Pretend You're Mine (Inked Hearts 3)

“Of course it is.”

He chuckles. “That’s what I thought.”

“Did you eat it together a lot, or…”

“It was the dish she always wanted to perfect.”

“She was the cook?”

He nods.

“Oh. Is that… is there some sort of I don’t need you anymore to you learning to cook.”

“Maybe.” He stirs the shrimp. “It was more a distraction at first.”

I nod.

“I gotta eat.”

“You didn’t for a while. I thought you were gonna disappear.”

“Me too.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

His eyes fill with something I can’t place.

“I, uh, I’ve never had that problem. Of not eating when I’m miserable. If I did—”

“I don’t want to hear any more shit about how you aren’t a solid ten, Leigh. You know you’re hot.”

“But not thin.”

“Your body is perfect.”

I dig my fingers into the counter. Between the matter-of-fact tone of his voice and the freefall of discussing my mom…

This is weird.

I try to find something solid to grab onto. “I’ve always liked to eat. But I hate preparing stuff too. So I…”

“Eat nothing but street tacos?”

“Eat at restaurants a lot, yeah.” I bite my tongue. “I’m sorry, we—”

“Don’t apologize for sharing shit with me.”

“We were having a nice conversation.”

His eyes bore into mine. “We still are.”

“Oh.” The intensity of his gaze makes my knees knock together. There’s a possibility of me and Ryan. That changes everything. “What about you? Your parents cook?”

“The maid.”

“You were that rich?” I swallow hard. “Never mind, I saw your house.”

He nods. “They both worked too much.”