Escaped Daughter (Morrigan University #1)

11

After some back and forth, I ended up doing exactly as Professor Wyatt wanted and showing off the girls in a white, button-down short-sleeve blouse and lace bra that was visible through it. I paired it with a black pencil skirt that had some flare around the knees and cute wedges that tied up around my ankles and shins.

My hair was down with curls but a few small braids so it wasn’t all in my face, and I went with makeup that was flattering, alluring, but elegant and not Friday night outing. Overall, I was dressed to kill and looking like I knew it but it didn’t take much effort whereas other women couldn’t hit this level if they spent weeks trying.

It was a good look for me.

And it got me a lot of looks as I stepped outside of the dorm to wait for Kelton… Who was already there ten minutes before our time to meet. Nice.

“Damn, woman,” he whispered as he blinked at me. “Like dayumnnnnn .”

I threw back my head and laughed. “Yes, that is the appropriate greeting, of course, you goof.” I shook my head at his antics and flipped my hair over my shoulder, flinching when I noticed how many other men followed the gesture and the attention I had.

Okay, had they never seen a woman before? I was fairly sure the campus was crawling with pretty women, a lot of them even gorgeous and from good families too.

He moved closer and offered his arm to me. “Shall we?”

“Wait, hold up, Kelton, you’re going out with the freshman princess?” a guy called over.

“Clever,” I drawled. “I’m shocked you didn’t call me an ice princess since I didn’t immediately walk up and talk to you like an idiot or walk around saying ‘Hi, I’m Bevin and I like warm hugs’ so you could mock me in some other way.” I glanced around and saw a large dog familiar of someone’s and whistled for her, using my magic to have her knock over the guy.

“Hey!” he exclaimed as they collided.

I moved over to the familiar and scratched her behind the ears as I smirked down at the guy. “You didn’t kneel before the princess , so I took steps. Don’t be a dick again and I won’t be a bitch. Funny how that works.” I winked at the familiar. “Good girl, go back to your witch.”

Kelton glanced between me, the guy, and the familiar who was jogging off and then focused on me again. “I think that turned me on as much as your outfit. For real, that was hot.”

“Good to know,” I chuckled, accepting his arm when he offered it again. “Do you have a car or we can take…” I frowned. “We can’t take mine.”

He gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything until we were further away from the scene we’d left and all the ears. “I have one, but why can’t we take yours?” Understanding filled his eyes. “You broke free from your family, but they got you the vehicle, so it’s their stuff on it.”

“Yup,” I said, popping the P loudly. I pulled my arm away and quickly texted Tracey that I needed to handle that and figure out what to do. She immediately replied she’d just realized the same and we’d trade it in after I decided what I wanted.

One more thing for the list.

My mind was on vehicles when I took his arm again. Something with more cargo room would be nice as I’d be taking spell circles on weekends to go back and forth from home instead of risking the attention of Tracey sending me stuff and giving back product going forward. Yeah, that would make sense.

“Where are you at?” Kelton asked gently.

“Right, sorry, thinking about being an adult.” I chuckled awkwardly when I saw we were at a different parking lot than the one behind the freshmen dorm.

“That happens,” he forgave as we stopped at an older—but well-tended-to—Jeep. Well, it might not have been Jeep brand, but it looked like one. It was that type of vehicle.

Fine, I didn’t know shit about cars. It was green.

He was a gentleman and opened the door for me, smiling as I easily climbed in and closed the door. He was sexy as he jogged around front like he cared to get this going and maybe was a bit nervous for our date too.

“So what are you in the mood for?” he asked as he hopped in and started it up. “You’re not a salad to keep face kind of gal, right?”

“No, I’m more real than that.” I frowned. “Though, I wouldn’t judge women who did that. This is nerve-wracking and a salad is safe . You know what you’ll get if you order a chicken Caesar, but if I order grilled salmon, which sounds safe, and it sucks, then I just wasted money and look like a bitch if I don’t eat it.”

“You’re right, never thought about it like that,” he mumbled as he pulled out of the spot and got us underway. “I think I’ll stick with a burger.”

“Yeah, but a good burger is messy and that’s not ladylike. And you can’t tell me a lot of guys wouldn’t totally judge that on a first date.”

“Shit, it really is a minefield for your side. I never realized,” he chuckled. “I hate to admit it, but you’re totally right and I know dozens of guys who would never ask a woman out on a second date if she got messy with a burger on a first date. I would think that’s cute and nice she was real, but… People are judgmental.”

“Yeah, they are.” I bit back a smile. “I won’t call you within three days if you don’t use your napkin properly. And if you spill, I’m just walking right out.”

