Page 49 of Little Sunshine

What have you been through?

Her steps slowed further, and I put my hand on the small of her back and leaned in to mutter, “I will chase you.”

She twisted away, but not before I felt a shiver go through her.

Christ, am I going for the dickhead record tonight?

“Mila—” I started to apologize before she cut me off.

“I’m not that dumb. For one, you’d catch me in half a step even with the super juice that doctor injected into me. For another”—she glanced up at me—“there’s fancy cake in my future.”

“Then why’re you slowing?”

She opened her mouth before hesitating. When she spoke, it was with an evasiveness. “Just looking around.”

Usually, I hated lies. Doing what I did for a living, I heard them daily. Always stupid ones. Done for self-preservation, greed, or both. It got old. They were predictable and easily spotted.

Mila was different. A challenge.

If it wasn’t for the subtle way she favored one leg and the wince of pain that followed, I may have believed her skillful lie.

Moving fast but carefully, I lifted her into my arms.

“Whoa, hey. Put me down!”

“Hush, sunshine.”

She looked over her shoulder to see an audience of people looking our way at her outburst. I couldn’t find a single fuck to give, but she apparently had a stash of them. She thumped my shoulder with her fist. I assumed it was meant to hurt.

It didn’t.

Kinda tickled.

“I said put me down,” she hissed, her cheeks flaming brighter as she hid behind her dark hair.

“No.”

“You can’t just say no.”

“Can and did.”

“Remember what I said about the scalpel,” she threatened with a huff. Despite all the attitude she threw my way, she folded into herself, shrinking as small as she could.

“You’re in pain,” I said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, well my legs are longer than yours.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.”

“That means I can get you out of here faster.”

Mila paused before her body relaxed in my hold, even as she huffed at the inconvenience of being carried.

Once we got to the garage, I readjusted her in my arms and pulled my keys from my pocket. When I unlocked the SUV and the lights flashed, Mila’s gaze went from the Escalade to me.

“Well, at least you don’t drive something ostentatious.”

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