Page 59 of Sacrifice the Knight (Checkmate 6)

At least she blushes, which brings me comfort when I worry I might be the only one suffering nerves. “Thanks. Sleep well?” Reaching forward, she snatches up a piece of bacon and eats with a pink blush in her cheeks and a dancing sparkle in her eyes.

“I slept okay for a bit. Till my phone was blowing up with booty calls that didn’t end in booty.”

“Sucks for you.”

I chuckle. “Nah.” I cut my breakfast and watch the egg yolk run, then I mop it up with a slice of bacon. “I’m glad you called. It was nice talking to you in the dark.” Frowning, I stop and look around. “Aren’t we violating your secrecy rules right now?”

She snorts. “It’s not a national security thing. No one will swoop in and kill us if they find us talking. It’s more of alet’s not fuck in front of my kidthing.” Her words are soft, so no one else can overhear, but still, her sentence makes my stomach jolt for a plethora of reasons. “Everyone seems to wanna ship us anyway, so talking isn’t going to be a huge nugget of gossip.”

I stop chewing and frown. “What the hell does ‘ship’ mean?”

She takes my coffee with a snicker and sips, since I guess we’re doing that now. “I forgot you were old and don’t know the new lingo.”

“I’m not old!”

She’s so beautiful when she smiles and teases. She’s in her element when she gets to make a guy defensive. “‘Ship’ means, like, supporting a relationship. They’re pairing us up, betrothing us, if you will. They’re likely mashing our names together, so Eric and Katrina is probably Ericka, or Katric, or something equally as lame. Everyone thinks they get a say in what we do, but I’m gonna talk to you if I wanna. Mac’s at school, and he’s the only person I need to shield, so Stefan can mind his own damn business.” Snapping her head around, she busts the stout guy at the doorway and sends him bustling away on a squeak. “I dunno… I guess I’m in a decent mood today.”

“Which is pretty surprising considering how little sleep you got.”

“I know!” Snickering, she drinks my coffee dry and nods as though to encourage me to eat. “I’ve been feeling a little low lately, but today’s good. My son is happy; my bills are paid; my ex is somewhere else in some other state and didn’t call me to whine about how his life sucks.” She leans forward a little as though to tell a secret. “And I’m kinda… I dunno…” She shrugs. “I’m into you, I guess.Crushingseems too high school, and ironically, too much commitment. But you’re handsome. You’re nice. You don’t want anything from me, and there are so few people who want to spend time with me just because, and not because I can do something for you.”

“I’m not a user.”

“I know. And you took my phone call last night, even knowing you wouldn’t get laid. I tried to hang up after ten minutes, and still, you hung on, you wanted to talk. And none of it was innuendo.”

“You think men don’t know how to talk to women without it being about sex?”

She shrugs. “Pretty much. I expected you to tell me to touch myself at least once. But you didn’t, and since you didn’t, I find myself smiling today. I’m stupidly in lust with you, Eric, simply because you’re nice and don’t expect anything of me. Plus, the broad chest thing.” She blushes. “It makes me happy that I can be in this space. And equally happy that I’m not a raging bitch on such little sleep. I suspect at this point, it’s hysteria, but whatever.”

She’s cute, even if I want to slap her hand away from my bacon. “Are you normally a monster when you’re sleep-deprived?”

“Oh God.” She snorts and takes an inelegant bite. “You have no clue. You think I was mean that night Zeke was here? Try me after a sleepless night. You’ll find out how truly mean I can be. I should be a raging psycho today, but I took an iron pill, did ten minutes of yoga, drank your coffee, and I swear…” She lets out a satisfied sigh. “I’m happy.”

“Have dinner with me?” The words escape before I can stop them. They float in the air between us, irretrievable, irreversible, and oppressive as they settle and create a deafening silence. I’ve asked this question before, and though she wasn’t a raging bitch about it, I was still offered a polite no and an extra cookie with my coffee as though that were sufficient replacement.

“I mean…” I drag in a deep breath and try again. “Please? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. It can still end with a one-night stand. Or not,” I add when she lifts a brow. “It can be whatever you want it to be. It can even be while you’re on shift here during your thirty-minute break. I’ll take twenty of them; you can have the other ten to use the bathroom and get ready for the rest of your shift. I just wanna eat a meal with you and maybe hold your hand.”

“We’re eating a meal together right now.” She takes another bite and flashes a wide grin. She seems so carefree today. So truly relaxed in a way I haven’t seen for so long. She’s never looked at me this way before, but I’ve seen it, with Stefan, with Ray. Even with Mac. I was always on the outside, so I got the regular greetings and careless goodbyes, but I was still witness to her smiles.

Until Zeke decided to snap his fingers and demand service.

“One time, Katrina. One dinner. No promises, noshipping, nothing that would resemble commitment or added baggage. I just crave an evening with you, food, a beer, preferably with no audience, but if you need that, then I’ll book a crowded restaurant to make you happy. I want to spend time with you where theonlything you have to worry about is your outfit.”

She watches my face and studies my eyes while hers narrow. It’s almost as though she’s waiting for the lie to present itself, like I’m manipulating something from her, something she never agreed to. And, well, truthfully, I kind of am. I want more of her time, and she already told me she has so little of that to offer.

“Do you promise this won’t come back and hurt us later?” Her eyes flicker between mine. “Do you swear this won’t make me cry? Because I don’t have room for more heartache. I can’t take it.”

Gemma’s smile flashes through my mind.

“Do you promise it’s just a meal, and it won’t hurt my son?”

Callie’s infectious giggle plays through my mind as clearly as if she were sitting right beside me.

“Do you promise you won’t make me cry, Eric? Because I can’t take on more trouble. I’m literally at the end of my rope. I have no capacity to carry anyone or anything else, so if you’re going to hurt me, let’s be up front about it, save me the anguish, and we can just continue the way we are. This is working.” She points between us. “Forty minutes a night. Fast, hot, pleasurable. It’s working. Don’t ruin it.”

I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. I squeeze and make no mention of the way her pulse races beneath the delicate skin of her wrist. “I promise I will never intentionally hurt you.” I choose my words carefully. “I promise not to add to your load. I just want a couple hours alone with you. That’s literally it. Nothing more, I swear.”

“Does it matter what time?”

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