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Lori clapped her hands "These are the best burgers and fries in the world, Nico Marcus, you ordered them, didn’t you?" She turned to Nicola "You can stay to eat so, can’t you?"

Nicola looked at Lori in alarotten that he’d turned her down flat this ? Couldn’t he feel hoard this was for her?

"I’d love to, but I think I’d better just call it a night Besides, you two probably have so up to do, so thanks, but--"

"Stay for dinner," Marcus said "Please"

Marcus’s loords pulled at Nicola, so hard that she could al toward him It hadn’t been a request, not quite a command either But whatever it was, it had turned her brain to

A fewwith theer she couldn’t possibly eat Not with Marcus so close that her belly kept clenching

"So what did you think, Marcus? Isn’t Nico a with her whole body During rehearsal, she’d tried to keep eye contact to a minimum, because every ti As they’d gone over and over the song, she hadn’t been able to read his expression, couldn’t tell if he was i--sucked She told herself she didn’t care if he liked it Thirty-six-year-old men weren’t necessarily her core audience, after all

"Did you write that song?"

"I did"

His mouth moved up into a small smile "You’re very talented"

Nicola let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding just as Lori’s phone started bouncing around on the tabletop Whoever was calling had her juuys, this will just take a sec"

Nicola could see from the look on Marcus’s face that he wasn’t happy with the name and face he’d seen flash across his sister’s phone True to her word, Lori was back after barely saying tords to the caller, but she was flushed and clearly flustered

"I’ I proht withoutrong and she didn’t want to add any extra pressure to Lori’s life "Of course I will Don’t worry about it for another second"

Looking relieved, Lori turned to her brother and said, "Marcus, could you ets back to her hotel okay?"

"Of course," he replied at the exact et a cab"