Page 24 of Secret Squirrel

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I snapped at her, unable to come up with anything better to say.

“Wow, grouchy much?” She slowly spun on her heel and delicately walked into my kitchen, opening the fridge. She was trying to walk naturally, but it was clear she was in a lot of pain. As she bent over in search of food, I knew she wouldn’t find what she wanted. Unless she liked Dinty Moore Beef Stew, she was unlikely to get something to eat in this house.

“If you’re hungry, I can order something.”

She quirked an eyebrow at me as she shut the door. “Good, because I don’t like moldy cheese.”

Moldy cheese, my ass. There hadn’t been cheese in my fridge in years. It wasn’t like I cooked a lot. I worked long hours, and there was no one waiting at home for me. And even if I was seeing Carly for more than sex, I was pretty sure cooking was not on the recommended list of things to try with her. One of her fake tits might pop and ooze into my food.

“What do you want?” I asked, pulling out my phone.

“Meat.”

“What kind of meat?”

“The kind that’s not exactly mooing, but isn’t silent either.”

I sighed heavily. That was a typical woman’s answer, not that I would ever say that to her. I valued my balls too much. “So, steak?”

She shrugged, sitting down on the stool gingerly. As she leaned forward, I caught sight of a large bruise forming on her lower back, wrapping around to her stomach. It was fucking nasty, and she had to be in a lot of pain. Without thinking, I stepped forward and my hand stretched across the expanse of the bruise, running gently over it.

“Fuck, that looks bad.”

She glanced over her shoulder, stiffening slightly from my touch. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was turned on, but more likely, it was because I was touching her at all.

“Do you need some medicine?” I asked, still resting my hand against her back.

I felt her breath hitch against my palm. The air thickened around us until it was suffocating. Bowie suddenly cleared his throat and stood. “Well, this has been fun, but I think I’ll head out for a night of fun.”

He winked at me as he passed, not that it mattered. His leaving wouldn’t change what would happen between Rae and me tonight. I finally pulled my hand back, shoving it in my pocket so I didn’t reach out and touch her again.

“I think I’ll head to bed. Is there anything else you need?”

She shook her head slowly, so I walked away. It was only after I was in bed and falling asleep that I realized I hadn’t gotten her any food.

* * *

Light streamed in through my bedroom window at the ass crack of dawn. Rae was draped around my body, her head resting in the crook of my arm and her hand splayed across my chest. With my arm resting on her side, you would think we were an old married couple. I’d thought about this moment many times before, but it was usually preceded by a passionate, sex-fueled night.

My stomach growled the longer I laid there. And if I was hungry, she had to be starving. As much as I didn’t want to leave the bed and the warmth of her body, I didn’t want her waking up hungry. I carefully pried my body from hers and slipped from the bed.

After grabbing some clothes, I shut the door behind me and headed for the living room. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and headed for the diner. I was hardly awake when I stepped inside and placed my order. It was enough to feed five grown men, but since I hadn’t fed Rae last night, I wasn’t about to get her a small portion and hope it was enough.

“Dukey?”

I cringed, not wanting to turn around and see Carly standing there. She wasn’t supposed to be working this early in the morning. She always worked the lunch to closing shift. Still, I couldn’t just ignore her. I spun in my chair and waved to her.

“Did you…are you here for me?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I came for breakfast.”

The hope slipped from her face. “For her?”

“Carly, it’s not what you think, but that doesn’t matter. We never would have worked out. We’re just too different.”

“In what way? You like to have fun and so do I.”

“Carly, I’m ten years older than you. We want different things.”

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