Not sure how to take any of this, I let it all go. Perhaps my parents have a deeper friendship with Eden’s parents than I realized. Yeah, that has to be it. I am hungry, so why not eat while we’re out?
“I’d like a burger, and Trixie’s has the best in town. It’s just up this road a bit.”
Placing his hand on the headrest of my seat, he looks over at me. The wind is moving the longer top of his dark hair around just enough to make him look like he’s doing a photoshoot for some men’s magazine.
He’s a sight to behold and I am an awful person who cheats on her devoted boyfriend.
“Trixie’s it is, baby.”
I have to look away, out into the small town we drive through. I watch the people walk down the sidewalk. My small town looks somewhat different from inside of this perfect machine with this perfect guy driving me through it.
It’s almost as if I’m not a part of it at all. The people I see look at us as if we are some sight to behold. None seem to recognize that it’s just little ol’ me riding in the passenger seat.
The car slows as Eden prepares to turn into the parking lot. “You sure about this place, Alyssa?”
Taking notice of the three motorcycles in the parking lot and only a couple of cars, I say, “Don’t worry, Eden. It’s nearly three in the afternoon. Not a prime time for most people to eat. The food’s good, I promise.”
“Should I put the top back up? I mean, will the car be safe out here? This place looks rough,” he says with hesitation.
I laugh. “Leave the top down. It’ll be fine. This place isn’t as bad as it seems. Come on now. I’m famished.”
Before he gets out, he hits the button on my seatbelt, releasing it. “Let me get your door for you.”
“I can get out on my own,” I protest and reach for the handle.
He grabs my hand and pulls it back up to his lips, touching it gently with them. “Princess, let me open your door, please. It’s not right for a lady to get out of the car unattended by her male driver.”
“Fine,” I say.
He slips out of his side and comes around. His gait as he moves in front of the car is smooth and refined. One of his hands moves through his hair, making it lay in the most perfect of ways.
As he opens my door and takes my hand to help me out, a sudden flash fills my head. It’s the large birds which flew over Kyle and me in the forest.
Yet, I can see them clearly above me, so close I could touch them if this was real. I feel Eden’s arm around my waist and I lean into his side for support, feeling weak-kneed.
“You okay?” he asks.
Shaking my head to clear the vision, I nod. “A weird, light-headed thing just happened. Maybe the doctor was right not to send me back to school. I would’ve fallen if I was on my own. Thanks for being here, Eden.”
Pulling my sunglasses off and placing them on the top of my head, his eyes search mine as if confirming I’m okay. “You sure you’re fine?”
I nod and he begins walking into the café, holding me tightly against his side. He’s so sweet and kind and compassionate.
Too bad I belong to another.
CHAPTER 16
EDEN
Placing my sunglasses on top of my head, I open the door for Alyssa to enter the dark bar. She calls it a café, but it’s a bar, and a dingy, smelly one at that.
I sweep the interior to find some bikers at a pool table and an elderly couple in one of the booths, drinking beer. They hold hands across the table and I find it cute, yet misplaced in this rat hole.
The large redhead behind the bar looks us over as she moves to follow us. I find us a booth and slide my mate in, sitting next to her.
The waitresses’ gravelly voice, from what has to be years of smoking, grates on my ears. She tosses a menu to Alyssa and hands one to me, then says, “Well, hello there. I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new to Cloudcroft?”
“Just visiting. Can you give us a minute?” I ask as I see her look over at my mate and narrow her eyes.
“Ain’t you that Kyle boy’s girlfriend?”
Alyssa’s cheeks glow pink. “I am. This is my parents’ old friends’ son, Eden. I’m showing him around town.”
“Cozy. So you want the usual chocolate milkshake?” she asks, letting me know my mate and that boy attend this nasty establishment quite often.
How he could take her to this type of place is unsettling. Behind her parents’ backs, she’s come here with him.
What else has she done with that boy?
“You should try the double meat, double cheese burger. It’s delicious. Kyle always gets that,” she says as she innocently looks up at me after stabbing my heart by saying that boy’s name and suggesting I would like anything he does.
