“Whatever you need. We can leave in twenty minutes,” I reply, and stride out of the kitchen towards my room, but I have to ask one more important question.
“Princess?” I walk backward and wait until she turns her head to look at me.
“When’s your birthday?” I flash her a grin and enjoy her eye roll as a small chuckle escapes her mouth.
“January thirty-first.” She shakes her head and turns back to the coffee pot to pour another cup for herself.
That’s a month from now, and I have a feeling she hasn’t had anyone make her feel special on her birthday in a while. With a smirk, I walk into my bathroom, already forming a plan that will bring a smile to her face. The shadows disappear when those luscious lips spread into a smile, and I really like the thought of putting it there in the first place. What is happening to me?
* * *
The chime ringsas I hold the door for her, and I watch her scan the rows of booths until she spots Beast and Mary. She blows out a relieved breath and practically runs to grab the clothes her friend is holding out for her. She draws a few stares, but she couldn’t be more beautiful in my eyes. Okay that’s a lie…she could. Am I disappointed that she’s changing out of my clothes? Maybe. Okay, fuck yeah, I am. I slide across the bench from Beast and Mary. He arches a knowing brow at me, and I flip him off before he can get started.
“Are you fucking my friend?” Mary asks while giving me the stink eye, leaning across the table as if to appear threatening.
My eyes widen at Beast with a look that says ‘s this chick for real?’ but he only shrugs. The shithead isn’t going to help me out here.
I scowl back at her and cross my arms, because no fucking way am I telling her anything. When I stay silent, she starts to smile and leans back in her seat, cuddling close to my friend.
“I like that. Don’t kiss and tell, a man shouldn’t do that. I’m warning you though, buddy. That’s my friend and she’s already been through enough shit, so don’t hurt her or you’ll be dealing with an angry Latina.” She tries to glare, but then yawns, losing the dramatic effect.
I roll my eyes, but when I feel a tap on my shoulder, I scoot over, glancing at Kat. She could be a hot mess, but in my eyes, she’s still beautiful all the same. She slides in next to me with a smile and reaches across me to grab a menu. Her soft curves press into me for a split second, and she watches me out of the corner of her eye before pulling back. Without looking away from her, I answer her angry little friend.
“I won’t.” Kat looks at me strangely, but luckily, our waitress interrupts before she can ask what I’m talking about.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mary wearing a shit-eating grin, which I ignore before it can go to her head, and we all place our orders. The moment the waitress leaves, Kat leans over to whisper in my ear as our friends across from us have their heads bent together and are whispering fiercely in a heated discussion.
“Are we going to tell them the truth about what’s happening?” Her breath hotly skims along my neck hotly. Her head only reaches my shoulders, so I have to bend down a bit to answer her without being overheard.
“I say we tell the truth. I trust Beast to not say a word, and I’m guessing the same goes for Mary.” Our food arrives faster than I thought possible, and that’s why I love this place. It’s a hole in the wall place with fast service and amazing food.
"Tell us what?" Mary asks as she shoves a sandwich in her mouth. I now know she's nosy, but I'm okay with that because she's protective of my Princess. She needs someone like that in her life.
Shit. No. Not my Princess. I have to keep telling myself that until I believe it.
"I asked Princess here to move in with me and she said yes, because we started dating last night," I simply say before shoving a fork full of hashbrown and eggs into my mouth. So good.
The french fry that’s halfway past Mary's lips falls out as she looks at us like a fish, with her mouth opening and closing. She's stunned into silence, and I feel like this is a moment to be written into history. I ignore Beast choking on his food and his fork clattering on his plate as I keep eating. I'm a growing boy, I need my food.
“Man, I know you move fast on the ice, but I didn’t know you did that off the ice too,” Beast rasps out as Mary pounds on his back so he can get his words out. She’s probably going to break her hand if she keeps that up. My giant of a friend is an unstoppable, crush you with his fist beast, and Mary is an angry little Latina spitfire… Maybe these two were made for each other.
