Page 57 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

“How about we go out to eat?” I suggest. “That same burger joint we went to before, maybe?”

“Okay, sure,” he agrees, turning towards me. I can tell by the troubled look in his eyes that he was thinking about Liam again, and all the danger that still lurks in these hills.

“Are you sure you want to go out?” I ask, trying to be delicate. “If you don’t want to be around people, then—”

“No, I think it would be good to go out for a bit,” he says. “Let’s do a few things in town, then come back here to enjoy the room.”

I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him lightly. “Enjoy the champagne and the hot tub?”

“Definitely,” he says, grinning. “You might remember, you owe me for our wedding night.”

“I most certainly do,” I laugh. “I had a very good time without you.”

“Well, I promise you an even better timewithme.”

“I don’t doubt it,” I whisper, kissing him.

His strong arms snake around my waist, lifting me up a little as the kiss deepens. I lean into him, running my hands across his hard muscles, letting the tension build.

He pulls back, looking into my eyes. When he strokes the hair back from my cheek, I see something flicker in those blue-green depths, as if he wants to say something. Instead, he just shakes his head a little.

“Let’s go,” he says. “I’m pretty hungry, I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Neither did I,” I reply, taking his hand and heading for the door. I feel like there were volumes behind that one tiny look, and even though I desperately want to know what’s on his mind, I also want to give him space to process his feelings.

If I push too hard, he might just feel attacked, and that is the last thing I want to do.

At the burger joint, we sit at the same booth as before. I feel anticipation growing inside me, as if we’re starting a tradition. The idea of coming here regularly with Kyle, making it “our” place, is exciting for the occasion itself, but even more so with the idea that we will do it often in years to come.

Like an acknowledgment of us having a future together. A long one.

“Well,” Kyle says, hiding behind the menu, “I guess we better get extra onion rings this time.”

“Of course,” I say with a scoff. “The way you eat, we should get three servings.”

“Oh, excuse me?” He drops his menu and looks at me with complete offense. “You’re the one that demolished mine without even an apology.”

“How is that my fault? You were eating them so slowly, they were going to go bad before you got to the bottom.”

“A likely story,” he retorts, trying to hide his smile. “You’ll make any argument to absolve yourself, won’t you?”

I can’t stop the giggles that are slipping out around the edges of my words. “You’re right. You know what, I’m actually ashamed of myself. Stealing food from a skinny little creature like you. I don’t know what came over me.”

Kyle catches my eye, a devilish gleam glinting in his gaze. “I seem to recall you had a solution for that? It escapes me right now… would you care to recap it, in vivid detail?”

I blush furiously, blinking hard and swallowing to keep myself under control. I don’t know if I want to laugh or scream.

“I think… there was rope involved?” Kyle muses. “Remind me, if you can. I think it was a very good idea.”

I look up at him, one hand over my mouth. He chuckles, knowing that he’s got me.

You don’t know how badly you’ve got me, my love.

The idea of him tied up tightly underneath me while I slowly feed him sweet, crumbly cookies turns me on so much, I literally cannot speak. I can feel the soft brush of his lips against my fingertips, how he strains against the ropes with involuntary movements, trying to touch me and take control. The idea of kissing him with a mouthful of buttery dough makes me press my thighs together and hold my breath.

Luckily, a waiter arrives to take our order and saves me. We order burgers, fries, and extra onion rings, with ice cream sundaes for dessert.

“I feel a bit bad about not going to the wake,” Kyle says about halfway through the meal.

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