Page 18 of Demon's Desire
“Um… So you just walked over here, handed me a cup, and won’t tell me what’s in it? I don’t even know your name. That’s, like… a little creepy.” Still, I cracked a smile at him.
His face fell, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Shit. Well, you’re right about that. It does sound bad when you think about it.”
I laughed and shook my head. “It’s okay. I’ll try it if you tell me what’s in it.”
“It’s Coke and cold brew,” he explained with a chuckle. “I know that sounds ridiculous, but people go wild over it. But if you don’t like it, I’ll make you something else, on the house.”
“Coke and… You’re kidding?” I raised my eyebrows. “That sounds disgusting.”
“It does.” He nodded. “But it’s really good. Seriously, try it!”
“Oh my gosh, fine.” I smiled and picked up the cup, drinking from the straw. At first, I didn't think my brain knew how to process what I was tasting. Then it started to settle on my tongue, and I started to really taste it. I blinked and tilted my head. I took another sip, then furrowed my eyebrows. “Wow… I genuinely can’t tell whether I like that.”
He burst out laughing, at which point I laughed too.
“You know what? That’s fair.” He nodded. “You want something else?”
“Um… I think I’ll keep giving this a try for now,” I told him. “So what’s your name?”
“Marcus.” He gave me a charming smile. “And what’s yours, beautiful?”
I blushed a bit. “Mia.”
“Mia.” He repeated my name. When he did, I got this strange feeling of familiarity, like I’d heard him say it before. “That’s a lovely name. Now tell me who it is that’s late meeting you so I know who to uppercut when he gets here.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled at him. “His name is Elias. And I’m sure he’ll be here any second.”
Marcus nodded. “Well if he’s gonna be here any second, then I better hurry up.” He smirked at me, and I felt a slight chill run down my spine. He was very, very attractive, just like Elias. And the strangest thing was that when he smirked at me like that, it reminded me of him.
“You… You kind of remind me of Elias,” I told him, taking another drink of the Coke and coffee.
“Oh, really?” He grinned. “Well, since you decided to go on a date with Elias, I’ll take that to mean that I’ve still got a shot.”
“I never said it was a date.” I shook my head like I hadn’t been practically buzzing all morning over this.
“Really?” Marcus widened his eyes. “Damn. He really is lucky. You came here looking that hot, and it’s not even a date.”
I blushed and took another drink. “You’re pretty bold for someone who doesn’t actually know me.”
“You haven’t gotten up or slapped me yet.” He shrugged and gave me a coy smirk. “That means I should get bolder.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Wow, that made you sound like a dick.”
“Yeah, I kind of felt that as I was saying it.” He agreed with a laugh. “That came out wrong. But I’m hoping you like the confidence.”
“Hm… It’s cute.” I shrugged and crossed my arms.
“I’ll take that.” He grinned and leaned against the table. “So tell me why I haven’t seen you in here before, Mia. Was this place Elias’s idea?”
“Well, yeah,” I admitted. “But I just moved to the area two days ago, so I haven’t done much exploring on my own yet.”
“What?” He tilted his head. “Two days ago? You’re kidding! Two days ago, and I’ve already got competition.”
That made me smile. “How do you even know you’re in the running?”
“Hm. I’m hoping it’s a lucky guess,” he said. “So if you just got here two days ago, where did you come from?”
“Texas,” I told him. “Small-town Texas. But I went to college with some people from Chicago, so when I wanted to get out, this seemed like a good place to do it.”