Page 18 of Impulsive Saint
She tossed the pillow he’d put in the chair over onto the couch with the other items and then decided she should eat before making up her bed for the night. She shot another glance down the hallway but when she still didn’t see Tyler, she skirted into the kitchen to find two plates made up on the counter. A smile automatically tipped her lips upward when she took in what he’d made for them. She’d been expecting two pieces of white bread with a slice of meat and processed cheese slapped together but Tyler had surprised her yet again.
There were two plates, decorated beautifully with a unique southwestern pattern. Each plate held half of a sub sandwich. Wheat bread, what appeared to be Swiss cheese, a heaping of turkey, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and lettuce created a sandwich that made her stomach rumble.
“There are grapes in the fridge if you want some or I think there’s a bag of Baked Lay’s in the cabinet.”
She didn’t completely jump out of her skin this time when his voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. She glanced over at him and wasn’t sure if she should thank the good lord or curse the devil. Tyler had gone back to his bedroom to put on a shirt. The simple black t-shirt covered all of the beautiful muscles and ink so that she couldn’t help but wonder if she had imagined it all to begin with.
“Uh… grapes.” She forced her mouth to work, “If you don’t mind.”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I did.” Tyler moved past her to the fridge and pulled out a carton of large green grapes.
“Thank you.” She took the plastic carton and poured a handful onto the plate in front of her and then paused, “Is one of these specifically for me or…”
“Nah. I just made one sandwich and cut it in half. Hope it’s up to your expectations, princess.” He smirked and then leaned back into the fridge, “Beer or water? Unfortunately those are the only options at Hotel St. James this evening.”
She stifled a smile, “Beer?”
“Good choice.” He pulled two bottles out and used his hip to shut the door of the fridge. The bottles clinked together as he moved to a drawer and pulled out a bottle opener. He glanced over at her and nodded towards the other plate, “Toss some grapes on mine too.”
“Sure.” Ashtyn gave him a small pile of grapes and then resealed the carton and turned to put it back in the fridge.
“Trade ya.” Tyler was right there behind her again and he offered one of the beer bottles to her so she took it and let him put the grapes back in the fridge. “We can eat in the living room. I don’t have a dining table or even barstools for that matter.”
She nodded and picked up her plate in her free hand, carrying both it and the beer he’d handed her back out to the living room and curling up cross-legged on the couch. Tyler followed her out a moment later and collapsed into the chair with a heavy sigh. He tipped his head back and drank several long drags from his bottle of beer before he gave another sigh, one that sounded far more content, and put the bottle on the side table to focus on his food.
Ashtyn forced her eyes away from him and onto her own plate, “Thanks for the sandwich.”
“You’re welcome.” He took a bite of his own and she felt him watching her as she tried to sneakily peel hers apart without him noticing. “Problem, princess?”
She huffed out an irritated breath, “I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Mmhmm.” He pointed at her sandwich with his pinky, “What’s offended you about the sandwich I made?”
“I don’t like tomatoes.” She huffed, “That’s all.”
He gave her a skeptical look, “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She gave up being sneaky and picked up the top half of the sandwich, using the tips of her fingers to pull the sliced tomatoes off and set them aside with a flick of her wrist. “I can’t stand the texture of them.” A small smile had quirked his mouth when she glanced back at him and she frowned, “What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich, chewing before he spoke again, “Just, my little sister is the same way. Says it’s all about the texture. We give her a hard time about it.” His lips twitched again, “She’s kind of a princess too.”
Ashtyn chose to ignore that last remark, “You have a sister?”
She had a vague memory of him mentioning his brothers earlier. Two of them she was fairly certain. But he hadn’t mentioned a sister.
“Yeah, well, half-sister, but we don’t make those distinctions in our family since we’re all equally fucked up enough as it is.”
Ashtyn raised an eyebrow and finished chewing the grape she’d popped into her mouth, “See, that’s the kind of thing that requires further explanation, Tyler. You can’t just say something like that and then not elaborate. I’m too nosy.”
He smirked and picked up his beer, taking another drink before glancing back at her, “You want to hear about my fucked-up family?”
“Absolutely.” She grinned, wiggling in her seat to get more comfortable. “I love knowing I’m not the only one with a screwed-up family life.”
“Yeah. Right.” He rolled his eyes and took another drink of his beer.
“Don’t do that.” She pursed her lips and when his blue eyes flashed back to her, she glared at him, “Don’t pretend you don’t know just how messed up my childhood was. Everyone in this city knows, hell, everyone in the state knows about how I found my mom after her suicide attempt. Whatever princess bullshit you’ve got in your head about me, my life hasn’t been a cakewalk, Tyler.”
He winced and put his beer back down, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’d forgotten about that to be honest.”
