“Fuck you.” He pulls two soda cans from one bag, along with a couple of to-go containers. “Chickpea salad roll, or a spicy southwestern wrap. Which do you want?”
“Hmm.” I’m busy looking more at Milo and less at the containers, which he’s opened to reveal two wrapped sandwich-looking things with fries. “I’m not sure. The wrap, I guess.”
He looks up, my gaze snagging on his for seconds that seem to stretch on forever.
“Come on, sit down.” He slides one container my way.
We eat in silence; him taking an enthusiastic bite right away, me, a little more cautiously. Tucker didn’t like spicy food, so while I did occasionally experiment with hotter stuff, I’m aware I don’t have a great tolerance. Which is made clearer when I bite into a piece of what I’m guessing is jalapeño midway through my first half.
“Fuck.” Should’ve chosen the other thing.
I sputter and cough, trying to swallow as fast as possible. My eyes water as I grab for my drink. I’m too hungry to decline thefood though, and right now anything that might make Milo think I’m a liability seems risky, so I keep eating.
Milo wipes his mouth with a napkin, sighs, and reaches across the table. He slides the other half of my wrap over to his takeout container, leaving half of his own sandwich in its place.
Oh. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Here’s a tip, Rowan. When a contract killer is being nice to you, don’t ask questions.”
“Fair point.” Finishing the rest of the bite in my hand, I move on to the half a sandwich Milo gave me. “Mmm. Haven’t had this before. It’s really good. The other thing probably would be too, if I didn’t have such a baby mouth.”
Milo makes a quiet humming noise as he finishes chewing. “Jalen recommended this place in Beacon Hill.”
Wait. “You went to Beacon Hill to get food?” There must be plenty of local places.
He grunts and slides over the other bag. “All the local pet stores were closed. Found an independent place in Beacon Hill. The owner lives above the shop. Got her to open the place up and tell me what your stupid lizard needed.”
“Bearded dragons are actually very intelligent as reptiles go.” For some reason, I feel the need to defend Iggy’s honor. I glance over to where he’s still passed out on his rock. Completely uncaring.
Milo makes a dismissive hand gesture without looking up. When I look in the second bag, I can’t help but melt a little. There’s a box marked as black soldier fly larvae, and a bag of what looks like curly kale.
And he drove way out of his way to get this stuff. For my “stupid lizard.”
“Oh. Yeah. He really likes these,” I murmur. For some reason, it feels important to wait until Milo’s looking at me again before adding, “Thank you.”
He stands abruptly, showing me his back as he cleans up his side of the table. “Do me a favor and keep those wriggly little fuckers inside their container. If I see a single one anywhere other than that box or Iggy’s mouth, I’ll make you pay.”
Against all my better judgment, I ask, “Oh yeah? And what would my punishment be?”Jesus, Rowan, stop flirting with the guy someone paid to kill you.
The second he turns back around, though, there’s a strange energy pulsing between us. I put the bag back on the table, temporarily forgotten.
Instead, I’m remembering the same thing Milo probably is. Before. Him riding me. Using me like he hated me. Like it was a punishment.
My dick gets heavy and my head gets light. I brace one hand on the table, trying to make things feel normal again.
Except…what’s normal? Nothing’s been normal since I left my family behind. I wouldn’t know what that means. But I remember how Milo made me feel. I’d like to feel that again.
“They’re fucking disgusting,” he says out of nowhere.
“Huh?” Oh. Iggy’s food. The fly larvae. Right.
“They’re not that bad,” I try.
He doesn’t respond except to shoot me a look that tells me exactly how much he agrees, before returning to throwing away his empty food containers and washing his hands in the sink. The back and forth of his arms makes me think of the muscles I felt under my fingers earlier, the authoritative way he held me down. Even though I’m bigger than him.
That hand around my throat.
This time, when I shiver, it’s got nothing to do with smelling blood. And everything to do with the intensity I saw in Milo’s eyes.
