Page 9 of Truth Forever
He didn’t answer at first. Just carried on looking at me in a way that made me acutely aware of my untamed hair and chipped nail varnish.
Yesterday I had looked perfectly put together. Today not so much. I hadn’t expected to see anyone and had dressed for hours on a cramped, sweaty bus.
“You heading towards the bus stop?” He eyed the bag on my back with interest. And again I nodded. “There are no buses out today.” Finally, his eyes met mine.
My heart sank. What did he mean there were no buses? How could there be no damn buses out on a damn Saturday?
“How do you know where I’m going?”
In answer, he gave a shrug. “There’s none, So it doesn’t matter where you are going does it.” Holding out his hand between us, he arched an eyebrow. Leaving me to frown down at it. What did he want me to do? Take it?
Did he seriously want me to hold his hand?
“Give me your bag.”
Oh. Reluctantly I swung it off my shoulder. Passing it over to him with a heave. “Why?”
“So I can take it back upstairs.” He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. “And, then I’m taking you for breakfast.” He winked.
“Wait… what? I can’t just presume that I can stay with Gem” I reached for him. And for a second, he paused and just stared at my hand.
“Sure, you can. Gem won’t mind. I’ll make sure of it.” He gave another wink,, and I felt myself smile.
“I have to get home.”
“Monday.” Truths voice brokered no arguments. “You can’t go anywhere until Monday anyway. And anyway I owe you breakfast.”
I blinked at him in surprise. Why would he say that? “How did you work that out?”
He chuckled darkly. “Baby I saw your ass, and believe me it’s been the star of every filthy fantasy I’ve had since. The least I can do is buy you breakfast.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that.
I watched as he disappeared, and then a low murmur of voices, but he wasn’t gone more than two minutes before he came barrelling back down the stairs, two at a time.
“All sorted.” He crowed triumphantly. “Shall we go?”
“Sure.” I didn’t know what I was doing. Or even if I should be doing this. “But I’ll warn you I’ve not got much experience of bikes.” Nervously I eyed the machine at the curb.
Could I even get on a thing like that? It was quite possible I would lose my balance or do something to make us crash.
Laughing Truth flung his arm around my shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Then it’s a good job we aren’t riding anywhere just yet.” He pointed across the road, to the small hole in the wall place that promised the best fry ups in town. I grinned. How had I missed it? A big fat greasy fry up was just what I needed. I only hadn’t realised it.
My stomach grumbled loudly.
“Come on,Cali, I think you might be hungry.”
“I am,” I admitted eagerly. “I just didn’t realise how hungry I was until now. So yeah you best feed me quick before I take a bite out of you.” The words left my mouth in a rush, and I instantly regretted them.
What kind of moron said things like that? Darting a look at him from beneath my lashes I blushed.
“Jesus woman, you can take a bite out of me anytime you want.” His heavy arm tightened slightly. “You don’t even have to ask nicely.”
***
“This is…” I chewed and finally swallowed before giving him a toothy smile. “Really good.” Eagerly I bit the end of the sausage I had speared at the end of my fork. And his eyes darkened. His lips fell open as if me munching on a sausage was the most erotic thing he had ever seen.
“Let me taste.” Suddenly my hand was caught in his, his white teeth tearing the last of the sausage from my fork. “Hey, I was going to eat that.”