He laughed so hard his face flushed. It was actually pretty great and I adored he was so easygoing and fun like that.

We arrived in town and I curiously checked it out as he obviously knew where he was going. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a nice-looking pub with a kitchen.

I got out on my own, not going to make it a thing he needed to open the door for me. If he was there, it was nice, but I could get my own doors, and making a guy jump through hoops was the opposite of being an independent woman to me.

Well, for things like that. Other things I had a feeling I’d enjoy making them dance a bit.

He did open the door to the pub for me and told the host we wanted a table for two, a booth after checking with me. Nice, polite, and points for checking.

The guy walked us over to our table and handed us menus, staring at me a bit too long. Kelton cleared his throat in warning which I found endearing and the host hurried off with a quick word about our server coming soon.

I slid in and opened my menu, biting back a laugh when what I wanted was one of the most expensive things listed. It wasn’t a power play or anything… I simply wanted a real pub roast dinner that sounded amazing with mashed potatoes and home-cooked numminess.

I looked up to ask which burger he was going to get and realized his eyes weren’t on his menu but down my shirt. I inhaled slowly so my chest grew as I slid my hand up my shirt and I teased the top button before undoing it so the lace bra was almost showing. It would be if I leaned certain ways, but it wasn’t straight on, and the shirt hung enough where it would be mostly closed.

His gaze flicked to mine and he winced at being busted but still glanced down again. “I cannot believe you just did that.”

“I like to have fun.”

“Clearly,” he groaned softly, adjusting how he sat. “You are so fun, Bevin. I’ve never been so turned on during a date in my life and we’ve not even ordered yet.”

“For the record, teasing you because you were staring doesn’t mean you’re having me for dessert later,” I clarified.

“Oh, I fully expect to work much, much harder than one date to have you for dessert,” he murmured, giving me a heated look. “But, for the record , it wouldn’t be just dessert but a buffet and several courses of delicious that would make you want more.”

Well fuck , he won that round for sure.

Our server came by and asked us about drinks, giving Kelton just about every signal she was interested in him besides offering herself as an option on the menu, but he didn’t so much as spare her a glance. His attention was solely on me, saying I should order first, asking if I wanted anything else, and completely attentive to me and making it clear I was his date.

Even better? He shot her a disgusted look when she walked away.

“What is with these workers? I’ve never seen them act like this. We’re clearly here together and the host is checking you out and our server is being disrespectful to you. I’m really getting annoyed,” he grumbled.

“I’m not,” I assured him, smiling when he gave me a shocked look. “Your reaction made me feel pretty damn special, and I’ve not felt a lot of that with my family and after what happened to me. So, I might thank her later for being a bitch as I got to see how you’re a nice guy and not a slime. Honestly, she really did me a sister solid, so I might slip her a tip too.”

He glanced over her way. “Huh.” Then he smiled at me. “I’m a loyal kind of guy.”

“I’ve read guys who grew up with single moms are,” I teased, flinching when his smile faded.

“I didn’t tell you that, Bevin.” His eyes danced with annoyance.

I softly groaned, moving my hand over my face. “I’m sorry. I know.”

“You checked into me.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

He was quiet several moments. “How deeply?”

“Basics. Nothing illegal. Just a minor background check to see if you had any ties to—”

“Your family or the family of the guy who hurt you, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

He didn’t reply for a full minute at least which felt forever. “Do I at least get to know what you found?”

“Yes. I’ll send you the full report if you want. It really was just a background check,” I answered, finally glancing at him and seeing he wasn’t angry but simply a bit perturbed. I quickly told him what it said and shrugged. “I’m sorry that I won’t tell you as much about myself yet, but I’m in a precarious situation and I needed to know you were safe to be around.”

“Because you ran from your family,” he pushed.

I could give him that. “Because I filed for disownment and the High Council granted it and my family is not happy they lost such a valuable asset they planned to cash in on. Millen isn’t my original last name though it is a family name.”

“That’s a lot, Bevin,” he whispered.

I chuckled darkly. “That’s not even all of it.” I slowly closed the menu. “Should we just go?”

“No.” He reached over and covered my hand with his. “Hey, no . Most people hide this shit, and I think it’s cool you’re being honest and showing more of your cards, even admitting you need to keep secrets and why. This—we’re just getting to know each other, not a mating meeting like rich families have. It’s cool.”

I met his gaze and studied him. “No reservations?”

He licked his lips and tapped the fingers of his other hand. “I don’t think I’d ever want to get involved in the politics of the important or council families. I remember my dad saying it was too much and sort of Shakespearean the way they all went after each other.”

