She's Mine - Jenika Snow Page 0,16
y’all today.” She turned her attention to Keira. “You want somethin’ to drink, sugar?” Despite the whole look Judy sported, she had to be in her fifties.
“Just water, please.”
When Keira looked at him, he lifted a brow and shook his head. “Nope. You’re gonna get one of those shakes to see if it’s still good.” Her cheeks turned this pretty shade of pink, and she glanced down a second before looking back at Judy.
“Okay,” Keira said and nodded. She perused the menu for only a second before saying, “I’ll take a strawberry one.”
Their waitress popped her gum and smiled down at her. “Smart cookie, although I wouldn’t have said no to a face like that either.” Judy hitched her thumb in Reese’s direction, and he saw the way her cheeks turned even pinker.
Fuck, she’s pretty, he thought for the millionth time.
He ordered a shake too then they both got a couple cheeseburgers and some fries. Once Judy was gone, the silence descended around them, and she ducked her head. She was nervous. A part of him liked that he made her feel like this, because it meant she was very aware of his presence.
“I make you nervous, don’t I?”
She cleared her throat and nodded, her cheeks still stained pink. “Yeah.”
“Why? I’m harmless.” He leaned back in the booth, throwing one arm over the red vinyl.
She laughed softly but shook her head. “I don’t think I’d use ‘harmless’ to describe you.” She leaned back as well, and they held each other’s gaze. “You come here a lot?”
He started laughing, and she lifted a brow.
“What?” She crossed her arms under her breasts, and he couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes drop down to that particular part of her body. He didn’t want to be an asshole and lewd, but every single part of her drew him in like no other.
Don’t get fucking hard right now, man.
“Nothing.” He chuckled a few more times than sobered.
“No, you have to tell me what’s so funny.” She tried to act serious, but he saw the way she smirked.
“Your question just sounded like a really bad pick-up line.”
For a moment, all she did was stare at him, and then she started laughing, like a full, real laugh that made this warm feeling consume him.
God, he loved her laugh.
After a long moment, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and sobered. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me laugh like I hadn’t done in a long time.”
Maybe that shouldn’t have made him feel as good as it did, but shit, he was fucking riding cloud nine right now. He cleared his throat, because what he felt right now was so amazing it was almost uncomfortable. “To answer your question, I’ve been here a lot of times. They have a special on burgers and fries after the dinner rush, so it’s cheap eats.”
She looked around. “I wish I’d come here more than I have. I like the feel of this place.”
Yeah, so did he. It wasn’t just because of the cheap food at night, but because the atmosphere was easygoing, unlike half the other shit going on in his life. It was like a whole other world, the different era making him able to pretend for a short time he didn’t have some fucked-up upbringing.
“You want to tell me why you seemed like something was wrong when I ran into you?”
She glanced at him sharply then, and he didn’t miss the way her pulse beat rapidly beneath her ear. “What do you mean? I was okay.”
He knew the look he wore as he stared at her showed that he didn’t believe those words.
“Was it because of what happened at Alistor’s party?” His voice had gotten harder at the fucking memory of that piece of shit putting his hands on her.
After a second, she shrugged. “Kind of, but not so much.”
“Then what is it?” He saw the way she started picking at the napkin, her focus on her hands.
“Surely you’ve heard the rumors about me?” She looked up at him.
He shook his head, answering honestly, “I don’t listen to that bullshit gossip. I mean, look at the fucked-up shit they say about me.” He didn’t press her on what was wrong, but he knew something was bothering her. Yet if she didn’t want to talk about it, he understood. “Listen,” he said and leaned forward. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it. Trust me. But if you do—” He gazed into her eyes, hoping