The moment Aiden is gone, Ruth Anne returns with my drink, which has a cute little umbrella in it. “Never thought I’d see the day,” she comments, shaking her head.
“I take it I’m the first woman you’ve seen with him?”
“Not just the first woman. The firstanyonein a hell of a lot of years. Aiden used to come here with his dad back before he enlisted in the Navy. He was only eighteen then, so it’s been a while.” She smiles. “I worry about that boy.” She says it likeAiden is twelve years old and not a strapping bear of a man in his thirties.
“You’ve been here that long?” I’m reluctantly curious.
“Hmmm.” Ruth Anne thinks. “Well, when I started here, my tits still pointed up.” She grins, and I can’t help but laugh. She’s so sweet. “But yeah, it’s been a long time. And he still eats the same thing…the same thingtheyate every week, and he comes at the same time. It’s like he can’t bring himself to let it go.”
“How do you mean?” I hate that I’m interested.
She leans in. “Well, a couple years ago, an investor from Atlanta came in, wanted to tear this place down and build a mega gas station. Aiden bought it instead, for double its value so the owner could retire.” She shrugs. “Now, Aiden refuses to sell.”
“Keeps me eating the best pie in three counties,” Merve pipes up. “It’s the only place I can walk to from my cabin.”
I smile at him, then at Ruth Anne as she says, “Be back shortly with your supper, hon. In the meantime, if you need a refill, just holler.”
Aiden returns from the bathroom and sits back down.
“What am I getting for dinner?” I ask.
“The best meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy you’ll ever eat.”
I lean back and cross my arms over my chest. “That’s a bold claim. My nana made the best meatloaf.”
Aiden takes a sip of his whiskey. “Trust me.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’dnevertrust you.”
“Fair enough. You shouldn’t,” he retorts, leaning in on his forearms. His eyes grip mine before they drop to trace the lines of my face. I wonder if there will ever be a time when he looks at me like this and it doesn’t make me nervous or turned on.
“So, are we talking rules?” I ask.
“You like to be in charge, don’t you?” He surprises me with his accurate assessment.
“I like to know what the next step is, yes,” I answer honestly.
“Well, the first thing you need to understand is thatI’min charge.”
I scoff.
“So first we eat, then we go home and talk rules,” he bites out, knocking back the rest of his whiskey.
“And where is home?” I ask, just as Ruth Anne pushes through the swinging door from the kitchen. She sets our plates down, and I have to admit, this dinner looks incredible. Fluffy white potatoes, meatloaf, and roasted green beans.
“You’ll learn soon enough,little goddess”—his eyes intensify at my reaction, which I’m sure is telling him that I don’t hate that nickname as much as I did at first—“home is wherever your king is.”
Well, shit.
Chapter 22
Aiden
“To make things painfully clear to you, just because I’m going along with this little scheme doesn’t mean this is a dictatorship,” Mia reminds me dryly.
I take a bite of my food and watch her as I chew. She’s feisty and persistent, which tells me she’s gone through some shit in her life she doesn’t talk about. My curiosity has finally inspired me to dig, and I’ll know exactly who Mia Crawford is as soon as Stone comes back with the info I requested tonight. The sight of her choking on my cock made me realize that the only way I’m gonna be able to fight my desire is to find out I was right, that Mia is a little spy. I haven’t decided yet what outcome I’m hoping for.
“Why do you feel the need to anticipate the next step?” I glance down at her untouched food. “And Dottie prepared that for you.” I mention the house chef. “So you eat.”