The exception being her, of course.
“What are you having?”
“The regular burger and fries. Dairy doesn’t agree with me. The milkshakes I get are made with almond milk instead of regular cow’s milk. They don’t carry any cheeses I can eat,” she says as she places the menu that had been tossed at her at the edge of the table.
If we were anywhere else except her hometown, I would have barked at the waitress for her inexcusable behavior. “I’ll get whatever you get,” I say.
The waitress’ hand lands on my shoulder and I jerk my head around to look at it. Her red nail polish is dull and chipped and she smells like cigarettes. How could she possibly think she has a chance in hell with me?
“Sugar, you want a beer, or something maybe a little stronger with your burger and fries?”
“I’m eighteen, ma’am,” I say as I look up at her to find her yellow teeth flashing beneath her red-stained, thin lips.
Perhaps the only thing thin on the woman, except her ultra-thin eyebrows.
Her finger goes to her lips as she says, “Shh, I won’t tell on you, handsome.”
“No, thank you, ma’am. Just the burgers, all the way with mustard, the fries, and her shake made with almond milk. I’ll have a bottle of water, please.”
She pats my shoulder. “We have curly fries, baby. Would you enjoy some of my curly fries?”
Are you kidding me!
“No, ma’am. The regular fries will do us just fine, I assure you.”
Her hand slides down my shoulder along my arm, leaving me with an itch to bathe. “I’ll be right back with your drinks then, cutie pie.”
I turn to see Alyssa watching the waitress walk away. “Wow!” she says with a shake of her head. “I never knew we had so many skanky women in this small town. Eden, you bring out the beast in females. You must get that kind of stuff all the time. You handle them so well. If a man did that to me, I’d probably slap him.”
I drag my knuckles across her firm cheek. “If a man did that to you, I’d punch him.”
Her giggle tickles at my ears. I love it!
“Neanderthal,” she says as she gently punches my arm. “I can’t believe she was willing to give you alcohol. Tell me what other things women have offered you for a moment of your attention.”
“You don’t really want to know that, Alyssa. Just like I don’t want to know why in the world you would frequent such an establishment as this,” I say as I scan the dirty bar.
The lights flicker over a pool table as the bikers swill from large glasses of dark, frothy topped beers. Their protruding bellies are a testament to their devotion to the fattening spirit.
Her smile dazzles me as she leans in a bit closer. “Watch how you talk about this place. Those bikers call this place home and anyone who speaks ill of their home usually finds themselves sprawled out in the parking lot with boot prints on their asses. Oops, sorry. Don’t want to offend your delicate senses by cursing. I meant to say bottoms.”
Placing my hand behind her neck, I pull her to me, leaning my head to speak in her ear. “It is not my delicate senses I worry about. It’s your honor I wish to protect by reprimanding your use of vulgar obscenities. With a mouth so beautiful, it’s a crime to let disgust
ing words flow out of it.” I leave a kiss on her cheek to soften my correction.
The glow of pink on her cheeks shows me she’s taken in what I’ve said and I’m pleased to see it. “How you speak is so … what is the word I’m looking for? Eloquent. Far beyond your years, Eden. I’ve never thought about the words I use making me seem dishonorable. You’re right, though.”
I’m right! That’s a step in the right direction. She’s beginning to trust me.
The cigarette smell is back and I turn to find the waitress back with our orders. She tosses my mates’ basket with her burger and fries in it and a fry falls on the table. I quickly pick the fry up and hold it near her face, which is much too close to mine as she leans over me to throw food at my princess.
“If you weren’t tossing things at this young lady, you might be able to keep the food where it belongs. See that you stop, or your tip will reflect my disapproval.”
Her eyes widen and she pulls her ample body up. “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again. I promise,” she says, then her eyes dart to Alyssa. “Sorry, Ally. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Alyssa blinks back at her. “It’s okay. No big deal.”
No big deal! Really! So she feels it’s just fine to have someone treat her disrespectfully.
