Chapter 14 #6
“People who see us are going to think we’re crazy,” I noted apprehensively as he walked on confidently, making me flinch a little with each step.
“So? How many times have I told you? Fuck what other people think,” he answered, and I huffed.
Often, his replies left me at a loss for words, but instead of trying to think of something to say back, I just clung more tightly to him and enjoyed the warmth of his body.
I could feel my heart throbbing in my belly.
“Keep going straight; I’m taking you to the best Coneys in Detroit,” I said, and he shot me a furtive glance over his shoulder. I studied his finely-drawn profile, his upturned eyes, and the long brown lashes from under which two beams of sunlight watched me.
Neil was indeed perfection, but I was moved not just by the handsomeness of his face; I was also drawn to his innumerable expressions. I didn’t just appreciate his physical appearance, but also how he carried himself. He had charisma; his every move was masculine, dominating, and damned.
I never would have forgotten Neil; it would have been impossible. That was why I so often got afraid of what I felt for him.
“Is it far?” he asked, following my directions.
“Keep walking down this street and don’t be impatient,” I chided.
“So the best Coneys in Detroit come from a tiny local place? Do I have that right?” he asked in a superior tone.
“Yup, you can forgo your beloved pistachios for once,” I answered drily. “Besides, I like simple stuff,” I added, and I felt his guttural laughter.
“I’ve known that for a while, Babygirl.” He gave me an unreadable look, and we kept walking until we reached the corner.
“Is this it?” Neil smiled as he brought us to the door of the quaint restaurant.
“Yup,” I confirmed.
We went inside, ignoring the curious glances from the other customers who had turned around to look at us.
Neil was still carrying me piggyback until he set me down at a small table for two in the corner.
“Trust me—you are about to taste the best Coney dogs in Detroit,” I promised him enthusiastically.
“You just can’t suppress your craving for wieners, can you, Tinkerbell? If you’re in need of a big one, you know who to ask, right?” he answered cheekily, making himself comfortable in the chair across from me.
“This sudden sense of humor you’ve developed is annoying,” I informed him.
“You like it better when I’m sullen?” He turned in profile, and I stared at his full lips, curved into a sensual smile. I liked him all the time, even when he was being a dick, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“What about when I’m passionate or bossy?” he added provocatively, and fire erupted in my chest. My heartbeat throbbed in the bottom of my stomach, and my cheeks flushed.
“Knock it off.” I cleared my throat, and fortunately Neil just chuckled, fully aware of the reaction he was producing in me.
Then we perused the giant menu; I looked for my beloved sriracha Coney with kimchi relish, and Neil cocked his head strangely.
“Let me order,” I said and raised my arm as Billy, a fortysomething with a full beard and a ponytail as long as my hair, came over to take our order. “Hey, Billy!” I smiled when I caught his eye. He frowned slightly, looking first at me and then at Neil, who was still carrying me on his back.
“Selene, honey. Nice to see you!” Billy smiled back.
“Two spicy Coney with mustard,” I ordered, and Billy wrote it down.
“Two Coney coming up for you and your boyfriend. Hey, what happened to Jared?” he asked curiously, not realizing he was touching a sore spot.
“Hey, Willy, can we get a fucking move on?” Neil cut in with his usual lack of tact. Billy gave him a hard look, then turned back to the kitchen.
“What’s your deal? You could have been a bit more polite to Billy,” I admonished him. Neil didn’t say anything. He just lifted one ankle to balance on the opposite knee and leaned back in his chair.
“Did you take me to a place you used to go to with Jareth?” he asked a few moments later, pointing his golden eyes right at me. What was I supposed to tell him? I considered lying for a moment, but in the end, I opted to tell the truth.
“Yes, I came here a few times with him,” I admitted, and he shook his head with a derisive smile. He didn’t say anything else.
“Are you planning to go back to school?” he asked abruptly. Changing the subject on a dime was another one of his special skills.
“Yeah. I’m trying to rearrange my schedule to get all my required courses in. Fortunately, Ivan’s in my major, and he’s been helpful,” I answered, deciding to continue on this topic he had brought up.
“Who is this Ivan?” he asked softly.
“Janel’s twin brother. She’s a good friend of mine,” I answered with a nonchalant shrug, but I noticed the stormy way he was looking at me.
