Page 60 of Swallow Your Fear
She glared up at him, her blonde hair loose and tangled around her shoulders from the mayhem. “You’re a dick.”
He shoved off the chair to stand in front of her. “Call me what you want. I know how you really feel.”
Instantly, her cheeks turned to twin flames, and she was darting out of the chair. This time, at him. He caught her around the waist, lifting her a foot off the ground before throwing her back into the chair.
“Stop doing that!” she screamed in frustration.
“You first,”he spit back.
I couldn’t help but laugh, which made all the focus in the room turn to me. I pressed a palm to my side as my giggling ebbed, and Booker slipped in the door with a tray.
“What the fuck is going on in here? Sounds like a goddamn jungle from downstairs,” Booker said, and then he saw the placement of my hand and rushed toward me. “What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”
I smiled again, biting back my laugh as I shook my head. “Couldn’t feel better.”
McKenna never failed to make a shitty situation better, and this was proof of it.
My eyes moved to what was in the bowl, and my smile grew. “Alfredo is my favorite.”
“I know. It’s all you ever order at the diner,” Booker said.
“How do you know that?”
He shot a wink my way. “I know everything, Darlin’. Including that you need to eat this and get some rest. Which means everyone needs to get the fuck out.” He turned his glare on Austin and Henley.
“I’m staying,” McKenna said, no room for argument in her tone.
“We have a guest room down the hall if you want to spend the night,” Booker said, because I knew damn well he wanted to be the one by my side tonight.
She nodded, standing from the chair. “It’s a good thing I always keep a to-go bag in my car.”
“Need help bringing it up?” Austin asked like the gentleman he was.
She sent a death-glare his way. “I can handle my own bag. Thanks.”
Henley gave McKenna a wide berth as she left the room. Austin had his hands up in mock surrender. “Don’t know what I did to piss that one off.”
Booker set the tray on my lap as I said, “She’s nice to customers, some family, and me. That’s about it.”
Austin groaned, rolling his neck. “Any way I can ask that she not come over often? Or at all works, too.”
I picked up the fork, wanting nothing more than to devour this bowl of pasta and cuddle up next to Booker for the rest of the night. “Not gonna happen. Sorry.”
Austin’s lips pressed together in a tight line. “Great.”
Henley and Austin left the room, closing the door behind them to give us some privacy. Booker slid under the covers beside me and fiddled around with the remote, trying to find a show to watch while I ate.
I eyed the way he studied the remote. “Have you never worked a TV before?”
He glanced my way. “Don’t got much time for TV, Darlin’.”
“Let me guess. Ranch chores.”
He pressed the menu button on the remote, squinting his eyes at the big screen to make sure it pulled up what he wanted it to. “You’re lucky you’re injured or I’d make you regret that little comment.”
“I’ll start a list so you can dole out the punishment later.”
Booker smirked, then settled on a cooking show. He shared bites of my giant bowl of pasta, and once I was done, he made sure I drank an entire glass of water and took my pain medication. Finally, our bodies wrapped around each other under the comforter, and we fell asleepto the sound of coyotes howling somewhere out on the property.
