10
By the time I come to, they’ve undressed me and laid me on the sofa. I must have truly passed out because I remember none of it. Even my boots are gone, and Dash is rubbing my feet, his hands firm yet gentle.
“There she is.” Arden provides a bottled water and watches as I drink. “How are you? Was that too much?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I could have taken any more, though,” I admit.
Ranger crouches beside me, stroking the hair back from my forehead. “You were perfect. And that outfit? I wish we’d had more time to enjoy it.”
“How did you feel wearing it?” Dash asks with a grin.
“Hot,” I admit, and they all laugh. Unlike the nasty laughter when they’re using me, this is friendly. Warm. It washes over me and leaves me feeling, well, almost proud of myself.
“As soon as you’re ready, maybe we can go grab something to eat. Only if you want to,” Ranger adds. “No pressure.”
They still want to spend time with me. I can’t pretend it doesn’t feel good to know it, especially since I don’t want to say goodbye to them yet.
“You know what? Yeah. I’m starving. That would be nice.” Besides, I don’t want to be alone right now. I’m still a little on edge. Sort of like I jumped off a cliff but haven’t landed yet. Like I’m hanging in midair.
And a piece of cake would hit the spot. I think I’ve earned it.
* * *
I wonderwhat the people working here think about me showing up with three men. Are they asking themselves what this is about? Then again, I guess at an all-night diner, you tend to see all kinds of things. A girl arriving with three big, almost scary-looking guys is probably the least of it.
Our waitress sure doesn’t look like she cares very much when she hands out our menus. The guys are polite, ordering coffee and water. I stick with water since I would actually like to get some sleep tonight, and the caffeine will only make me jittery.
“What are you in the mood for?” Ranger asks nobody in particular as we look over the menus.
“I could go for a steak, but something tells me they won’t cook it the way I like it.” Arden casts a look toward the pass-through, where the cook is working over the flat top. “Call it a hunch.”
“Only you would go to a diner and think about getting steak.” Dash rolls his eyes. “I guess a burger isn’t good enough for you.”
“Oh, that sounds good, actually. Maybe I’ll get a burger.” Arden scans the menu again. “Do you think they’d put peanut butter on it?”
I almost choke, trying not to laugh. “Peanut butter?”
“Fuck yeah. You’ve never tried it?”
“It has never once crossed my mind.”
Ranger shakes his head. “Don’t entertain him. Before you know it, he’ll have you eating all kinds of weird shit.”
Arden snickers at him. “It’s not weird shit. It’s fucking delicious. Just because you eat like a three-year-old.”
“I like what I like.”
“And you have no fucking taste.”
Anybody witnessing this little argument might think the two of them were actually fighting. I know I would, and considering how intimidating they look, I might ask for a table farther away if I was sitting too close. I wouldn’t want to be part of one of those viral videos where a brawl breaks out at a random restaurant.
Dash must be thinking along the lines I am since he gives our waitress an apologetic grin when she arrives with the coffee. “Don’t worry about them. It’s been a long night.”
“Tell me about it.” She sighs. It doesn’t seem like she cares very much either way, as she drops off the cups and offers to give us a few more minutes.
Now that I smell all the different foods in the air, I think I’ll go with actual food instead of sticking to a piece of cake. Maybe I’ll take the cake home with me to have later. It almost feels wrong, which means I’m definitely going to do it. Every single choice I make that goes against the rules I used to have to live under takes me one step closer to thinking for myself.
Ranger lowers the menu, studying me from the other side of the table. “So you’re gonna move out of town, huh?”