Page 61 of Cold as Stone
She chews thoughtfully. “I liked the anonymity, I guess. No one knew my history or my family. I could be whoever I wanted to be.”
“And who did you want to be?”
“Someone who had her shit together. Someone successful and independent and…” She trails off, stabbing at her eggs. “Someone who didn’t need anyone.”
“Did it work?”
“For a while.” She takes another bite, and I’m gratified to see her actually enjoying the food. “But it was lonely. I had work friends, but no one I could call if I had a bad day, you know? No one who really knew me.”
“You could have called Emma.”
“Could I?” She looks up at me. “Emma’s living her dream in New York. She’s got this amazing career, this perfect life. The last thing she needs is her old best friend calling to complain about her problems.”
“That’s not how friendship works, Kya. Real friends want to be there for the bad stuff too.”
“Maybe.” She doesn’t sound convinced.
I reach across the table to steal her hand, raising it to my lips. The kiss is barely there, just a brush of my mouth against her knuckles, but she inhales sharply. I do it again, this time with the barest hint of tongue, and watch her pupils dilate.
“Lee—”
“Eat your breakfast, sweetheart.” I release her hand and return to my own food. “We should get back soon.”
She stares at me for a moment, clearly trying to process what just happened. Then she shakes her head and picks up her fork, but I catch the slight tremor in her hands.
Good. Let her think about that kiss, about the promise in it. Let her wonder what else I’m planning.
By the time we get back to Devil’s, Mercy’s car is in the lot. We find her setting up the bar, humming along to whatever’s playing on the jukebox.
“Well, well,” she says when she sees us. “Look at what the cat dragged in.”
“Good morning to you too,” Kya says, poking her tongue out at her.
I stay to help set up for the lunch rush, but as they open the doors, my phone buzzes with a text.
Stone
Church at 2. Urgent.
I show Kya the message. “I have to go. Club business.”
“Everything okay?”
“Probably just routine stuff.” I lean in, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Call me if you need anything. And eat some actual lunch.”
“I will.”
I start to leave, then turn back. “Kya?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be here before close. And if I can’t get here, a prospect will. I don’t want you alone, got me?”
She bites her lip. “Lee, you don’t have to?—”
“I want to.” I meet her gaze steadily. “Let me take care of you.”
“Okay,” she says softly.