I snorted. “Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. It’s why I wanted out. I—they’d have to forcibly drag me back and I’d rather die honestly.” I turned my hand over to hold his. “But I need power to fight to stay free, and while I’ve got some they don’t know about, I’m building more. So no, I don’t ever want to get in that, I will be a… Player in our world but not one in the spotlight if that makes sense.”

“Sort of, but I get it. Money is safety even if it brings problems and all of that.”

“Basically, yeah. My grandfather risked a lot to give me one chance to get free, and I had to wait over a decade for that perfect opportunity to use it. He died before he could see me free, but I won’t waste all we worked for, so I wasn’t forced to be some airhead breeder for the right bloodline or worse.”

He swallowed loudly. “I looked into the rumors once I knew it was you. Yeah, I know who got expelled. Worse is one way to refer to that guy.”

I pulled my hand away, hating we were discussing Gregg on our date. “I don’t mean him, Kelton. My family would do much worse to me than try to drug me again and force a man on me they want me to mate. They want me and my magic under their control. They’ll want what I built when they find out about it. All of it.”

He blinked at me several times. “Your family was in league with the guy who drugged and attacked you?” He whistled when I nodded. “And you’re not even old enough to drink.”

“Not by human laws.”

“Yeah, you can have magical drinks,” he muttered. “Okay, so now that we got every heavy topic of yours out of the way, do you want me to list every girl I’ve ever dated or something so we completely mess up this date?”

I swallowed loudly. “No, sorry. Clearly, I haven’t socialized enough for a date yet.”

“Hey, I was mocking myself, not you,” he said gently. “I shouldn’t have—I was the one who pushed and jumped down the rabbit hole. I was the jerk here.”

I shrugged. “I couldn’t have left that alone either.”

“You’re being too nice to me. I was overbearing.”

I forced a smile. “Buy me dinner and we’ll call it even?”

“Deal.”

Our server had perfect timing as she brought out our food. I managed to slip her my debit card to pay as I accepted my plate from her, her eyes flashing shock but nodding.

She also stopped flirting with Kelton when she realized I’d be picking up the tab. Funny how that worked out.

I couldn’t hold back a moan two bites into my meal. “This is really, really good.”

“So is my burger,” he agreed.

“Can I steal a fry?” I asked, loving good, greasy fries.

“Sure. I’ve always wanted to try that too.” He smiled as I pushed my plate towards him. The portion was huge and there was no chance I’d finish it all.

Well, in that sitting. I would absolutely finish it later when I was hungry in a few hours while working, but it was too much for dinner.

The fries were great and he enjoyed my meal as well, both of us digging in and moving past our earlier awkwardness. Well, mostly.

I hoped so.

When the server came to check on us, I asked for a box for the rest of my meal, amusing Kelton who was finishing off his burger.

I shrugged after she left. “I’ll finish it tonight, just not in one sitting. It was a lot and pretty heavy, but my microwave works just fine.”

“Glad you’re not a rich girl who’s wasteful.”

It was hard not to flinch at his teasing. “I was never one of them and they made that clear. Always. And that the family money and lifestyle weren’t mine because of it. That was fine with me because I didn’t want to be one of them anyways.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“I know,” I said gently, giving him a sad smile. “It’s a minefield, and it’s better to warn you of that than risk any misunderstandings later.”

The server came back with my box and the check which she handed to me much to his shock.

“I asked you out,” he reminded me as he rolled his eyes when he saw my card already in the folder. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “My meal was twice as much as yours and it wasn’t some sassy power play—I just really wanted it. You drove. You can get lunch next or something.”

“I’m not that broke, Bevin,” he said, an edge to his tone.

I froze in signing my name and looked up at him. “This is one of those times I don’t have the social skills to know how to deal with this the right way.” I stared into his pretty eyes and thought of how to phrase what I wanted to say. “My family are assholes, but I learned my morals from my grandfather and he was a good person. This isn’t charity or pity.”

“Then what is it?”

I finished signing everything and closed it, taking my card and tucking it in my purse. “I was taught we pick up the tab because we’re blessed with the means to do so and don’t have to worry about budgets or where our next meals come from while balancing paying bills. Our role in society is to use our money to keep the economy going, tip well, and take the burden off others when we can. That’s what this was.”

“You know I’m kinda dying to ask how you still have money if you were disowned and are on your own now.”

“I was smart enough to plan ahead and my grandfather helped me, but not everything is perfect, so I’ll need some help.”

“From me?” he asked, sounding surprised but maybe hopeful.

