Page 49 of Keeping Laryn
“Ilovethat place!” she exclaimed happily. “The hoagies are huge andsogood!”
Tate grinned. “Awesome. So you’ll let me drive and take you out to eat, and then bring you back to your place and spend the night?”
“Sounds like you’ve got the evening all planned, stud,” Laryn teased.
To her amazement, Tate blushed. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he rushed to assure her. “All I meant was, you’ll let me stay? On the couch? Tex will work on getting me the info I requested about Osman, but he can’t get to it immediately, and I don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”
Laryn studied him for a moment. Then she nodded. She was too tired to argue about him staying the night. Besides…shewouldfeel safer with him there. She still wasn’t convinced Altan would do anything, that he had the contacts to harass her from the other side of the world, but when she thought about how she’d felt after he’d threatened her over the phone, she decided it wasn’t exactly a hardship to have the man she’d had a crush on for years stay the night.
“Good. Come on, let’s get out of here before someone finds us and asks just ‘one more question.’”
Laryn chuckled as he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her toward the door. “You get that too?” she asked.
“All the freaking time,” he muttered.
It didn’t take long for them to get to his Taurus, and he was pulling out almost before she had her seat belt buckled. The drive to Salmich’s didn’t take too long at this time of night. They easily found a parking space in the small lot next to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It wasn’t too far from her apartment complex, and was, in fact, on the same street, albeit blocks to the east from where she was.
They easily got a table inside and Laryn didn’t even bother picking up the menu, she knew exactly what she was going to get…what she got every time. She was a creature of habit, and when the food was as good as it was, why not?
“I take it you know what you want?” Tate said with a chuckle.
“Yeah.”
He took a moment to look over the menu and by the time the waitress stopped by their table with water, they were both ready to order.
“I’d like the Chicken in the Grass hoagie with extra cheese, please. Oh, and a side of diablo fries.”
“And for you?” the waitress asked, smiling at Tate.
“Jalapeños Popper Burger for me.”
After the waitress left, Tate grinned at Laryn. “I was going to ask if you like spicy food, but since you ordered the diablo fries, that answers my question. Are those for us to share?”
Laryn pretended to think about it for a moment. “I guess,” she sighed.
They talked about nothing in particular until their food came, which was surprisingly quick, but considering the time, they were probably anxious to serve the food and close up.
Laryn tucked into her sandwich as soon as it arrived and closed her eyes with ecstasy after the first bite.
“Good?” he asked.
When she opened her eyes, she saw he was staring at her with a look she couldn’t interpret. “So good,” she said on a moan.
Tate licked his lips as he stared at her mouth, and sherealized how she sounded…and why he was staring at her. And just like that, arousal hithard. She’d been practically orgasming over the hoagie. No wonder he was staring at her with heat in his eyes.
“I’m tempted to ask for a box for mine,” he said in a low, tortured tone.
Surprising herself, Laryn asked, “You don’t think you’ll need the energy it gives you?” Nodding at the burger in front of him.
The spark of lust in his gaze made her feel confident and sexy at the same time, even in her coveralls and smears of grease. Somehow, this man made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world. And the fact that he so obviously wanted her was heady.
Without a word, he picked up his burger and took a large bite. They ate quickly, enjoying every bit of their dinners. The fries disappeared just as quickly, as they shared the plate between them. By the time she was finished eating, Laryn was stuffed…but that hadn’t diminished the spark of attraction between her and Tate that literally felt like a live wire.
“You ready to go?” he asked quietly after he’d paid the bill.
Laryn nodded. She’d been confident enough to flirt when the table was between them and they were busy eating, but when he stood and stepped toward her, putting his hand on the small of her back to encourage her to head for the door, she felt awkward once again.
This was Tate. The Night Stalker. The man other women acted foolishly around, trying to catch his eye.
