food. “Mmh!”

Jack is staring at me with a strained expression. “You make eating almost erotic.”

I choke on my food and quickly drop my fork in favor of covering my mouth. Once I manage to get it down, I stare at him incredulously. “Excuse me?”

“No, you aren’t excused.” His voice drops to a dark, sensual tone. “I enjoy listening to your little moans.”

Heat spreads across my cheeks before darting straight down to my core. “Maybe if you play your cards right, you’ll hear a few of your own,” I tease.

He shakes his head and leans over the table, dropping his voice another octave. “There will be nothing little about our time together.”

Holy fucking shit.

“Gods, Khoury.” I laugh, wiping my mouth with a napkin to try and hide my embarrassment. It usually takes a lot for me to get so flustered, but this man is something else.

He blinks and leans back a little. “Is it too much?” he asks, tone unsure.

I shake my head and look down at my plate. “No, I like your honesty. I was just curious as to when you decided to pursue me.”

“I’ve wanted you since I met you,” he states casually and without shame. “But our date changed things.”

I can’t help but agree with him. Still, I want to know what exactly happened to change it. “What about it did?”

“The fact that I told you about my parents,” Jack explains. “I think you trusting me enough to talk about yours helped me do the same. Also, I can’t deny the feeling I get when I touch you.” His hand reaches for mine, and I don’t hesitate to slide my fingers across his palm. Heat licks up my arm. “I always seem to find reasons to touch you.”

I nod. “It’s a fire that doesn’t burn.” Our eyes meet across the table, and a mutual understanding of the feeling clicks into place. We both feel this heat. My brow furrows slightly as I consider why that may be. “Is it because of what we are?”

His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “That depends on what we both are, doesn’t it?”

He wants me to tell him; I know he does. The confession is on the tip of my tongue, but then a waiter approaches our table, asking if we need anything. “A shot of Jose with salt and lime please.”

Jack holds up two fingers. “Make that two.”

When the waiter leaves to put our order in, the courage to tell Jack that I’m a hellhound disappears. “I’m scared to tell you,” I admit in a small voice.

His black brows knit together. “Why?”

“I don’t want it to change your opinion of me.” I bite my lip, fingers twitching in his hold.

“I doubt anything can change that, Valkyrie.” He squeezes my hand. “But I’ll admit I’m also nervous to tell you what I am for the exact same reason.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Hopefully we prove both of us wrong?” My voice hitches, making it a question instead of a statement.

“Hopefully,” he murmurs as his eyes stare into mine. They seem to trace over my face, taking in every small detail and imperfection, before they look off to the side and narrow in anger.

“What is it?” I ask, turning to look over my shoulder. The color drains from my face when I see Seth sitting at the bar, sneering at me. There’s a pretty blonde sitting on the stool next to him, her body turned towards him as she talks. He doesn’t seem to be listening to her, his attention wholly on us.

“Is he stalking you?” Jack asks, his voice just above a growl. “Do you want me to handle him?”

He moves to stand, but I tighten my hold on his hands. “I doubt it. Although we never came here together, we both eat here sometimes. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Let’s just finish our meal and leave, okay?”

He scoffs before relaxing back in his seat. “Looks like we won’t have to.”

Glancing over my shoulder again, I see Seth helping his date from her chair. With another cold glare in our direction, he leads her out the door. I sigh in relief once he’s gone. “Well, at least he didn’t try to make a scene again.”

Jack takes one of the shots as the waiter drops them off. He lifts one up, and when I do the same, he clinks our glasses together. “Cheers to that.”

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