That is what he made her feel like when they came here. A common girl who is treated with no respect at all is what he’s made her.
“Mmmm, take a bite, Eden. It’s really good,” Alyssa says with a moan.
Not one bit mad. Wow!
“Okay, then, here it goes.” I lift the grease-laden mess to my mouth and take a hearty bite. I’m immediately sorry I took such a large bite of the foul tasting—dare I call it a burger?
Her face lights up. “See, it’s good, right?”
I swallow the horrible stuff, then wipe the grease from my lips. “No, it’s not. It’s quite possibly the worst thing I’ve ever tasted,” I say as I take the cap off my bottle of water and try my best to get the nasty taste and greasy film out of my mouth.
What I would give for a toothbrush right now!
Alyssa laughs and takes another bite. I so badly want to take this burger—if you can call it that. I doubt there’s any real meat to the thing—and toss it in the trash.
She swallows and wipes her mouth. “You have to be joking. These are the best burgers in town. Come on, try another bite, Eden.”
“If you truly believe that, then we must educate that pallet of yours,” I say, then tweak her cute little nose.
She scrunches it up, making her even more adorable. “And just how might you go about doing that?”
Another bite she takes, making my stomach hurt at the sight. Only the best foods should pass through that delicious mouth.
“I’ll take you to the finest restaurants this planet has to offer.”
A smirk forms on her sweet lips and I wish I could kiss it off.
“Only if I agree to that, and I am quite taken, if you will recall. A friendship is one thing and traveling around to eat is quite another. Kyle will not cotton to the idea of me and you traipsing all over just so my pallet can be refined.”
There it is again, the stab in my heart every time she says his name.
“What that boy doesn’t know won’t hurt him, princess. I have a jet. Let me take you to one tonight. I know the perfect place to start your education.”
With a gleam in her eye, her smirk turns into a full-blown smile. “You have a jet?”
She’s interested now. I might be able to talk her into it.
“I do. We could be there in about an hour. What do you say?”
“Dad would never allow it,” she says, but she’s still smiling.
She’s finished the awful burger and drained her glass, so I guess she’s done eating. “Let’s get out of here and go ask him,” I say as I stand and pull her to come with me. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I hold her close.
“He’ll never agree to that, Eden. But you can ask, I suppose.”
A beam of dust-filled light comes in as the door opens. A gangly boy with a light brown mop of messy hair walks in. He turns back and gives a thumbs up, then closes the door. The boy heads straight to us, his eyes on my mate.
“Sup, girl?” he drawls.
“Hey, Cody,” Alyssa says, as she wiggles in my grasp a bit. “This is, Eden. Our parents are friends and he’s visiting for the week.”
His eyebrows go up and he gestures to the hold I have on her. “And just what is this about, Al?”
“Didn’t you hear about my accident?”
He frowns and answers, “Yeah, and you don’t look like you got hit by no truck.”
She giggles. “That’s because I didn’t, silly. I stopped, then fell and hit my head. I get dizzy pretty easily, so Eden has been kind enough to help me get around, or I’d be stuck in bed.”
“Convenient, isn’t it?” His eyes move over my entire body, sizing me up.
I perceive him as no threat. He doesn’t ruffle my feathers even a tiny bit.
“We were just on our way out,” I say as I propel my mate forward, away from him.
He stands in place and watches us leave. I drop a hundred in front of the red-head and proceed to the door. I can feel his eyes burning a hole in my back.
“Don’t you want your change?” the waitress calls out.
I lift my arm and wag my finger as I gesture a no back to her.
“Have fun, Al,” I hear the boy say as I open the door.
The light is bright and I’m blinded for a second. Pulling the shades from my head, I put them in place. Alyssa does the same thing.
“The light is killing me,” she mutters.
Looking back up, I see a tall black truck parked right next to my jag. The tall blonde guy from the hospital is leaning up against the hood of my car. His arms are crossed and he wears a very pissed off expression.
Fantastic. An interaction with the boy who’s treated my mate like a common girl for years.
