Primal Hunger - Piper Davenport Page 0,5
kindergarten.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I grumbled, but his smile showed he loved every second of it.
“Come here,” he demanded, and I went there.
The thing about me that most people knew was that I could never resist a hug from my dad. Even though we might butt heads, he was my favorite person on earth, and he’d stepped up in a major way after my mom had died.
“I love you,” he said, squeezing me gently. “You know that, right?”
“Yes,” I conceded. “I love you, too. Even if you’re a dictator.”
“I’m a benevolent one, though, baby girl.”
I leaned back and met his eyes. “You need to find a woman.”
“Got plenty of women.”
“No. You need a woman who’ll bring you to your knees.”
“Plenty of—”
“Nope. Don’t want to hear about my dad’s sex life,” I snapped, pulling away. “Too far, Dad. Way too far.”
He chuckled. “We good?”
“Am I allowed to leave?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope.”
“Then, we’re kinda good, but you’re dead to me for at least two days,” I sassed.
He shrugged. “I can live with that.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Go away. I have to get some sleep so I can study tomorrow. I have a semester final on Monday.”
“Sleep tight, baby girl. Love you.”
“Love you too, Daddy.”
He closed the door and I went through the drawers to see what I had to sleep in.
* * *
Monday morning Orion drove me to school, dropping me off with a promise to pick me up when I was ready. I headed into class, texting Jasper after I took my seat. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his concern for me the other night, but this still probably wasn’t a good idea. It didn’t stop me, but it still wasn’t a good idea. So much for staying away from him. Maybe I’d luck out and he’d be an accountant by day and a bouncer by night.
Me: Got plans in two hours?
Jasper: What do you have in mind?
Me: Lunch?
Jasper: I’m in. Tell me when and where.
I texted him the address to my school and then turned off my phone and slid it into my bag. I’d studied my ass off for this exam, but I still hoped there’d be no surprises.
Two hours later, I walked out of class feeling pretty happy with how the exam went, and buzzing with the excitement of seeing Jasper again. He’d texted the location of where he’d parked, and I made my way to the parking lot where I found him leaning against his grill, studying his phone.
“Hi,” I said, as I approached, and he looked up, grinning wide.
Oh, yeah, this man would be the perfect one to burn my vagina.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “You hungry?”
“Starving. I just had the final from hell, so I need to eat my feelings.”
He chuckled, pulling the door open. “That bad, huh?”
I climbed up into the truck. “Oh, no, it was great, I think. Biology isn’t my strongest subject and I’m doubling with zoology, so now that it’s over, I’m panicking a little.”
“So, you called me?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m flattered.”
I blushed. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.” He grinned widely and closed the door, walking to his side of the truck and climbing inside. “Where to?”
“There’s a little taco place not far from here if you like Mexican.”
“I love Mexican,” he said, starting the engine, then we headed toward the best food on the planet.
“Are you an accountant, per chance. You know, during the day?”
He gave me a sideways glance. “Do I look like an accountant?”
“No,” I breathed out. “But one can hope.”
“You lost me.”
“Never mind. I’m just being weird.”
Parking in front of the tiny restaurant, we walked to the window, ordered, then sat at one of the picnic tables to wait for our food.
“Polly said you just moved here from Portland,” I said, settling my elbows on the table. “How long have you been here?”
“Two weeks.”
“No way, really?”
He nodded.
“You didn’t waste any time getting a job.”
“I know a guy,” he hedged.
“It’s good to know a guy.” I smiled. “What brought you here?”
“Demons,” he said. “But that’s a story for another day.”
I bit my lip. “Sorry, I’m being nosy.”
“Nosy’s not a problem, Letti. Just can’t share everything.”
“Okay.”
“Number twenty-two,” sounded over the loudspeaker and Jasper left the table to pick up the food.
For the next thirty minutes, we didn’t really talk about anything of significance as we ate. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt so comfortable with someone. He was laid back, but there was an edge about him as well.