Page 41 of I Should Hate You-but I Don't

Kenna could go anywhere and do whatever she wanted, but she also had to put food in her stomach and find somewhere to live.

Their promise to keep the Pruitt sisters safe and protected had fallen apart—through no fault of their own. They worked against the state and the foster system. Now, they worked against Kenna, who seemed to lose them at every turn.

River crawled up on his lap, facing him, and forced him to look at her. "Two questions."

"You ask too many already."

She laughed. "I haven't seen you all day."

He let this head fall back on the couch. "Make it quick, sweetheart. Halftime is almost over, and the game will come back on."

"Do you want the steak and potato I brought back from the bar?" She lifted her brows.

"Sure." He inhaled, suddenly hungry. "What's the second question?"

She looked at his chest and said, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

River was strikingly beautiful. Those big eyes she had as a kid naturally flirted with each blink of her eyelashes. The roundness of her cheeks had slipped away, leaving high cheekbones that were kissed by the sun each summer. She carried her new curves with a grace that came naturally.

"Anyone looking at you can see you're pretty." He picked her up by the waist and set her on her feet.

She grabbed his wrist with both hands. "How pretty?"

"That's three questions." He walked toward the kitchen.

"Seriously." She trailed him. "Am I as pretty as the women who hang around the bikers?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "Now, what would make you ask that?"

She hurried around him and stopped by the counter. "Do you know me better than the women who hang around the clubhouse or bar?"

"Yeah."

"Well, don't you think that means something?" She raised her brows, waiting for him to read her mind.

He had no idea where she was going with the conversation. Lately, she seemed to have an agenda that he couldn't get ahead of. She wanted more work, more money, more freedom, more attention.

Now she compared herself to the women in Gem Haven.

He opened one of the cardboard containers and found a chef's salad loaded with chicken and cheese. Sliding the meal to River, he took the other container, carried it into the family room, and sat in front of the television. The game was back on.

He moved the coffee table closer and perched on the edge of the couch, leaning over to open his dinner. Lori had already cut his steak, buttered his potato, and added a piece of apple pie on the side.

River came in and sat beside him—thigh to thigh and put her meal on the coffee table. He never told her to sit in one of the other chairs or in the loveseat across from him. They'd eaten their evening meal like that since he moved her to Gem Haven.

She picked the cheese from her salad, dipping the chunks in the dressing. He finished half his steak and most of his potato before the game cut to a commercial.

Sensing her looking at him, he turned his head. She leaned toward him, kissed him fully on the lips, and then stood up. Taken by surprise by the chaste press of her lips on his mouth, all he could do was watch her pick up her salad and walk out of the room.

A part of him was afraid of asking her what that kiss was about. That had never happened before.

With all the questions she asked tonight on top of the kiss, he sat back and stared at the television—his meal forgotten.

He couldn't tell you who won the game.

Chapter Nineteen

River

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