This should be good!
CHAPTER 17
ALYSSA
I struggle to get away from Eden’s tight grip. Kyle already looks pissed. This won’t help matters. “Eden, let me go. He’s mad enough,” I hiss.
“I’m not letting you go, Alyssa. So stop wiggling,” he says with a harshness I’ve yet to hear from him.
“What the fuck is this shit, Ally?” Kyle asks as he gestures to the hold Eden has on me. “All hugged up on him, and are those matching sunglasses? Well, how fucking cute are the two of you? Tell me when the fuck you broke up with me, Alyssa. And when does this guy leave your house? His car’s there all through the night.”
Eden smirks. “Stalk much?”
“Don’t, Eden. I haven’t broken up with you, Kyle,” I say as I strain my brain to come up with the words to say to calm him down before he takes a swing at Eden. “I have a concussion. I get dizzy out of nowhere. Eden has been kind enough to brace me so I can walk instead of being cooped up in my bed all the time.”
His arms are crossed and the expression on his face tells me those words softened his demeanor none.
“I’ve had a couple of concussions playing football, Al. No one had to hold me up for days on end. Let’s just say someone did carry me around—a hot nurse, maybe—would that have gone over for you, Ally?”
Obviously he doesn’t get it. “Okay, I see you’re jealous. There’s nothing to be jealous about. Come out to the house later and we can all get to know each other. I’m sure we can all become friends,” I say, then he drops his arms to his side and a glint of a tear threatens to fall, breaking my heart.
“Come to me, Ally. I just need to hold you, then I’ll believe everything can be all right.” His arms open up for me to go into them and I want to.
I look up at Eden. “Let me go.”
His eyes are impossible to see through the dark glasses, but by the small wrinkle of his forehead, I assume he’s frowning. “I’d rather not.”
Kyle flies off the hood of th
e car. Grabbing Eden’s shoulder, he pulls back his fist. “No! Kyle, don’t!” I scream as his fist moves through the air towards Eden’s face.
Eden doesn’t even take a step back. His free hand catches Kyle’s fist as though it was a baseball which had been tossed to him. “Not going to happen, guy,” Eden says with an eerie calmness.
Kyle’s eyes widen in disbelief. “What the fuck? Who the fuck are you? Why are your hands on my girlfriend?”
Eden lets Kyle’s fist go and takes a couple of steps back, taking me with him. “Your language is disgusting and I’m afraid it’s rubbed off on Alyssa. A gentleman doesn’t use such words in the company of someone as precious as she is. This bar is also no place to take her to. I’m quite sure you’re not a person she needs in her life. You’ll only bring her down.”
My mouth drops open with what he’s told my sweet Kyle. I jerk myself from his tight grip and stand next to Kyle.
“Eden, how dare you! It’s not your place to speak to him like that. I will not have it,” I shout, then take Kyle’s hand and lead him to the side of his truck. “I’m sorry he said those things to you. He’s extremely upper class and sees things differently than we do.”
Kyle backs me up against his truck, pressing his body to mine as he hugs me. Lightly, he kisses my cheek.
“Kiss me, Ally. Show him what I am to you. He needs to know. He’s trying to steal you away from me. Can’t you see that?”
“He can’t do that. I’m solidly with you. Have faith in our relationship and how I feel about you. I love you, Kyle.”
“Kiss me, then, and show him.”
His eyes beg me, but something in me feels it’s wrong. Eden needn’t see us together like that to know my heart is Kyle’s.
“Come to my house later, Kyle. It’s not right to kiss you here in this parking lot where everyone can see our business. You’ve never asked me to do this before. You need to trust me.” My heart beats hard against his chest.
His mouth moves closer to mine even though I’ve told him no. “Don’t be mad at me, Ally,” he says just before his lips land on mine.
A hand grips my shoulder and I’m yanked away from Kyle. Carrying me away by my waist, Eden places me in the car without opening the door.
Nobody's Girl: A Billionaire Romance Novel Page 56
