30
Juliet looked out the window of Brick’s truck, feeling uncertain. She didn’t think she wanted to go to the diner to eat. Her mind went back to the picnic yesterday. When Xavier had put her down for a nap before leaving to go to the hospital, she’d been tempted to ease the ache in her clit.
But he’d told her if she did that, then he’d know and she’d be in big trouble.
She’d still be tempted, but he’d ended up reading to her until she fell asleep. She missed him. Just like she missed Brick when he was giving them time on their own.
“Look at me, Duchess.”
She let out a deep breath and turned to stare up at him.
“We can go home if you want,” he told her.
She didn’t want to have lunch at the diner. She hated the diner. She didn’t really like to go anywhere in Wishingbone except to the Wishing Well for quiz night.
But Elias had begged them to get out of the house for a while. Sure, he and Sterling could have come on their own, but when he’d stared at her pleadingly, she’d found herself nodding in agreement.
“I know I’m overly protective,” Brick admitted. “I want you to stay in the house because I know it’s safe, but that isn’t necessarily what’s best for you.”
Wasn’t it? Because she wasn’t sure the diner was the best place for her.
“But say the word and we’ll go.”
“It’s fine,” she told him.
“Wait there until I come around.”
Sterling and Elias were already out of their truck and waiting on the sidewalk. She was guessing that they’d all had a chat and came up with this excursion as a way to get her mind off Reuben. It was sweet of them.
Brick undid her belt and lifted her down. She wrapped her hand in his shirt.
She made it to the booth in the diner, mostly by keeping her face down and letting her hair fall forward. It felt like there were eyes watching her, and she guessed at least half the diner was following the four of them. And largely because of the men with her.
They’d be the topic discussed at a few dinner tables tonight, and probably these guys would be the object of several fantasies too. She had to smile at that.
A shiver ran through her and she raised her head to take a brief look around, wondering at the unease.
But she didn’t see anything. When she sat in the booth, she didn’t bother looking at the menu before leaning up to speak to Brick.
“I’ll have fries,” she whispered.
He frowned. “Just fries? You need something more substantial than fries.”
She sighed. She supposed he wanted her to eat half a cow.
“Fine. Chicken salad sandwich.”
He sighed but nodded and placed the order. When their drinks came, she concentrated on downing the iced coffee as the guys spoke quietly to each other. A few people came up to say hello. But she knew they were just fishing for information about Brick and the guys. After he’d made that declaration that she was his, it would have gone around the population of Wishingbone quicker than she could blink.
Finally, their food arrived and she had something else to concentrate on.
It tasted a bit funny and she set it down with a grimace, trying to figure out what that taste was.
“Eat your lunch, Duchess,” Brick said to her.
She gave him a stubborn look. He simply gave her one back. She sighed. She supposed she could wash it down with more iced coffee.
“And drink some water.”