Page 37 of Runaway Road (Runaway 1)

“I am, but I don’t need a menu. I’ve ordered the same thing in this diner for the past fifteen years. A cheeseburger with extra pickles and no onion. Fries. A chocolate shake. This waitress is new to town, otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered with the menu.”

Londyn blinked.

“What? I’m hungry.” I shrugged. “It was a busy day.”

“Uh-huh,” she muttered. “What are you doing here?”

I spun in my stool, giving her my full attention as I leaned in close. The vanilla scent of her hair caught my notice, the sweetness beating out even the grease wafting from the kitchen. The shuffle of forks and knives, the drone of conversation in the background, all disappeared.

Our noses were practically touching. No one in the room would mistake my intention, Londyn included. “I’m here for you, honey.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her luscious mouth.

The kiss in the garage had replayed in my mind on a loop today. The memory of her soft lips and the slide of her tongue had distracted me more than once as I’d worked. I didn’t care that we were in a restaurant full of people. I needed another taste.

“Here you go, ma’am.” The waitress broke the moment, bringing back the noise, as she slid a plate in front of Londyn.

“You ordered pie?” And not just one slice but three. The diner’s famous apple—my favorite—the chocolate cream and Wyatt’s favorite, cherry.

“I did.” She picked up her fork. “I used to go to the grocery store as a kid and buy the pies they had on sale. You know, the day-old ones they sell cheap. When I was living with my parents, I’d hide in my bedroom and eat the whole thing myself. At the junkyard, I’d buy one if I had the money and share. But then diets and exercise became a thing and I didn’t eat pie for dinner anymore. Tonight, I said fuck it.”

I chuckled. “Good for you.”

“When was the last time you had pie for dinner?”

“Can’t say I ever have.”

Her fork dove into the chocolate cream. She hummed and her eyes drifted closed when the bite passed her lips. She savored it, rolling it around in her mouth. The woman had a talented tongue—lucky pie. She moaned again, torturing me with the subtle sound.

She swallowed, then shot me a smile that was pure sex. “You’re missing out.”

I snapped my fingers, raising my hand in the air to flag down the waitress. When she came over, I pointed to Londyn’s plate. “I’ll have that.”

Londyn laughed, going in for another bite.

It didn’t take the waitress long to serve up my pie. I dug into the apple first. “Damn, that’s good. I’ll probably give myself a bellyache with this, but I’m not leaving a bite behind.”

“Some mistakes are worth the consequences.”

“True,” I said. “What was the last mistake you made that you didn’t regret?”

She tilted up her chin and cast her eyes upward, the way she did whenever she was thinking over one of my questions. When she had her answer, she looked at me with those bright green eyes sparkling. “I wasn’t paying attention to the road when I got that flat tire. I was mad at myself at the time. Now, not so much.”

“I’m rather fond of that flat tire, myself.”

Londyn giggled, taking a stab at the cherry. “Your turn.”

A mistake I didn’t regret? Easy answer. Wyatt.

I opened my mouth to tell her about him but stopped short. He was the most important person in my life. He was my pride and joy. And though I was fond of Londyn, before I shared him with her, I’d share her with him first.

Tonight. I didn’t need Moira to make an under-the-breath comment about how I was hooking up with a woman from the motel.

Wyatt had been after me to start dating again, probably because he’d had a string of girlfriends this past year. He was a star on the football and basketball teams and had inherited my tall build. After the games, the girls all flocked his direction.

Thankfully, he had more common sense than I’d had at his age, and he assured me he hadn’t had sex yet. And when he did, he promised to be safe.

I shoved another bite in my mouth to stop myself from bragging about my son. The praise was begging to be set free. Instead, I found a different answer to her question.