I pressed my lips together. “I don’t know. You helped me yesterday. I was referring to other, specific help but yeah, I’ve been sheltered and you seem to know how to swim in these waters, so I could use that trusted help too.”

“So that means a second date then?” he checked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I couldn’t help but smile. “I guess that depends on how the date ends.”

“I’m sorry it’s ending soon.”

I shrugged. “We knew it was going to be a short one, only dinner.” I took a last sip of my water and scooted out of the booth with my purse and leftovers. “I had a great time though even with the heavy topics and TMI of my life.”

“Yeah, me too,” he promised, moving his hand to my lower back to guide me out of the now busier place.

I caught the gaze of the server and she smirked at me, nodding to how protectively he was touching me when so many guys were checking me out. I almost laughed when she winked. So she had been doing me a solid and checking out if he was a loyal guy or one who would let a server flirt with him on a date. Nice.

Good thing I had left her a nice tip. Risky of her to do in her profession.

Then again, any woman of value would have gone back and tipped later when they were alone to thank her. I planned to be a loyal customer and always tip her well from now on because of it.

He paused when we reached his car and gave me a hesitant look. “I don’t want to take you back to the dorm yet, but asking you to go for a walk in those sexy shoes seems mean.”

“Is that a lead-in to ask me to a picnic on Sunday?” I hinted, smiling up at him. “Maybe some walking? I normally go for a distance run, but I’d be willing to do it outside if you showed me a nice safe spot and think you can keep up.”

He cleared his throat and smirked down at me. “Yeah, I could chase after you, but you might have to be gentle with me as I’m more at five miles for my distance runs.”

Oh dear, that wasn’t close to my distance runs. I bit back a smile. “We might need to get you a bike then.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “I had a feeling you’d run circles around me for sure.”

I was pretty sure we both knew he wasn’t talking about actual exercise which emboldened me. I kinda liked that I gave that impression instead of how I’d lived my life so far. When he opened the door for me, I slid in and gave him the best sultry look I could, hoping it held promise and a bit of desire as I liked flirting with him too.

It seemed to work as he looked happy as he got in as well.

He told me a bit about his mom as we drove back to campus and I could see the love he had for her was genuine. I felt a bond with him because in a way we’d both been raised by single parents. I might still have both of mine… Technically, but my grandfather really raised me, loved me, and taught me in the way a parent does. I couldn’t even imagine how I would have turned out without him.

But it was clear he would do anything for his mom. I had a moment of worry, thinking of movies where the mom didn’t like the girl their son brought home. I waved the thoughts off. We were way too early for anything like that.

Besides, I think his police officer brother worried me more given how shady my family could be. They weren’t human mafia level, but they certainly weren’t clean and law-abiding.

Not. Even. Close.

I wasn’t part of them anymore and I did follow the laws, but I was also hiding a lot that the High Council would want to know and I might actually have to tell them. That was dangerous for me, so I thought any decent person would forgive that.

I shook my head when we parked. I refused to care what people thought of me when I hadn’t even met them. I had enough issues and didn’t need to make new ones.

“Something funny?” he asked as he turned off the vehicle.

“No, just… Lost in my head a moment. It gets scary in there at times.”

He snorted. “That happens to everyone.”

We got out and I managed not to flinch when he took my hand in his. It was nice. Sweet but a bit scary since it was new. Still, I let him, trying to stay calm so my hand didn’t get sweaty to not have to worry about that.

Too soon we were at the dorm and I actually let him inside to walk me to my door.

Plus, I wanted to do something bold. I liked he wanted to chase me, planned to have to run to keep up with me.

I paused with my keys in my hand. “I’m going to invite you in, but it doesn’t mean what you think. If I let you in, you stay touching the door, okay?”

He studied me a moment. “Um, okay.”

“Okay.” I unlocked the door and let him in, smiling when he did as I said and leaned against the door, not walking into the room.

“It’s nice, very you,” he commented, glancing around. “Neat and with character but elegant and tasteful.”

“Thanks.” I liked that assessment and felt more confident in my plan. “So, you get two options to end the night. The standard end-of-date first kiss.”

“Or?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I tossed my purse on the bed and teased the neck of my shirt, pulling it aside so he could see my collarbone and more of my skin. “Or I’ll show you my breasts you’ve been staring at all night. Which do you want, Kelton? Do you want to kiss me or see my big tits that got you hard at dinner more?”

“Holy fucking sh…” he hissed his eyes going bug wide.

Yeah, I figured that might be his reaction. As I said, I liked the idea of him thinking me bold.