Page 66

“I’m glad you’re having fun, babe.”

She leans up to my ear again. “How fast were we going?”

“Thirty-five,” I tell her, a smile on my face. She hasn’t even seen what this bike can really do yet. She plops back down on her seat and lets out a laugh that hits me right in the chest.

Fuck.

I love the sound of her laugh.

It is so warm, so free, so… her.

The light turns green and I take off again, pushing the bike a little faster this time. I can feel her laugh against my back and my chest swells. I like even more that I’m the one making her laugh, making her have a good time. My thoughts circle back to my dinner with Calvin. He said she’d become a shell of herself in the final stretch of her relationship but that’s not what I see when I look at her. Even in the apartment yesterday, she was sad and embarrassed but she was strong as hell and ready to take on the world.

Or ready to leave her old world behind, at least.

Fuck.

I feel like as many questions as I’ve gotten answered over the last few days, I have so many more. That’s why I wanted to take her to dinner. I wanted to get to know her. Not through a file Streak gave me or by watching her. I wanted to hear her tell me her story.

Also, after those two kisses earlier today.

I just needed more.

I have no idea why I need more but I do.

And there is no way in hell I can make myself walk away from her.

We reach our destination - one of my favorite food trucks parked by the river with several wooden picnic tables laid out in front of it and string lights surrounding the area. I’m here at least once a week. I don’t know why I brought Lennon here but when I was thinking about where to take her for dinner, I just kept getting stuck on this place.

We pull into the little parking area and after I turn the bike off, I reach back and grab her thigh. “Go ahead and climb off.”

She braces her hands on my shoulders and climbs off the bike. I watch her as she looks around at the food truck, the tables and the string lights all around us, a soft smile on her face.

“What do you think?” I ask, reaching out to take the helmet from her.

“I love it,” she says, looking out at the river. “It’s cozy.”

I like her answer.

It’s what I thought the first time I found this place. We’re still in the city but this little piece of Baton Rouge feels like we went somewhere else, somewhere quieter. Sometimes, they get someone to play music during the dinner rush but right now, they’ve just got music playing out of a couple of speakers surrounding the dining tables.

“This is one of my favorite places,” I tell her as I get off the bike and set the helmet down on the seat. She turns to me and flashes me that fucking smile of hers that makes me lose my train of thought.

“I can see why. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“Any idea what you want?” I ask, holding my hand out to her and she happily takes it as she stares at the giant menu propped up against the side of the truck. Something about it makes my chest fucking ache. I like having her here, in this place, with me.

“I think I want the birria tacos,” she says. “And a beer.”

I smile and nod. “Go find us a place to sit and I’ll order.”

“Okay,” she says, flashing me a smile as she releases my hand and I realize the error of my fucking choice.

Damn.

We should have gone to the truck together so I could keep holding her hand.

Kicking myself, I walk over to the truck and stand in front of the window, waiting. Lennon looks over a couple of the tables before choosing the one closest to the river. It’s also the one that is slightly secluded and I smile. Seems like she wants to be alone with me as much as I want to be alone with her.