Page 26 of Something Like That

Her words sent a ripple of shock through him. He hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. People usually beat around the bush and all that bullshit, more often than not making themselves out to be the victim. Her openness was nice. “Unless my math is wrong, you were what, seventeen when Em was born?”

“Look at you, using that high school education and everything.” The teasing in her voice made his chest feel weird. All light and fizzy. She nudged him with her shoulder, and even through they’re clothes, it felt like she’d zapped him with a live wire. What would it feel like, skin to skin? His cock twitched, liking the idea way too much for a public place. Down, boy.

“Did you get married right out of high school?”

She shook her head and stuffed her hands back in her pockets. They were wandering through the market, surrounded by all kinds of sights and sounds and smells, but his attention was focused solely on her.

“I didn’t even get that far. I got pregnant at sixteen, and my parents pretty much disowned me as soon as I told them.” She kept her gaze straight ahead, not looking at him. Her voice, already whiskey tinged, took on a slightly huskier quality.

The urge to wrap his arms around her, hold her tight, protect her, and maybe slay a few demons in the process, wound through him. He didn’t know what to do with the feeling. Offering comfort really wasn’t his thing. So, he tossed his coffee cup in a trash can, jammed his hands into his pockets and continued moving forward. It was one of the rules he lived by. Just keep moving. “That must have been hard. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it happened to you.”

“Thanks.” She glanced at him. The sadness in her eyes damn near gutted him like the fish here at the market. While he’d never been disowned, he knew what it was like to grow up in a dysfunctional household. And the kinds of scars that shit left behind.

“But,” she said, giving him one of her light-up-the-world smiles, “I got Em out of the deal, so it was worth it.”

The love on her face, the adoration in her voice, made his chest ache. He wasn’t sure why. And he also wasn’t about to fucking dissect his feelings right now, either. “I’m disappointed she couldn’t join us today.”

“So is she.” She slipped her arm though his. A zip of electricity crackled along his nerve endings. “But, as I told her, that’s what happens when you break the rules. Because, you know, I’m so tough and everything.”

“Yeah, I can tell you’re a real hard ass.” He almost managed to keep his voice even. Almost.

She laughed. The light, throaty sound bounced through him like a puck on bad ice. Man, he loved her laugh. He felt his lips tilt up in a no-longer-quite-so-rusty smile. He couldn’t remember the last time just spending time with someone made him feel so… hell, he didn’t even have a word for it.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s go stand in a ridiculously long line for brunch.” She tugged on his arm, leading him across the narrow space between the vendor stalls.

Little did she know, at this moment, he’d follow her just about anywhere. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”

Alex dabbed her lips with her napkin and placed it on top of her empty plate. By the time they’d actually gotten a table at Red Cedar and Sage, she’d actually been starving. Probably due to the fact she’d been too nervous to eat anything this morning. The stupid D word kept running through her brain, making her jumpy and jittery. Dumb, really, because it wasn’t like this was a real date or anything.

More like two acquaintances doing some sightseeing.

And, if she kept repeating it to herself, she might eventually believe it.

Thankfully, the biscuits and gravy at the restaurant were so delicious, they erased all of her weird, inner turmoil. The dish was her one of her favorites—as in, anytime it was on the menu, she ordered it. Normally, she tried to eat whole foods and made sure to work out regularly—it was more or less a job requirement—but she did indulge every once in a while.

Janelle was fond of saying Alex used food as a replacement for human contact of the intimate variety, only not in so many words, and way more directly. Honestly, she was okay with that. She glanced at Nick. At least, she used to be.

He was just finishing off his scramble. He’d ordered it without the lemon dill cream cheese sauce, which was too bad, because it was the kind of sauce you could bathe in and still want more. Or, maybe, you could pour it over someone and then lick it off…

Nope, not going there.

Smothering that thought before it got her hormones all in a flap, she picked up her tea and took a sip. Watched him over the rim of the cup. Over the last little while, she’d learned he was exceptionally disciplined. Even when they’d gone for lunch the other day, he’d ordered something practical. She hadn’t missed the way his eyes tracked Em’s milkshake, though. Did he ever let himself indulge?

He took the last bite and sat back in his chair. Honestly, he looked even better than the food she’d just inhaled. His light blue button up shirt highlighted the width of his shoulders and his muscular arms. The top button was undone and the glimpse of skin had her hormones sitting up and taking notice.

She licked her lips. His gaze dipped to her mouth. The blue of his eyes darkened, deepened, becoming something she could easily get lost in.

The air around them practically sizzled. She came close to grabbing the drink menu and fanning herself. That wouldn’t be too obvious, would it?

“Anything else I can get you?”

Her gaze snapped to the waitress, who’d somehow come up to the table without either of them noticing. “No, thank you.” Her voice sounded weird, an unplanned hint of annoyance laced through the words. She cleared her throat. “Just the check, please.”

The waitress nodded and hurried away. She glanced at Nick. He’d shifted so his bent arm was resting on the back of the chair next to him. He gave her an amused look, not quite a smirk, but close. She then realized what she’d done.

Covering her mouth with her fingers, she felt her eyes widen. “Crap.” The words were muffled. “You didn’t want anything else, did you?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m good.”