Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(19)

*





Ben pounded on the door, growling curses when she didn’t answer. Eventually he gave up and descended the stairs, assuming Miriam must be out. He stopped and looked back up at her door, a sly smile forming on his lips. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message: I’m coming over. While he waited for a response, he lit a cigarette. As he smoked, he noticed a pair of beer bottles sitting on the ground near the bottom step. One of them was less than half-finished, and it had the sheen of Miriam’s lip gloss coating the bottle top. The other bottle was empty, with a thin layer of foam at the bottom, the way a beer looked after it had been chugged hurriedly.

Ben stood up, flicking the butt of his Marlboro Light away with an angry snap of his fingers. “Fucking bitch,” he muttered.

His phone vibrated: Okay, sexy. Waiting for u. Hurry. Ben smiled to himself. There was more than one fish in the sea. He got behind the wheel and roared out of the parking lot, not seeing Miriam looking out behind the blinds.





Chapter 6





Miriam

Two weeks earlier





Miriam’s phone buzzed in her apron. She took the pair of Coors to the two businessmen at table forty-five and then retreated to the kitchen to check her phone. Some vague intuition told her it was Jack, and she was right.

Are u still coming to the party tonight? I’ll keep it kosher i promise. Pick u up @ 7?

Miriam had already agreed, hadn’t she? She couldn’t very well ditch him at the last second. See you at 7 then, she texted back. He’d keep it kosher. The part that worried her was that she didn’t want him to keep it kosher; she wanted him to touch her, to kiss her.

The thing that worried her was: Where‘s Ben? He hadn’t been to work, and the last time she’d seen him had been a few nights ago, when he’d left her place thinking she hadn’t been home. She felt relieved and scared at the same time, secretly hoping he had taken off for good.

Right now, however, what she was feeling was confusing, even to her. She wanted, more than anything to see Jack. This would be their second date, which meant she was now technically cheating on Ben. Actually, she’d cheated on him when she’d kissed Jack. Did thinking about Jack count as cheating? If so, then she was cheating every five seconds.

Ben would freak if he knew. Like, he’d actually kill them both. There were times when his eyes went dark and evil, when the Ben who was still in Afghanistan hunting down terrorists showed up, and that Ben scared her shitless. The thought of telling Ben that she wanted to see someone else actually made her blood run cold. She wouldn’t tell him—she couldn’t tell him. She would find a way to break things off, and he would never have to know.

Yeah, right. Because that would work.





*





At the end of her shift Miriam cashed out, said goodbye to Larry, and went upstairs to change. What should she wear to a family party? She’d never been to one before. It wasn’t a one-on-one date, so nothing too sexy, but she wanted to leave a good impression.

Eventually, she decided on an arabesque-patterned maxi-dress, not too low-cut, but still clingy in all the right places. She was finishing her makeup when Jack knocked on the door. She went out to meet him, thinking as she locked the door that a dress might be tough to manage on a motorcycle.

“You look amazing,” Jack remarked. “Like, totally stunning. It’s gonna make this whole keeping-my-hands-to-myself thing even harder.”

Miriam ducked her head, unused to compliments. “Thanks,” she said, “you look great, too.” He did look hot in a pair of khakis and a tight black sweater that hugged his muscular torso, the sleeves pushed up just beneath his elbows, his hair tousled in its usual brown tangle. Ben never told her she looked nice. His way of complimenting her was slapping her ass or squeezing her tits. Not exactly the same thing.

Miriam was contemplating suggesting she should change when she realized his bike wasn’t in the parking lot. “Where’s your bike?”

“Oh, I thought an actual car might be more appropriate. I figured you might do your hair or whatever, and a bike would mess it all up, right?”

Considerate, too? He needed to stop being so amazing. He followed her down the stairs to an older but well-cared-for black Jeep Wrangler with oversized tires. He opened the door for her and lifted her up. His hand was warm and dry, and he left it in hers for a moment longer than strictly necessary. Not that she minded.

Jack’s parents’ house was a modest two-story Colonial not far from Jack’s apartment. When they pulled up to the curb, there were already several cars lining the street, and Miriam could hear voices laughing and talking from the backyard. She was more nervous than she’d ever been, if such a thing was possible. Jack took her by the hand, twining his fingers in hers. She squeezed his hand, realizing that she was more than just nervous…she was outright terrified. This was more than a family party—she was meeting his parents. Oh, god. What had she gotten herself into? She’d been on one date with Jack, maybe two. Why was she here?

She stopped and pulled back. “Wait, Jack…I don’t know about this….”

He halted with her. “What? Are you nervous or something? Don’t be. It’s just a party.”