Page 161 of Bend

“I thought so. Very mature.”

“Basically a saint.”

“Still want you to myself sometimes.”

The joke fades from her expression, replaced by something warmer.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I like us when everybody else is around. I like the mess too.” My thumb brushes lightly against her side. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want time where I don’t have to compete with Thorne talking shit or Draygon staring holes through the room.”

She laughs softly.

“Jealous?”

“Not really. I know you want them. I also know you want me.”

Her mouth curves. “Very sure of yourself.”

“With you? Yeah.”

She studies me for a second, then smiles. “Dangerous.”

“Come out with me tonight.”

“Only if the food’s good. And I pick dessert.”

“Done.”

She starts to step away, but I catch her hand and pull her back long enough to kiss her temple.

“You can go now.”

She looks at me like I’ve offended her.

“Thanks for permission.”

“Anytime.”

“Dick.”

I watch her walk back toward the paddock smiling.

Yeah.

Good day.

****

I take her somewhere small that evening, mostly because anything too polished would make Echo suspicious.

The place is near the coast, tucked between a couple older buildings with a chalkboard menu behind the counter and mismatched tables out front. We grab food to go because the weather is holding, then walk until the houses thin out and find a quiet stretch of grass above the water.

Echo drops beside me and steals one of my fries before I’ve even opened the second container.

I look at her. “You do know you have your own, right?”

“Mhm.” She pops the fry into her mouth without an ounce of shame. “Yours looked better.”