Page 56 of Unwrapping Deviance

“Come here,” Daniel tells her firmly, no humor in sight.

She doesn’t hesitate. She crosses to him at an almost run and steps right into his chest. His arms close around her protectively.

“It’s stupid. You’re here. It shouldn’t still make me feel this sick to my stomach.”

Daniel sighs into the top of her head. “Give it time.”

I hear her shaky inhale, but Daniel catches my eye. Without a word, he motions with his chin in the direction of her phone.

I don’t ask for clarification. I move to it quietly and hit the button on the side until it powers off. I’m not sure that’s what he wanted, but he seems satisfied when I look at him again.

We eat dinner in semi silence broken occasionally by the scrape of cutlery and glass. I’m not in the mood to chat anyway, but the nagging persists in my gut, a gnawing pulse to say something. To distract Mira. To wipe that pensive furrow from her brow.

Daniel seems to at least share my unease. He also keeps glancing at her. The fact that he hasn’t said anything either makes me feel less useless.

“Do you want to watch a movie or go for a drive?” he asks her softly as we finish up the dishes and wipe the kitchen down.

“Oh, you guys don’t have to keep me company.” She twists her wet fingers in a dish rag and glances between us. “You haven’t seen each other in ages. Why don’t you two go out for drinks? Or whatever men do. I have a bed, a book and a whole pack of triple stuffedOreosupstairs with my name on it.”

Daniel and I share glances. I’m expecting him to refuse, but he turns back to Mira.

“Are you sure?”

She smiles and nods. “Go. Have fun. Catch up. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Daniel goes to her and I leave the room to give them privacy; the way Mira has her face tilted up to his as if in invitationsuggests I’m about to become a third wheel and not in the way I like.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DANIEL

––––––––

I hate leaving Mira alone in a place she doesn’t know, surrounded by sounds she’s not familiar with. I hate the thought of her sitting alone in her room, but I need to talk to Christian. She’s right about that.

One drink, I promise myself. One quick drink and we’d get back.

But Jefferson doesn’t have bars and I’m not driving five hours to find one.

We return to the empty diner and take the same booth from that morning where Mira had left a sweet puddle across the seat.

I hadn’t meant for it to go that far. Seeing her with Christian, seeing them together, watching his face as she cleaned his face was only a sliver to the shifting. To the anxious fidgeting in the seat between us. I tried to ignore her restlessness, but something in her sweet pain had propelled me to touch her, to feel for myself just how close she was.

Reckless.

Stupid and reckless.

I let myself get carried away.

Still ... God, I was so close.

“You said drinks,” Christian grumbles, sliding in across from me.

“I’m driving and you don’t need it. Besides, coffee is a drink.”

My brother rolls his eyes but says nothing when a girl of twenty arrives at our table. I don’t recognize her and the way she smiles at us makes me think she doesn’t recognize us either.

“What can I get you gentlemen?” she asks sweetly, but her light, hazel eyes keep sweeping to Christian.

---