I just glower and grunt at him, then continue eating. That’s bro code right there. Beast nods his head like he can understand what’s going on in my mind, and starts eating again as well. Obviously, Mary doesn’t get it, because…well, bro code.
“Kathleen Whitmore, you have some explaining to do! Wait! Omg!” Mary gasps so loud, a few other diners turn in our direction before shrugging and looking away. “Are you pregnant?” she asks, and it pisses me off that she immediately goes to that conclusion.
I must be radiating out some angry vibes, because Kat doesn’t look at me but she places her hand on my bicep, petting me to keep me calm. She’s comforting me without even realizing she's doing it, and it fucking works. My shoulders slowly relax, and I look at Beast across from me to see him staring with pity in his brown eyes. I don’t need to see that look in anyone's gaze, but Beast was there for me at that time in life, so I let it go.
“I’m not pregnant!” Kat shouts, then leans forward so she can whisper. “I’m not. What Captain over here forgot to mention is it’s a bargain between the two of us.” Before she can finish, Mary interrupts, her eyes twinkling with glee as she claps her hands together in excitement.
“Oh em gee! You’re friends with benefits! Love it! You need to get laid,chica, so it’s about time. I can’t believe you're sleeping with him!” Mary wiggles her eyebrows, and I’m fascinated with how red my Princess blushes.
And there goes my brain cells all the way to my dick as I picture sliding my fingers across that smooth, soft skin and stroking her body until her mouth drops open into the perfect O and her cheeks turn a rosy red.
“Mary! No, we aren’t sleeping together! He’s my fake boyfriend and I’ll play his fake girlfriend,” Kat says in a rush before her friend can say anything else or come to any more conclusions.
I can’t stop looking at her. I feel like I’ve been walking around blind until she came into my life. I really don’t have words for what she makes me feel, but it burns me alive inside and leaves me wanting more. I never thought I’d have these feelings after everything that’s happened to me, but she’s woken something up inside me that doesn’t want to go back to sleep. My eyes are wide open, and I need to decide how to handle this without everything exploding and breaking me apart.
Then I notice the dark circles under her eyes, her skin pale as if she didn’t get enough rest. Her outfit is a pair of overall shorts with fishnets underneath, black combat boots covering her feet, and a yellow long-sleeved shirt under her overalls that hugs her frame. I’ll have to give her my jacket once we leave, but that’s okay, I’m used to the cold. She’s not eating the pancakes in front of her, so I clasp her knee in my palm with a slight squeeze before relaxing my hand.
“Eat. You haven’t had anything in the last twenty-four hours,” I grumble under my breath and push her plate closer to her.
She hides her grin before digging in and places a piece in her mouth. The moan that comes out of her mouth at that first bite travels straight to my cock, as if she grasped me in her hand and stroked me with one long pull up and down. How does she affect me this way? I want to roar and pound my fist on my chest each time she smiles at me. She’s messing with my head.
“Why move in together though?” Mary asks after a while as she watches our exchange without blinking. She keeps eating when Beast shoves a fry in her mouth with a sigh so powerful, it could knock her down.
“I’m getting a job and I’m going to start skating more, because I think it’s time. You know why…” Kat trails off, and they have a silent conversation until Kat looks down at her food. Mary turns to me with watery eyes and smiles slightly while mouthing ‘thank you.’ I nod my head and wonder if she knows something that could help me understand my Princess more.
After a while, we keep eating and talking about non serious subjects, and I realize how easy it is to laugh with Kat as she giggles at Mary and Beast’s natural banter. I slip a twenty on the table and crowd into her space, nudging her with my body to get out of the booth. She scoots out with a grin and stands in front of me. Looking up at her from my sitting position, I tilt my head, wondering why she’s staring at me like that. She holds her hand out, palm up, and I place mine in hers as I get up. We walk out hand and hand behind our friends as we pretend it’s part of the act, but I’m not saying anything to break this moment.
“Ready?” I ask her, watching her blow out a deep breath with a small nod as we head in the direction of her father's house.
