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I scooted back from the table and patted my thigh. “Here’s your seat. Come here.”
She didn’t have to move for me to notice how utterly stiff she was. Her shoulders were so rigid, they were nearly around her ears. This was a far cry from the girl who’d woken me up this morning. I didn’t like it. Not at all.
I slapped my thigh harder this time. “Move your ass, pet, and put it in my lap.Now.”
Marco’s girl drew in a sharp breath. She’d been around a few times and knew damn well not to utter a word. As for my boys…well, I felt their attention on me, but mine was solely focused on Zadie, who was slowly rounding the table.
When she got close enough, I tugged her into my lap, where she perched like a bird on a high wire, ready to fly away at any moment.
Nah, I definitely didn’t like that.
“Relax,” I murmured, sliding my hand under her hair to cup her nape. “You’re not going anywhere, so pretend you like me and lean into me.”
She released a breath, and some of the tension eased from her shoulders, but most of it remained.
“It’s gonna be like that, huh?” Squeezing her nape, I whispered in her ear. “Gonna act like an uptight princess all of a sudden?”
She shook her head and turned so her nose grazed my cheek. “No. I’m just uncomfortable.”
“Mmm. Maybe you just need some food in you.” I picked up a forkful of eggs, holding it up to her mouth. “Eat.”
She hesitated before parting her lips and accepting the offering. I liked that, seeing her lips wrapping around the tines of the fork. Me being the one to offer her nourishment, Zadie taking it into her body. My dick swelled behind the loose fabric of my joggers. No doubt she felt it growing thick and hard under her thigh.
We continued like that through breakfast, one bite for me, one for her. She never relaxed, never leaned into me, and it was driving me out of my mind. She’d been sweet when she’d showed up this morning, and all I was getting now was bitter.
“This was the shit, Zadie.” Marco wiped his mouth and fell back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. “Thanks, girl.”
“Yeah, I hope they’re paying you enough.” Marco’s hookup dragged her fork through the syrup on her plate. “Please don’t tell me you’re cooking for these fools out of the kindness of your heart.”
Zadie shook her head, her fingers clutching the edge of the table. “No, I’m not cooking for them out of the kindness of my heart.”
I slid her hair to one shoulder and nuzzled the crook of her neck. She shivered. “Zadie’s my good girl, and she’s very much appreciated. Don’t worry about what she gets paid.”
Zadie was like a board in my lap. All her soft had gone rigid. Her head was bowed, avoiding not just my eyes, but everyone’s. It bothered me. Really fucking bothered me. And I had no idea how to get it back.
The girl shrugged. “I’m just sayin’—”
I was not in the mood for anything this girl wasjust sayin’. My head pulsed with pain. The only person I was in the mood for was Zadie, and she was very clearly not in the mood for me.
“Marco, is there a reason there’s a stranger at my table talking to my girl? Questioning my shit? ’Cause if there is, I’d like to know.”
Marco turned his hand over. “I don’t know why she’s questioning your shit, but she’s gonna stop right now.” He wrapped his hand around her wrist and tugged until she stood up. “Come on, baby girl. Time to hit the road.”
She followed him willingly, sliding her hand up the back of his shirt. He was tipping his head down to hers as they turned the corner. I had a feeling it wasn’t quite time to go yet. Marco would handle her, it just might involve his dick in her mouth—and knowing him, she’d tell him thank you for the deposit when he was done.
I let my head fall against Zadie’s back, closing my eyes and rubbing it back and forth. It felt better, just doing that, feeling her warmth through the thin layer of her shirt, her sweet berry scent soothing my aching skull.
“Headache?” Julien asked.
“Yeah. I thought I was going to kill it with breakfast, but it’s settled in.”
Julien had been around me long enough to know the deal with my headaches. He got up, filled up a refillable bottle with water, shook out some pain pills, and brought them to me. Zadie tried to shift out of my lap, but I held her there with my hand anchoring her hip while I swallowed the pills and guzzled water. It would help, but it’d take a while.
“Go back to bed, man,” Julien urged. “You went way too hard last night. I’d almost say it serves you right to feel this bad but…” He shook his head, trailing off.
“But you’re not a sadist?”
He chuckled. “Nah. Now, get your ass in a dark room until it fades.” He got up from the table, grabbing the plates and platters.
