Page 56 of Protecting Love

“Doesn’t matter. I need something like a burger. I don’t even care what it is. I’d take a hot dog from a street vendor right now.”

She was walking toward the door and was glad that she’d picked up her clutch so there was nothing else to return for.

“Guess we are hunting down food,” he said.

“We are. I’m calling the shots here.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “We’ll let you think that.”

She hooked her arm through his, and out the door of the hotel they went. She turned and walked two blocks. “In here.”

“A deli?”

“Yep. Not too busy.”

“We are going to stand out.”

“In New York City, I’m not standing out in this dress any more than the drag queen over there in full makeup and seven-inch heels.”

“Good point,” he said.

They got in line and were looking at the menu on the wall. “I’m getting a roast beef club and fries.”

“Guess you weren’t kidding when you said you were hungry,” he said.

“That food was good, but...”

“I’m used to a bit more than ten bites over four courses.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

They moved up, she placed her order; he got a double bacon burger with fries and had her laughing.

“There is a table right there.”

“There is one closer,” she argued.

“I want your back to the wall.”

She rolled her eyes. “Really? Nothing is going to happen to me here. I’m sure you’ve been paying attention if anyone was walking around with another box filled with a dead rodent.”

“Let’s not talk about dead rodents while we wait for our food.”

He put his hand on her lower back again. “I don’t need help walking.”

“Maybe I just like to use it as an excuse to touch you.”

He had to be joking again.

But there was no humor in his eyes when he sat next to her rather than across.

Both of them in the booth, their backs to the wall, him looking toward the door and around the place while they waited for their food.

When it was ready, he stood to get it and brought it over and she didn’t hesitate to pick up a quarter of her club, pull the toothpick out, squish it down some and take a massive bite.

She moaned and chewed, then took another. “God, this tastes like heaven after what we just had.”

“I would have expected a fancier palette.”