Page 44 of Yearning For Her

“I don’t know. You said you were fae, so I just…imagined you flying with fairy wings.”

“Only occasionally. That’s hardly practical most of the time.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait… You do have wings?”

Kian smirked. “Oh, have I not shown you? I suppose it will have to wait for another time. You’re quite hungry, and I’d hate to keep you waiting.”

He started the engine, shifted into drive, and settled his hands on the wheel. His foot remained on the brake, firm and unmoving. The engine thrummed, eager to burn fuel, to eat the miles, and Kian simply stared ahead.

Fuck.

Performance anxiety? Really? Incubus and performance anxiety were meant to be mutually exclusive concepts!

“Is something wrong?” Willow asked.

“I…” Kian’s mind twisted, searching for a way to turn this situation into a boon, to play it off smoothly. But wooing this female was going to be exponentially more difficult if he had to weave a tapestry of lies in order to do so. He turned his face toward her. “I have no idea where to take you, Willow.”

She briefly searched his face before smiling softly. “I know where we can go.”

Something about that smile sparked warmth in Kian’s chest. He had the odd sense that it was a private smile, one just for him. And he knew it had stemmed directly from the kindness and compassion in her heart.

He’d never concerned himself with such things. But with her, they meant more than he could comprehend.

Kian drove, following Willow’s directions, and he could not deny his intrigue when she refused to tell him where they were going. When they finally reached their destination, he wasn’t sure what to think.

A drive-in eatery—Big Dave’s Burgers, according to the sign. Home of the thickest shakes in the northwest.

The place was old. He vaguely recalled seeing many restaurants of its sort decades ago, when the human world had felt so different from what it was today. There were abundant parking places in the lot, a sheltered, outdoor eating area with tables and benches, and the small restaurant itself, where humans waited in line to order food, separated from the busy kitchen by the cashier counter. With the sun having fully set, the restaurant was lit up bright with floodlights and colorful neon lights accenting the structures.

Kian arched a brow. “This…is not what I expected.”

“You expected me to pick some fancy place?”

“No. But what little I understand about human courtship is that it involves some degree of”—he waved a hand in the air—“showing off one’s wealth, let’s say.”

“Maybe for some people. But it’s not always about money. And sometimes when a girl’s hungry, she just wants a burger.” She opened her door and planted one foot on the ground before she paused to point a finger at him. “Also, this isn’t a date. Now come on.”

Laughing, Kian climbed out of the car. Humans sat in their vehicles and at some of the tables, chatting and sharing food in an atmosphere of ease, comfort, and happiness. This wasn’t at all like the places he frequented.

And he couldn’t deny that the change was welcome.

He fell into place beside Willow as they walked toward the building, barely noticing the people that glanced his way. There was only her. Her energy, her vibrancy, her everything.

When they reached the ordering window, a burly man leaned an elbow on the counter, beaming a wide smile at Willow. His nametag marked him as Dave. “Evening. What can I get started for you folks?”

Willow returned the smile. “Hi! Can I get a cheeseburger combo with a chocolate shake?”

“You got it.” The man jotted her order on a pad, using abbreviations that were all but meaningless to Kian. “And for you?”

“Ah…” Brow furrowing, Kian looked over the menu. How many variations of hamburger did humans have? How could there really be that much of a difference between them? “I think… I’ll let my date order for me.” He met Willow’s gaze and offered her a grin as he looped an arm around her shoulders and drew her against him. “She knows what I like to eat.”

He didn’t miss the blush staining her cheeks.

“Um, he’ll have the same as me,” she said.

Dave chuckled. “All right. Two number ones with two chocolate shakes.” He tore the paper from the tab and handed it to someone behind him before giving them their total.

Kian slipped his wallet out of his pocket and paid. “That makes it official, doesn’t it, Violet?”

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