Page 11 of Good Time Boyfriend
“Is that one stuffed with mushrooms and cheese? Oh, my.”
My mouth watered just thinking about it. I hadn’t eaten anything since my early lunch, just after my sister left, and now I was starving. Normally I would just go home and either whip myself up something quick, or eat leftovers, if I wasn’t closing. If that was the case, then I ate at the bar, and tried to drink some water when I got home, so that way I wasn’t just falling right into bed, forgetting that I had a life. Not that I actuallyhada life, but I could pretend.
“How am I supposed to decide?”
She looked so earnest—and so damn sexy. This was going to be a problem. “We can each get a different one and share.”
“You’d do that? Share with a stranger?”
“We aren’t strangers. We’ve been dating for a year.”
She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “Now I really feel like I’m on a date with a murderer.”
“Ouch. Calling your longtime boyfriend a murderer. That’s not nice.”
When she rolled her eyes, my smile widened. She was finally relaxing, and I couldn’t help but be tempted. “I thought I was the insane one.”
“Neither of us is insane. You needed to protect yourself, and you just happened to do it with a real person rather than a fake one.”
“You were the first person I thought of.” She paused. “Not in a stalker way. But because I had just seen you. You know. Sorry. I’m just going to shut up now.”
I shook my head. “Come on, let’s pick out what you want and I’ll pick out something else that sounds good and we’ll share. And I promise no big decisions need to be made. It’s just a burger.”
“Why do I feel like you’re not quite telling the truth?”
I shrugged as we went up to the window. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Hey, Heath. Not closing tonight?” Jeff asked from the window.
“Nope, I opened. Ace should be done soon too, and our team is going to be closing tonight.”
“Letting the baby birds out of the nest and leaving them in charge. Look at you. All business-owner like.”
“You say that as if we’re not going to be looking at the cameras we have stationed all around to make sure they’re doing what they need to and don’t need our help,” I said dryly.
“True, that’s why I work here way too many hours a day in my own truck, and I don’t take days off.” He turned to look at Devney, his eyes getting that smolder that said he found her attractive. I didn’t mean to do it, knew I shouldn’t, but I moved and put my arm near hers. I didn’t wrap my arm around her, didn’t stake my territory in a way that would be too obvious, but Jeff noticed.
He grinned and shook his head. “Oh, hello, I’m Jeff. Proprietor of this great establishment. What is your lovely name, and why are you with this lucky man?”
She rolled her eyes and looked between us. “I swear, all of you guys are so smooth.” She cleared her throat. “I’m Devney. And I’m here because I’m starving, and we have a few things to talk about.”
“Ooh, now I need to know what story is behind that. But I don’t pry. I don’t have time to pry. Not with this line behind you.”
I glared at the man before I leaned forward. “I’ll take the mushroom and cheese stuffed burger with some ranch fries on the side.”
“You’ve got it. What about you, babe?” Jeff didn’t leer at her, which was the only reason I didn’t punch my friend in the face. Though why I was this territorial, I didn’t know.
“Oh good, that’s sort of what I wanted, but that brie and jam one sounded amazing too.”
“That’s why your mouth started to water when you were looking at it.”
“I didn’t drool,” she said as she dramatically wiped her mouth.
“Maybe just a little. Right here.” I reached out and brushed my thumb along her cheek. Her eyes darkened and her mouth parted.
Jeff sighed. “Lucky bastard,” he mumbled.
That brought both of us out of whatever the hell we were doing.
