Page 19 of Pack Plus Three

Jeremy gave me a look of playful horror. “Soggy fries? The worst!”

“They are,” I agreed, with an enthusiastic nod. “I’d been craving them for hours—I wanted those wonderfully greasy crispy fries you can get from a greasy burger joint, but of course, I had to do the budget version. But my oven fries were sadly disappointing—even for oven fries.” I pouted.

“You still craving them?” Jeremy asked as he moved around the kitchen.

“Violently.” I nodded. “The cravings tend to last a few days, but they eventually go away.”

Jeremy pursed his lips in thought.

“You know, all of this food could easily be packed away to eat tomorrow...” He put down his spatula. “If you feel up to it, we could go for a walk. I need to take Gilbert out, anyway. I'm pretty sure there's a really nice place that does those Dutch-style fries only fifteen minutes from here.”

My mouth immediately started to water at the idea. I knew exactly where he was talking about, and the food they made was indeed delicious. But it was out of my price range, and I wouldn’t walk there at night on my own.

But if I had a six-foot-tall alpha guarding me?

“Isn't that place a little expensive?” I asked with a grimace.

“Does it sound good?” Jeremy insisted.

I groaned, throwing my head back. “Of course, it sounds good. It sounds phenomenal, but unfortunately, I am broke and can't go out and get fries that cost over fifteen dollars!”

He turned to me, a frown on his face. “Do you really think I was going to let you pay? These are my treat. Now, you can either come with me for a walk, or you can wait here. I will take Gilbert out, and I will bring you back fries. It’s up to you.”

“But—”

“I'm sure you Googled me after you learned what I do for a job, am I right?” he asked, crouching down in front of me.

I looked at my lap, biting my lip. “I did,” I admitted. “I don't want you to think I'm using you for your money or anything, though. I really like spending time with you, and you've been so nice to me.”

Jeremy barked a laugh, and my head shot up to meet his eye. He had a grin plastered across his face. “Daisy, you are the last person who I could ever think would use me for my money. Now, you know that I like you, and I want to get you fries. You know that I can more than afford it. So, would you like to come for a walk, or would you like to wait here?”

“I'm really slow walking at the moment. Is that okay?” I asked sheepishly.

“More than okay.” Jeremy nodded. “Gilbert likes to take the opportunity to pee on every lamppost or fire hydrant he can find, so the slower, the better.”

“I should probably go for a walk,” I admitted, but grudgingly. “To help with my overly swollen ankles. I've been meaning to go for a walk, but most of the time, I'm either working during the day or it's dark, and I am not about to go walking on my own in this neighborhood after dark.”

“No, you definitely should not be walking in the dark. If you need anything at night, talk to me,” he insisted.

“You need to stop saying things like that. I'm going to get attached.” I laughed, playing it off as a joke, even though it was very much real. This alpha was barrelling into my life, and I had a feeling that, when he left, I was going to be devastated.

Had I learned nothing from the past?

“I'm not going anywhere, Daisy. I can promise you that,” he said, getting up and quickly packaging up the spicy rice cakes he’d been making.

Once that was done, he grabbed Gilbert’s leash, and the dog needed no more prompting. He was off my lap like a shot and happily sitting at Jeremy's feet, moving from paw to paw in excitement.

While he clipped the leash on, I slowly pulled myself out of the armchair. I could feel the excitement building in my chest already at the idea of this craving that had been bugging me for days being fulfilled.

I could very quickly become accustomed to this sort of treatment.

“Do you want me to grab your sneakers for you?” Jeremy asked, looking down at my sock-covered feet.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to put shoes on....”

“No worries, they’re by your front door, right? In that small shoe rack? I saw them while I was installing the deadbolt.”

I cringed internally at the fact that he would have seen just how threadbare my shoes were. I had lost most of my possessions when my family had kicked me out, and I was down to three pairs of shoes.

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