“What?”
Lana releases my hand and reaches over the table. She grabs the bottle of wine, putting the cork back in, and I arch a brow. She shrugs innocently. “What? You said you bought it for me, I’m not just going to leave here. You probably overpaid.”
I laugh and take her hand. “Come on.”
The bell jingles above us as we exit and I nearly trip over myself before I know what’s happening. Lana is pulling me by my shirt to where she’s leaning back against the glass outside of the diner and reaching up. I crash my lips to hers, pinning her back with my hips, my forearm planted beside her head. My other hand grips her hip tightly and she lifts the same leg around my hip, and all I can do is groan into her mouth as she parts her lips for my tongue.
“Christian,” she breathes just before she giggles.
I giggle with her. “What?”
I pull back enough to see her eyes, the lights from the diner’s sign illuminating half of her face in purple, blue, and yellow. “You’re so beautiful, Lana.”
“You should see yourself,” she whispers.
The lights inside the diner flick on and I peer inside to see Crystal and Katherine cleaning up after us. And I feel like shit for pulling Lana out without warning. “Shit,” I hiss. “Wait here.”
I move to the entrance and she calls out, “Christian!”
“Just…give me a minute!”
Lana’s laugh fades as I rush back into the diner. Crystal is finishing up, and Katherine is closing for the night I paid her off for. “Hey,” I exhale. “Can I get a vanilla milkshake if it’s not too late?”
Katherine chuckles. “Might cost you extra.”
“I’ll pay whatever you need me to.”
She laughs, grabbing a large to-go cup for the milkshake before she begins making it. “So? Did she like it?”
I smile and pull out my wallet. “She loved it, Katherine. Thank you. Really.”
Katherine huffs with a tiny smile, spraying the whip cream on top in a circular motion. She puts a thick purple straw through the whipped cream and slides it toward me. “You better keep that girl happy or I’ll run you out of town, boy.”
I chuckle and slide over a hundred dollar bill. “Thank you, Katherine.”
“Hey—No! Take this shit back, I don’t need this.” She slides the bill back toward me.
“Keep it. It’s for the milkshake.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Lil’ baby Calloway got money comin’ out his ass.”
I laugh and push open the door to go back to my girl. “Have a good night, Katherine.”
“You kids have a good night too.”
Back outside, I find Lana in the small parking lot, sitting on the hood of the McLaren. Fuck, she’s gorgeous—wearing jeans, sandals, and a simple floral off-the-shoulder top with short sleeves. Her bronzed, olive skin on display. I want to kiss every inch of her. Trace those lines from memory and hope nothing has changed, hope I haven’t forgotten any of it.
I pull out my phone and open the camera app before I call out, “Lana.”
She looks right at me and smiles—either at me, the phone, or the milkshake, I’m not sure. I don’t care. I’ve got that picture now and it’s mine.
She gasps as I come closer holding her milkshake. “Is that for me?”
I sigh, taking the seat beside her on the hood of the car. She’s biting her lip to contain her grin, and I’m smiling as I hold out the milkshake for her. She doesn’t take it from me, she just puts her lips to the straw and drinks it. Then I drink some.
“I can’t believe Katherine let you do this,” she says and angles the straw for her.
“She was easily convinced.”