“And? Who is he? Your classmate? Your friend?”
Why did he want to know all this detail about Ivan? Did he think that Ivan and I were in a relationship or something? I had never imagined that Neil could be jealous over me. In fact, I’d occasionally tried to elicit a little reaction like that from him in the past, but there had been nothing.
“My friend, yeah. He’s a basketball player. His body is insane, and he has these incredible green eyes,” I said, laying it on a little thick just to tease him. Ivan wasn’t as hot as Neil, but I wanted Neil to think he was.
“Is that right? So why not fuck him?” He looked right at me.
“I might just do that, you know,” I answered scornfully.
“Take him to bed then, and confirm for yourself that there’s no better lover out there than me,” he said softly leaning toward me across the table.
Was he trying yet again to push me into the arms of another man?
He’d done the same thing the night we went out with Logan and Alyssa, putting on this whole show about some lucky guy who was going to take me home.
“But it makes no difference to you, right? You still have all your blonds at your disposal.” I pretended to be perfectly calm, though the jealousy that I always felt cut me up inside worse than any knife.
“What do you want me to say?” he whispered roughly.
“That the last person I fucked was you?” Yes, I would have liked to hear him say that I was the only one for him, that I was the only person who had taken pleasure in his body since we’d met, and that I was the only one he’d given his heart.
I would have liked to hear that I was special and the right woman for him, but I knew that was never going to happen.
“Okay folks, here are your Coney dogs.” Billy came over with a Coney in each hand, fortunately interrupting our ridiculous conversation.
“Thanks, Billy,” I said, and he placed the food down in front of us.
“Enjoy your meal.” Despite Mr. Disaster’s rudeness, the older man smiled at us before turning to take the order at another table.
“Am I seriously supposed to eat this?” Neil examined the loaded dog in front of him with obvious distaste. Reluctantly, he took it, and after the first bite, he demolished it in less than five minutes.
“Just terrible, isn’t it?” I said mockingly as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. I, on the other hand, enjoyed Billy’s delicious creation in demure little bites.
“Let’s just call it not bad.” He shrugged and leaned back, watching my lips as I awkwardly chewed.
“You dating this Ivan dude?” His honey-colored eyes skewered me, and I gulped down a bite of Coney dog with difficulty.
“No. Not yet, at least,” I said, not wanting to rule out the possibility that it might happen in the future. Neil’s body tensed.
“So you like him,” he observed, watching my mouth lasciviously.
“I didn’t say that.” I took another bite and turned my gaze away to avoid eye contact with him.
“Look at me,” he demanded, and I could feel the desire in his voice, all mixed up with the anger he so often failed to control. Though I didn’t quite understand why he was using that tone to speak to me, I obeyed on instinct. I quit eating and lowered the Coney dog to my plate.
“There’s nothing between Ivan and me.” I ran my tongue along the corner of my mouth to gather up a smear of mustard, and his eyes tracked the movements, turning into two luminous slits.
Why was I explaining myself to him? More importantly, where did he get off thinking he could question me about who I was seeing?
“‘Nothing’ is how it always starts,” he answered severely with a hint of suspicion.
“I’m not like you. I can’t share my body with just anyone,” I told him clearly because I couldn’t bear having him think that kind of thing about me.
I would only ever be with another man if I fell in love with him, and for the time being, my heart beat exclusively for this walking disaster from New York.
“That’s why you could never be with someone like me,” he said in a troubled murmur.
I finished my Coney dog, Neil stood up, and said, “Let’s go.” I stood up as well, lifting up my damaged boot so the broken heel could dangle. Neil walked over and crouched in front of me again.
“Take advantage of my kind mood today, Tinkerbell,” he said wryly, and I again clutched his powerful body as he carried me over to the diner’s cash register to pay for our meal.
“You two get out of here; it’s on the house!” Billy said from behind the register, and Neil gave me a blank look.
“Are you sure?” I asked Billy, who just smiled in response and stretched out a hand with two plastic-wrapped fortune cookies inside.
“Of course. Take these too.” He paused and then turned to me before adding, “I hope they bring plenty of good fortune, Selene.” He handed the fortune cookies to Neil, who grabbed them with typical indifference. I thanked Billy for everything, and we headed out into the night.