“Do they say whether or not you’ll recover any further with more speech therapy?”
She shrugged. “Pretty sure it’s as good as it’s going to set.”
“What about for your hand?”
She held it up. “Same thing.” While she’d lost some control over her motor functions, at least she could still use it to a small extent. She could hold a burger if she was careful.
Speaking of which, a plate of hot, greasy goodness was placed in front of her along with a thick, creamy shake. Another plate was placed in front of Jim, who nodded his thanks to the waitress. “Can we have two brownie sundaes for dessert?”
Chloe blinked. How in the world had he discovered her favorite dessert?
When the waitress left, Jim winked at her. “I have a weakness for chocolate and ice cream.”
She bit her lip. Sure he did. She’d seen what he ate for lunch on a regular basis. Salads with grilled chicken and light dressing, diet soda or water, and if he was really hungry he had an apple or orange for dessert. She’d worked for, and lusted after, him for quite a while. “Liar.”
“Nope. I just hide my addictions well.” He took a huge bite out of his burger, moaning in appreciation. “Besides, all those salads allow me to eat like this for dinner.”
Chloe took a much smaller bite of her own burger, savoring the taste of well-cooked meat, melty cheese and ketchup. “S’good.”
“Mm-hm.” He wiped his lips with his napkin. Frank’s burgers were not neat food. “So. What do I need to do to get you to forgive me?”
She suddenly had a hard time swallowing. Shrugging, she took a sip of water, hoping it would loosen her tight throat.
“Are the dreams as bad for you as they’ve been for me?”
She whimpered before she could stop herself.
He laughed softly. “I’ll take that as a yes.” The laughter slowly faded, a deepening hunger taking its place. “You’re stronger than I gave you credit for.” He grimaced. “Stronger than I am, that’s for sure.”
She nodded. She sure as hell was.
“Will you at least give me a chance to make it up to you?” He held up his hand before she could respond. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d like to try.”
She thought about that while she took another bite of burger. While she was pissed that he hadn’t come to her when he’d first discovered Spencer, in a way she could understand it. He hadn’t felt the same way she did. He hadn’t felt the pull or had to deal with the mate dreams tormenting him night after night.
Even when he’d been turned he’d done what was needed for his family first, and that was something a member of the Bunsun-Williams clan could fully understand. “Yes.”
The relief on his face was worth the courage it had taken to say that one little word. “Thank you.”
That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make him work for it, at least a little. “Don’t fake me regret it.”
His hazel eyes turned brown. “I promise.”
She planned on holding him to that.
Jim waited patiently in line at the grocery store, praying he wouldn’t have to be there much longer. He had a meal to make and a brother to eat with, not to mention a phone call he was very much looking forward to. Chloe had been more than generous when she’d given him permission to try and make things right between them, and he had every intention of taking her up on that offer.
Honestly, if he were her, he would have kicked his ass to the curb. Instead, she’d offered to take things slowly, give them time to learn one another before he finally claimed her.