Page 132 of Please Open Me
“Food. Do you want burgers or chicken?”
“I’m not hungry, plus I’m a vegetarian.”
Shewasa vegetarian until the baby in her belly started craving red meat.
“And Idon’tgive a shit.” My grip on the wheel tightened. “You think I’m just gonna sit here and watch you starve while you’re pregnant?”
My eyes flicked down, not subtle enough to pretend I hadn’t noticed the curve she was trying so hard to hide.
“Burgers or chicken?” I repeated. “We can talk while you eat.”
“Can I have french fries?” she mumbled, now sounding close to tears.
I raised a brow. “Just fries?”
“No.” Mason sounded stronger as she wiped at her eyes. “I want french fries, with bright yellow liquid cheese and a Shirley Temple, with extra cherries. I’ve wanted them for two weeks and—”
“You’ve wanted french fries for two weeks and haven’t gotten them?” I snorted.
“Don’t laugh at me!”
“No, I’m going to.” I pulled my car off onto the side of the road before flipping my hazards on.
The lights blinked, sending flashes of red onto an all-dark road.
“Pipsqueak, you’re a billionaire—”
“I’m not, I donate too much money. There are no ethical billionaires.”
A corner of my lips turned up, and I wiped a hand across my mouth to hide my smile. Of course,thiswas a hill she’d randomly stand up and die on.
“Point stands, you have money. You can get yourself food when you want it,” I reminded her.
“Yeah, but that’s not it. Lucian was supposed to take me, but he’s doing drugs. And then I went to do it myself, and all I could think about was Sebastian and me, and it’s just—it’s not the same.”
The words punched through my chest, as did the guilt. Copper filled my mouth as I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. I was supposed to be gathering evidence so that S.H.A.D.E. could exterminate Sebastian, and I could kill Dale; that was the deal. But, right now, I wanted to snap his neck, and Lucian’s, and my own for putting Mason in this position.
But I couldn’t let that side of me show, so I exhaled a slow breath and recomposed myself.
“Fine, I’ll take you. But, if you’ve been living off of protein shakes and crackers, you need more than fries and soda.”
Mason slumped in her seat. “You don’t get it.”
“No, I get it completely. You’re craving the connectionandthe fries.” I quickly opened my phone and began the search for a suitable restaurant. “And I’ll give you both—but I’m also making sure you eat enough for the baby.”
Mason groaned but didn’t argue, and I took that as a sign that I’d won. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into a 24-hour diner that looked like it’d been directly ripped out of the seventies. I went in and ordered three Shirley temples, a large order of fries, and radioactive cheese, plus a few other things that just sounded good in case Mason changed her mind. And, once I got the food, I went back to the car and we drove until the surrounding streetlights blurred into trees.
When the last traces of neon vanished, leaving only the light of the moon and hum of crickets to fill the night, I found a gravel turnout and parked.
“Where are we?” Mason asked as I pulled the keys from the ignition.
“Nowhere important.” I shrugged, grabbing the plastic bags. “Can you get the two Shirley temples youdidn’tchug out of the cup holder?”
She gave me a look but grabbed them anyway, her oversized hoodie rode up just enough to flash the curve she was trying so hard to hide. My breath caught, eyes snagging on the roundness of her stomach. She was… bigger than I expected. But that didn’t feel wise to say out loud, so I swallowed my comment and shoved out into the night.
Climbing up onto the hood of my car, I placed the bags down and watched Mason’s short self struggle to do the same. I didn’t offer to help; that was girlfriend behavior, and she’d stripped me of my title.
Eventually, she climbed up beside me, her cheeks red from exertion. The metal ticked as it cooled beneath us, and I tried to focus on the scent of pine in the air, and not the way I wanted to kiss Mason.
