AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I tucked my fingers against my palm at the urge to brush them off her skin. “You literally just told me I was a sucker for trusting you.”
Her head tipped back, and I admired her throat, the way her muscles flexed in her shoulders when she laughed. “You’re right, but I never lie about waffles.” She cringed just for a second at the reference to lying, and I jumped in, moving the conversation forward before she could stumble into some awkward apology I didn’t want.
The night of the quarters wedding had been incredible and confusing. I watched RJ sip her coffee and tried to put all of that out of my mind. I’d been so angry at her when she’d lied, so furious, and then she’d texted me, and the sex was good and so raw. I couldn’t get her out of my head, and I didn’t know what to do with that, because she’d been clear about exactly what we were, but sitting here, it felt like more. “Where did you learn to play like that?”
“High school,” she said, setting the cup down, crossing her arms over each other, and leaning forward. “What about you?”
I matched her stance. “Same. Wasn’t good enough to go beyond that.”
“To be fair, you’re not that good now.”
“See,” I said, sitting back. “We were having a moment, and you ruined it.”
“I didn’t ruin it.” RJ thanked the waitress as she approached our table, and looked adoringly at her plate. She glanced up at me and winced, her nose scrunching in a way I tried hard not to notice was adorable. “Maybe I ruined it a little. I’m not good at moments.”
“I don’t know.” I looked down at my plate, where a stack of golden waffles sat next to a ceramic dish of butter. RJ had orderedthe same thing for us both, and even though the three carafes of syrup seemed excessive, it wasn’t by much. Sarah had usually avoided carbs, and even though I didn’t want to think about her, the comparison popped into my head, and I glanced up to see RJ again admiring her food. “You’re not so bad.”
RJ emptied what had to be half the syrup over her plate, and I bit back a laugh.
She motioned to my plate with an expectant expression. “I’m telling you. They’re the best. Just get ready to eat your words,” she said, with the fork poised between the table and her mouth.
I dragged the knife across the waffle slowly. “Don’t rush me, woman. I have a process.”
She rolled her eyes and took a bite. I immediately forgot my process when she let her eyes fall closed and moaned. “So good. It’s like...” RJ paused, eyes snapping open.
“No, keep going. It’s like...” I motioned for her to continue, enjoying how the embarrassment shifted her features subtly.
“Shut up.”
“No, I’m really interested.” Under the table, my foot bumped into hers. “What are they like?”
“Just taste it.” RJ pointed to my plate. “You’ll see.”
I left my foot where it was, the gesture feeling so bold, despite my having enjoyed so much of her body. I still glanced away instead of maintaining our eye contact, waiting for her to pull away or shut me down, but she didn’t.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I said, setting my knife aside. “Is eating this in public appropriate, though? You looked like you were really having a moment.”
She shifted her foot then, but it was to kick me, and I laughed. RJ’s reaction had not been unwarranted. The waffle was good. Really good, and it was only me refusing to give her the satisfaction that stopped me from moaning just like she had.
“Told you so.” RJ’s smug smile returned, and I couldn’t stop focusing on the pressure of her foot next to mine. “When will you learn not to question me?”
“I bow to the queen.” My mock bow earned me a shift from her smug smile to a real one. “How did you find this place?”
She shrugged. “I drive around sometimes, just to get out of my head and think. I never know where I’m going, never plan to be anywhere, and I found this place.”
“You were driving around the night you called me at my uncle’s place. You seem like someone who always has a plan, but maybe not.”
“Not always,” she said, voice dipping lower. “I needed to think that night.”
My heart rate sped up because I knew I was asking for trouble, and today of all the days, I should have known better. “Needed to think about me?”
She met my gaze, and her mouth opened like she was about to say something. She hadn’t moved her foot. Her expression didn’t look pinched or pained, and despite my resolve to play it cool, I hoped she was going to say something real.
The waitress’s voice cut between us, and RJ’s facade snapped back into place, her foot suddenly gone from the space next to mine. “How’s everything tasting over here?”
“You know it’s perfect,” RJ said, turning her smile to the server.
“More syrup?” She eyed RJ’s plate and laughed.
