The Scars That Define Us (The Devil's Dust #2)(16)

“Where are you taking her?” Bobby asks, standing closely, his eyes stabbing Parker. Bobby’s muscled body takes over the room, making Parker look small in comparison. Looking at Parker, I’m not sure he has any muscle now.

“Um,” Parker hesitates. I can tell he is just as pleased with Bobby as I am. I raise an eyebrow at Bobby, my look of death trying to tell him to cut the fatherly bullshit out.

“I’m taking her to the Short Vine,” Parker states, tugging me toward the door, his tone heavy with irritation.

Bobby scoffs as he sits back on the leather couch. “Of course you are,” Bobby says, his tone unreadable.

I can see Parker puff out in anger.

“Let’s go,” I tell him. If I don’t get us out of here, I know for a fact Bobby will cause problems.

“Yes. Let’s,” Parker says, eyeing Bobby with a raised eyebrow.

“Have a good night,” Bobby sings, his blue eyes trailing Parker as we walk out the door.

As we make it out front to the pretty black car, I can literally feel the anger vibrating off Parker.

“Are those the type of people you hang out with?” Parker asks, his tone dripping with disgust. I stop before reaching for the door handle and look at him. ‘Those people’ he’s talking about are my family, but I can see why he thinks Bobby is some kind of animal. I once used to think the same thing.

“They aren’t bad once you get to know them,” I say with a kind smile.

Parker smiles and opens the car door for me.

I climb into the expensive leather seat, it surrounds my body like a glove as Parker shuts the passenger door. A console sits between the driver’s seat and my own, filled with a shifter and lots of controls. Seconds later, Parker climbs behind the wheel. His chocolate eyes take me in from head to toe, making my cheeks warm.

“Beautiful,” Parker says, shaking his head like he can’t believe it.

When we arrive at the restaurant, I feel out of place instantly. Just by looking at the place on the outside, it looks elegant and classy. There are vines sweeping over the patio where couples are eating outside, hiding them from the public’s eye. The door is glowing with little light bulbs, which surround its entry, giving off just enough light to see the sand-stoned walkway. When we enter, the lighting is dim and there are racks of crystal and wine bottles elegantly placed for display with a bar set off to the right and women and men surrounding it. We are seated right away by a young lady dressed in a black cocktail dress with gold bangles. She doesn’t speak; she just smiles and eyes Parker like dessert. She shows us our table and flashes Parker a knowing smile.

“You come here a lot?” I ask, watching the girl look over her shoulder at Parker as she returns to her podium.

“Uh, sometimes,” Parker says, stumbling on his words. The table is classy with a white tablecloth and a little tea light in the middle, giving off a romantic energy. A waiter dressed to impress in a black tux hands us menus before bowing and walking away. This place is overkill and makes me feel extremely underdressed. I start tapping my foot, feeling anxious and uncomfortable, and open the menu. My eyes widen and I nearly have a heart attack at the prices. Parker gives a light chuckle at the expression on my face. “Order whatever you would like, Danielle.” I smile lightly and look for the cheapest thing on the menu; money doesn’t impress me. After we have ordered and are sipping on some very tasty wine, I look up at Parker who is staring at me intently. I swallow the gulp of dark wine and smile nervously.

“You are very beautiful, Danielle. Has anyone told you that?” Parker asks. I swirl the wine in my glass, looking at the dark-purple tides slam alongside the crystal.

“Yes they have,” I whisper. Shadow comes to mind, taking me from the expensive dinner meant to impress me to mine and Shadow’s first date. He made sandwiches and brought me to the beach; I love the beach. It was way better than this. I shake my head of Shadow and drink the rest of my wine.

During dinner, I learn Parker has a successful career as a lawyer, his car is his baby, and that he’s recently divorced. Finally, after paying the check, we head back to his fancy car. As I reach for the door, Parker grabs my hand with force, pulling it away from the door handle.

“Let me,” he says smoothly, his body so close to mine I can feel the heat coming off him. He opens the door but holds it so I can’t enter.

“Are you in a rush to get away from me?” he whispers into my ear.

I don’t say anything because I can’t. My heart is beating so fast, and my palms are beginning to sweat. His eyes are hooded and marked with lust, telling me he wants me for dessert. He tucks his thumb under my chin and brings my head up and I try to pull from his grasp, but he tightens his grip on my chin painfully. He presses his lips to mine softly before letting me go and opening the passenger door.

“Holy shit,” I mutter. I thought this wasn’t supposed to be a date, but it really feels as if it is. This is too fast.

***

He drives through traffic, precisely following all the traffic laws. He reaches his perfectly manicured hand over and laces it around mine.

“I can see something is holding you back from me, Danielle, and that’s perfectly all right. I will wait,” he says, giving my hand a light squeeze before placing it back on the wheel.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I retort, looking out the window. How can a guy wait for someone he knows nothing about?