Daddy in Cowboy Boots (Montana Daddies #9) - Laylah Roberts Page 0,12
I do. They make the best burgers here, though.”
“Ooh. That sounds nice.”
“Good, two hamburgers with fries it is then, please, Sally,” he said to the waitress as she brought their drinks back.
“Oh, but . . .” she said as the waitress left. She’d been going to see what was cheapest on the menu. She didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity.
“Sorry. You didn’t want the burger.” He winced. “I jumped the gun. I’ll call her back.”
“No, no.” She didn’t want to make a fuss. Especially not when the diner was so busy. “That’s fine. I just need to go to the bathroom first.”
“Of course.” He slid out then held his hand towards her. She reached up to grab his hand, realizing too late that her sleeve had ridden up.
He froze as he stared at her wrist. Then his gaze met hers. “What is this?”
5
Linc stared down at the bandage. Had she had that last night? He thought back. He hadn’t noticed it, but it could have been easy to miss in the dark.
“Marisol,” he said in a deep, commanding voice that had her staring at him in shock. This was the firmest he’d been with her, so her surprise was understandable.
“Oh that,” she said with a nervous laugh. He could already tell that she was going to lie and it made him grind his teeth in anger and frustration. “It’s nothing. I was dealing with hot wax at work and burned myself.”
“Can I see the burn?”
“Oh no. It’s fine. I put cream on it.” She couldn’t meet his gaze as she spoke. “Could I get up now?”
He nodded, unable to answer her without demanding the truth. As she disappeared into the bathroom, he slid into the booth and tried to decide what path he wanted to take.
If he didn’t intend to see her again, to take this further, then he could just let this go. It worried him that she had to lie to explain the bandage, though. Made him wonder about what really happened.
But if he decided that he did want to know her better, then he’d need to make it clear that she’d crossed a line with him. One that she shouldn’t cross again. At least not without consequences.
Okay, bringing up consequences might be going a step too far. One step at a time.
He glanced over at the bathroom door, she’d been gone a while. He hoped she was okay. Just then, she walked out and came towards him. He slid out.
“Oh, you didn’t have to move,” she said.
He shook his head. “Safer for you to go in first.”
She blinked at him in confusion.
“Wall on one side. Me on the other,” he said in clipped sentences.
“Right,” she replied, giving him a small, worried smile. “Are you all right?”
He tapped his fingers against the table then turned to her. “I know you just lied to me.”
Her face paled. Those expressive caramel-colored eyes stared up at him, trying to get a read on him. There was an anxious air around her. He instantly wanted to soothe her. To reassure her that no harm would come to her. That she was all right. They were all right.
But he knew that he had to start as he meant to continue on. Allowing her this one lie could bleed into more lies. Bigger ones. And he couldn’t allow that. Lies and rejection were big triggers for him. So she needed to know this now.
And if he was too much for her, then he needed to know that too.
Maybe it was crazy to be so interested in someone this quickly. But Linc had watched so many of his friends find their other halves recently and it made him impatient and yeah, a bit lonely. He wanted someone of his own. Someone to come home to at night, share dinner with, laugh or commiserate with over their days. Someone to curl up around in bed and wake up to in the morning.
And he was drawn to her.
So yeah, maybe he should make this clear from the start.
“Lying is something I can’t ever tolerate, Marisol,” he told her firmly. Her breath hitched, her eyes widening even further. “I get that maybe you don’t feel comfortable telling me the truth since we don’t know each other that well. But that doesn’t mean you need to lie. If I ask you something that makes you uncomfortable, that you don’t feel you can answer honestly, then you tell me that. Don’t make something up, okay?”