Page 28 of Menace in Vegas

I stare straight ahead. “Stop naming vehicles.”

“Too late. She’s family now.”

* * *

We stopat a gas station and a convenience store.

I’m pumping gas while Allie bounces across the parking lot, not a care in the world.

I shake my head, glaring at the numbers on the pump.

When I’m finished, I go inside to use the restroom.

Then I grab some drinks, snacks, and antacids since Allie’s giving me fucking heartburn.

She waves at me, beaming, before exiting the store.

I watch her walk away, a growl rumbling inside my chest.

I’d like to throttle her.

Throw her on the roof and kiss the hell out of her.

Sink between her thighs?—

Fuck! Stop this!

I glance up, watching as she slides into the car, her glossy brown hair gleaming with reddish-blonde highlights beneath the sun.

But I don’t want to define what I feel for her.

She’s a pain in the ass.

We’ll leave it at that.

* * *

We stopat a hole-in-the-wall diner to get something to eat.

As soon as we walk inside, the waitress begins flirting with me.

Allie is oddly silent.

The waitress leans against the table, batting her lashes at me. "You need anything else, sugar?" she purrs.

Allie remains silent.

I don’t look at her, but Ifeelthe shift.

The slight tension radiating from her.

The way she suddenly isn’t chirping like a bird, getting under my skin.

The waitress taps her nails on the table. "You sure are a big guy," she adds, looking me up and down.

“You sure I can’t get you anything? Anything at all?”

Before I can respond, Allie moves.

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